yellow tangs fighting!!!!

S

sharicoe

New member
i have a 200 gl reef tank..i have 5 yellow tangs that were all bought together and put in together 9 months ago,,peace and harmony has been in my tank until yesterday 4 of the tangs ganged up one and killed him:mad2: now 3 are going after 1 of them..i dont know what to do or why this has happened...i have not changed nor added anything o my tank...any ideas anyone? thanks
 
stress. u can place s mirror on one side and see of the aggression moves on to the mirror images.
 
Nine months ago they were probably smaller than they are now. IMO, there running out of space, plain & simple.
 
I agree with cloak.

While your tank may have provided enough food and territory for the tangs while they were small, it is no longer large enough.

Most fish (tangs and surgeonfish are no exception) get much more territorial and aggressive as they grow/age.

I would attempt to remove all or all but one of them; the aggression is not going to stop. In my experience, it's very unlikely that even two mature adult yellow tangs will peacefully coexist in a 200G aquarium long-term.
 
AquaticFins said:
I agree with cloak.

While your tank may have provided enough food and territory for the tangs while they were small, it is no longer large enough.

Most fish (tangs and surgeonfish are no exception) get much more territorial and aggressive as they grow/age.

I would attempt to remove all or all but one of them; the aggression is not going to stop. In my experience, it's very unlikely that even two mature adult yellow tangs will peacefully coexist in a 200G aquarium long-term.
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+1 . I suggest re-homing them. Please let us know the status and if the aggression still continues.
 
Damsels have the rep for it because they're too often kept in tanks under 100g , but fish will reduce their own numbers to suit the space until they no longer feel crowded. They start with their own species and will move on to others if they still feel pressured.
 
JMorris271 said:
Hi RCI just put 2 yellow tangs into a 120 gal. Suggestions about the number of yellow tangs that can be kept in this size tank vary so I chose to do what I wanted and felt semi comfortable.
At this point in time, the tangs seem to be feeling each other out with quick hits and rushes at each other.
Is this something that will subside with time or are they going to be continuously picking on each other ?
Would a mirror help things.
Tangs a lot.
Click to expand...
the general rule i go by is do not keep any 2 tangs of the same shape, color or family. best case scenario, you will be able to keep tangs that share 1 of those 3 traits successfully.
you're keeping 2 fish that share the exact same traits and the only long term way to keep them successfully is to have a considerably larger tank which obviously isn't going to happen.
personally, i would just remove one of them and move on.
 
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