Yellow tangs keep dying

[malawinovice]

I have 75 gallon mixed reef established 3 years.

Every time I add a yellow tang it dies in 3 to 5 days.

First time I thought it was the established flame angel and starry blennies beating on the yellow tang. They were banished to the sump and a 2nd yellow tang brought home.

This time I watched and the yellow tang goes to my clown pair with the anemone and starts a fight. The moody clown sets the mood and beats the tang away. The yellow tang the sets the tone for a pair of azure damsels and claims that rock nook. The yellow tang repeatable returns and battles the clown pair.

Yesterday I fine yellow tang labored breathing below the clowns and anemone.

At the same time I added a long nose hawk fish and he is doing fine. Eats well, no spats with others.

Others tank mates:
Leopard wrasse
Pair Bartlett Antonia's
Pair azure damsels
Pair osc clowns with anemone(already mentioned) they lay eggs every two weeks.

Ideas? My lps brains are doing great now flame angel is rehomed.


I will not try another yellow tang. Am looking for yellow fish to add to mix. Or maybe pajama cardinals and try to get breeding pair.

 

[ca1ore]

Everyone seems to have that 'problem' fish that they cannot keep - for me it is the Flame Angel. My experience with Yellow Tangs is that trying to keep a group is problematic in anything but a huge tank, but singles are fairly easy. Seems like you have tried the latter. Perhaps just bad luck. Are you providing nori or some other algae for your fish? FWIW, the Leopard Wrasse is a much harder fish to keep, so you must be doing things right!

 

[malawinovice]

I did not supply nori. Lfs states only needed for digestive health. I trust Lfs.
Really a bummer , But easy feed for anemone.

Ph is 8.09
Alk 8
Nitra 0

 

[FTDelta]

Good to hear you're not getting another tang because Tangs don't belong in tanks under 150 gallons. What about a Midas blenny or Yellowsripe Cardinalfish. PJ cardinalfish are cool too.

 

[ca1ore]

I did not supply nori. Lfs states only needed for digestive health. I trust Lfs.

I'd think digestive health would be important? Tangs are herbivores - if there is not enough or the right kind of algae present in the tank, then it has been my experience that adding sheet Nori makes for a much happier fish.

 

[malawinovice]

I have algae in my tank. I don't know if it was the stress of no nori, trying to beat the clowns out for top spot or azure damsels pestering.

I am switching and will try to pair the longnose hawkfish or royal grammars.

 

[gone fishin]

On the info presented I would guess the tankmates are most likely not to accepting of the tang.

 

[ReefEnc]

Good to hear you're not getting another tang because Tangs don't belong in tanks under 150 gallons. What about a Midas blenny or Yellowsripe Cardinalfish. PJ cardinalfish are cool too.

??.... Flame fin bristletooth and yellow in a 50 gallon frag tank. Sohal, scopus and tennenti in a 125 gallon. All extremely healthy and doing great. I dont understand that comment at all. Try a bristletooth of some kind, they are very hardy tangs and are work horses on removing algae. The reason a lot of people myself included, supplement with nori is because it helps the tangs immune system. All my tangs like the brown algae more than the other types. Hate to see a system without a tang, they keep the rock so clean.

 

[Fish Biscuit]

What does well in some tanks won't work in others. I personally don't think a tang belongs in a 75 g either. In the new to the hobby section there is a recommended tank size for tangs. I was at the Shedd last week & there was one zipping around in a tank & that tank while not small was not big enough for the activity level of that particular fish.

 

[bonomo53]

If your looking for a yellow fish both yellow coris wrasse and candy hogs are pretty cool fish. If you wanted to try another tang maybe try a yellow mimic tang or a tomini they are both smaller tangs

 

[Joe0813]

Good to hear you're not getting another tang because Tangs don't belong in tanks under 150 gallons. What about a Midas blenny or Yellowsripe Cardinalfish. PJ cardinalfish are cool too.

some tangs do perfectly fine in a 75 gallon.... Kole tang and tomini tang are both smaller tangs that can be happy in a 75 gallon.

 

[ReefEnc]

I agree there are some tangs that shouldnt be in some tanks. However, that said, a 75 gallon is big enough for a bristletooth or yellow tang. The max size given for fish is usually the biggest recorded according to Scott W. Michael and fish in the home aquarium rarely reach a size even close to a max size given for a particular kind. So if we want to go with the activity of a fish, then most saltwater fish should not be kept in captivity given their amount of activity. I am not trying to argue with anyone about this, but I think we can sometimes think a little too much and make things more difficult than they need to be.