toughest tang?

[likefish]

Looking to add a tang to my 120 SPS tank to do some grazing. The tank is over a year old, very stable and has patches of turf algae that i would like to see gone.

I lost an atlantic tang to ich a few months ago and have heard that they are a bit ich sensitive. In the tank are 5 chromis and a starry blenny, all ich free. i know that ich survives in the system but i will not go through the process of leaving it fallow for 3 months.

Suggestions on a good hearty / tough tang?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

Kole Tang I think would work best for you.

 

[DopeCantWin]

Kole Tang I think would work best for you.

I've seen a Kole die from Ich, that's not to say they're not a tougher tank, just my experience.

 

[humaguy]

after run through a solid qt process most are solid fish...

 

[Spawn234]

Had a chocolate tang back in the day, and I'd say that tang would be right up there with hardy tangs.

 

[Rea17]

I would not recommend adding a tang to a tank that you know has ich lurking. It has the potential to be dangerous to the fish. Quarantine and prophylactic treatment (and a fallow if necessary) are important parts of long term success with almost all tangs.

A fallow period is only 2 months (8 weeks), and the only fish you would need to remove would be 5 chromis and a starry blenny? What's the big deal, why not do it?

If you are worried about some algae patches, there are alternatives to tangs as well. Rabbitfish (ime) are pretty hardy and eat a lot of algae that tangs won't touch. If you are going to buy a tang anyway, I would go with something from the Zebrasoma genus. Avoid a sailfin, they get huge and they seem a bit more sensitive than yellows or purples. Koles are good grazers but ich magnets just like all other tangs. The Atlantic blue that you had was an Acanthurus, and tangs in that category are particularly ich susceptible. Your best choices would be between Yellow and Scopas. They are good grazers, and relatively hardy.

 

[orangegoby]

yellow tang. They r bullet proof for me. my tank ALWAYS have ich. I saw it pop out one spot or two on my pbt and hippo from time to time. In the past my yt did get ich but it usually gone within a week.

 

[Dmorty217]

after run through a solid qt process most are solid fish...

+1 the toughest tang I know of is the black long nose, they are hardy as they come but it will cost you some $$$

 

[jschultzbass]

I would not recommend adding a tang to a tank that you know has ich lurking. It has the potential to be dangerous to the fish. Quarantine and prophylactic treatment (and a fallow if necessary) are important parts of long term success with almost all tangs.

A fallow period is only 2 months (8 weeks), and the only fish you would need to remove would be 5 chromis and a starry blenny? What's the big deal, why not do it?

If you are worried about some algae patches, there are alternatives to tangs as well. Rabbitfish (ime) are pretty hardy and eat a lot of algae that tangs won't touch. If you are going to buy a tang anyway, I would go with something from the Zebrasoma genus. Avoid a sailfin, they get huge and they seem a bit more sensitive than yellows or purples. Koles are good grazers but ich magnets just like all other tangs. The Atlantic blue that you had was an Acanthurus, and tangs in that category are particularly ich susceptible. Your best choices would be between Yellow and Scopas. They are good grazers, and relatively hardy.

I agree here. With so few fish, shouldn't be a problem.

 

[jcdeng]

purple tangs are tough, but at the same time very mean. My tank came down with ich before and 90% of the population died, but the purple tang (only tang in the tank during the time) not only did he survived, but I didn't see one grain on him during the entire time. I feed him nori every day.

 

[Pallobi]

My purple tang is approaching what I assume is mature size at about 5.5 - 6"... And he is a tank... The hardiest fish I've found... But I feel all zebrasoma tang species to be pretty hardy in general compared to the other families of tangs out there...

 

[MrTuskfish]

If I read your initial post right, your system has ich now. If that's the case; you shouldn't add any fish....and certainly not a tang. Is it me; or are several folks saying its okay to add a tang to a tank that is known to contain ich? I hope we haven't gotten so complacent (nicest word I can use) about ich.

 

[Rea17]

If I read your initial post right, your system has ich now. If that's the case; you shouldn't add any fish....and certainly not a tang. Is it me; or are several folks saying its okay to add a tang to a tank that is known to contain ich? I hope we haven't gotten so complacent (nicest word I can use) about ich.

My point exactly. It seems to me that people think as long as ich doesn't kill a fish, "it isn't a big deal."

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

I didn't want to say it, but I'll jump on the bandwagon. It's either complacency, or truly don't understand the ich, or don't want to read enough to get a true understanding.

After my first encounter with marine ich, I learned my lesson, and will not put myself or my livestock through that again. Aside from the money I've spent on my tank, I don't want to expose my livestock to ich. They cannot escape, and it's just not fair to them to be exposed and confined with an infected fish no matter how big the tank.

If I have another encounter with ich, it won't be from lack of effort in trying to avoid it. I swore off tangs after my first tank crash from ich, but once I realized what I was doing wrong with my QT practices, I gave it another try, and have been successful. Yes, my brand new tank sat fallow for 13 weeks while my survivors ran out a treatment in my leftover 55g QT/HT. Yes, I have had some new fish become infested and die in QT, but they had it before I got them and it flared up from their stressful shipping and acclimation. They were not moved to my DT to infect everything else.

 

[EllieSuz]

If I read your initial post right, your system has ich now. If that's the case; you shouldn't add any fish....and certainly not a tang. Is it me; or are several folks saying its okay to add a tang to a tank that is known to contain ich? I hope we haven't gotten so complacent (nicest word I can use) about ich.

This couldn't have been better said. Sooner or later, Ich will take out your whole tank. Don't we have more responsibility to the fish than to make them play Russian Roulette?

 

[humaguy]

no complacency here... "after run thru a solid qt protocol most fish are very solid"...I got the impression no qt was used and the op refuses to run fallow ...ime, threads like this have the habit of disintegrating into a qt vs no qt debate...

the best possible thing anyone can do to help ensure a healthy and optimal environment for their livestock is to qt it, period...
qt, qt, qt....

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

Agreed...

The hardest part of QT is the 30 day wait. Most often we get anxious and want to see our new fish in our DT. I keep myself in check by telling myself if this one fish doesn't stay in QT long enough (30 days minimum), all of my fish may end up in QT, and my DT fallow for another 8-9 weeks.

 

[humaguy]

Agreed...

The hardest part of QT is the 30 day wait. Most often we get anxious and want to see our new fish in our DT. I keep myself in check by telling myself if this one fish doesn't stay in QT long enough (30 days minimum), all of my fish may end up in QT, and my DT fallow for another 8-9 weeks.

imo/ime, a qt period should last longer...many of us do a min of 8-10 weeks...

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

imo/ime, a qt period should last longer...many of us do a min of 8-10 weeks...

Haven't considered that , but it's a good thing to bring up. Sometimes, I end up having to treat new fish for illness in my QT. I get the fish to eat, then medicate if needed, and monitor for a week, or so before sending it off to my DT.

Is your 8-10 weeks with medication, or purely monitoring?

 

[humaguy]

I monitor/observe for a couple weeks, then med/observe for a few, then monitor/observe for a few...patience is huge...my current 2 qt are nice sized so I don't get the urge to add livestock into my dt asap...they are kind of like 2 dt...