Yellow tangs fighting?

[firehorn]

i have just added 2 yellow tangs to my reef and i am not sure if they are fighting of not... the seem to kep distant from each other and when one goes near te other they seem to fight though i am not sure.

here is a short video.

Please let me know your opinions thanks

http://youtu.be/pVjl-72xuOA

 

[Haffs09]

While I didn't see any blows exchanged between fish, the dominant fish is definitely asserting its dominance over the other one. Since you just added them, this behavior isn't a surprise. The question will be if the dominant one ever becomes tolerant of the other fish. If it does, then you may be okay, keeping in mind that someday it may become intolerant. If the posturing continues for a more than a week or if the dominant one physically inflicts damage on the other, you'll need to remove one of them.

Good luck!

 

[firehorn]

Thank you, i will keep an eye out on them and look out for any fin damage too

 

[snorvich]

The odds of long term success are low in my opinion.

 

[Monkeyfish]

IMHO the only way to successfully keep more than one yellow tang in a tank is to be reeaalllyy lucky or to have a big tank 300+ gallons.

 

[snorvich]

IMHO the only way to successfully keep more than one yellow tang in a tank is to be reeaalllyy lucky or to have a big tank 300+ gallons.

This. I have a tank greater than 300 gallons and would not try it.

 

[gilbert2625]

I have 4 yellow tang but 2 always fight,how do u stop this.

 

[sponger0]

I have 4 yellow tang but 2 always fight,how do u stop this.

Remove some of them??? Thats my guess. If they have establish pecking order, they will continue to fight.

 

[MrTuskfish]

YTs , and all tangs of the genus, generally hate each other. Two will result in almost certain combat; but only in very large tanks, 3 or more will often be OK.

To the OP: You should research fish before buying; any decent source will advise against adding two YTs. Unfortunately, you can't count on the LFS to give you this info, that's your job. Just a quick check of LA's site says " Like other Tangs, this member of the Acanthuridae family demonstrates territorial aggression towards its own species, or Tangs in general".

 

[joejoe1055]

the only way i would of risked it if both where tiny, these are not , u will have one ruling the tank and one hiding in a corner. i would return one of the tangs and maybe get an angel or somethinh thats going to be ok with the yellow

 

[wireefman]

whenever ive kept multiple yellow tangs, ive always kept 5 or more... never fewer than that.. and always 250 gal or larger, and introduce them at the same time, and one last tip... small specimens

 

[fishfreak2009]

About a month ago my LFS got in a "pair" of yellow tangs that had been together at the wholesaler apparently. So I asked them to hold them under quarantine for me (along with a few wrasses). The fish got along great in their 55 gallon. I added them to my display today and there seems to be no troubles between the two (besides the occasional fin flair, which isn't even as bad as what happens between my clownfish pair). My tank is a 187 gallon (60"x24"x30").

A few years back I purchased a trio of yellow tangs for this same tank. Two paired off, killed the third, and then each claimed half the tank. However, I never saw a squabble between the two. They never bothered my Desjardin sailfin tang though. I lost the pair (and the desjardin) in a power outage while I was on vacation.