sohal tang purple tang query

[jackp1]

i have the opportunity to buy either, a young sohal tang or young purple tang for the same price £95 not dollars. i can't deside which one to buy or which would be better in the long run, i no it normally comes down to personal preferences but i'm trying to look a bit more in depth. iv seen both & can't deside sohal is in perfect health colour nice & bright, purple is the same nice colour & good spots...:hmm6:

[mfinn]

They are both a couple of my favorites, and I have both in my 240 now.
One thing IMO the purple tang will stay smaller longer. The sohal tang is a agressive tang so, it's going to be the boss of the tank, in most cases.
The sohal is alot more active and needs more swimming room, again just my opinion.

[Toddrtrex]

What size tank?
What else do you have in the tank?

If some of your older posts are correct, you have a 150, with a couple of tangs already, if that is still correct, I would say that neither would work, especially the sohal.

[snorvich]

What size tank?
What else do you have in the tank?

If some of your older posts are correct, you have a 150, with a couple of tangs already, if that is still correct, I would say that neither would work, especially the sohal.

I agree with Todd. The sohal especially NEEDS a large tank. I removed one from a 350 gallon as it was simply not a large enough tank.

[jackp1]

since i changed over to lps-sps corals & started zeovit i run my fish down. i have a blue cheek goby, pink spot goby, scooter blenny, black & white humbug, a 2 striped purple wrasse, 5 fish all together 3 shrimp most fish won't last much longer as i want rid of them. l no my tank is'nt huge, its 25" H 24" W 32" L with all equip in sump. thats why i can't buy a adult sohal to large for my tank, but a 3" one will be ok for a while. mfinn is also correct about aggresion, but iv been told purple t are just as aggressive. i had another look at the fish in question today & was happy, i prefer a small one to a adult i find its exciting watching them mature i'm trying to change tank to lots lps-sps & just a couple of really good specimen fish i also won't stress out a animal for my asethetics, thats why i research first iv been looking into this for 6 months...

[Pickupman66]

the Sohal will go stir crazy in that tank. while it may fit at 2-3", it is a very avid swimmer and will pace constantly like a caged cat. Please consider that. the purple will be a much better fish for that tank. I have had oen in my 75 which was 48" long and it did great. I have a sohal now in my 180 and while he does not pace, at 10" it is a very dominant fish.

[jackp1]

this is exactly why i don't just spot buy, i like to make sure all needs can be taken care of before the plunge. the sohal in the lfs i thought it had just been fed as it was going back & forth not stopping, but its in a 50g sale tank. so i guess thats what you mean by stir crazy, not big enough even when small so they pace back & forth. then it's the purple thats final... thanks again guys as always my pleasure jack :beer:

[Toddrtrex]

I wouldn't put either (( make that any )) tang in that sized tank -- they are going to go stir crazy and end up being very aggressive.

[davocean]

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of them in cube type tanks either, just no clear runway for swimming.
FWIW I found the smallest Sohal I'd ever seen a while back, took a chance in my 180g(6x2x2)
It was non stop, like on a conveyor belt, going crazy, even at night, all night, and drove me crazy watching it.
I gave it to a friend w/ a 300g and wondered if that was even enough.

[Pickupman66]

Strange, must be fish by fish. I know they are very avid swimmers. that said, it is my Naso who does the pacing after feeding time. back and forth making waves on the surface. then a good dump later and he is a bit more calm. the sohal is much more relaxed and is more of a casual stroll around the tank. Sadly, both will be removed from the tank in a year or so and replaced with smaller specimens.

[denash24]

In reality no tank is big enough for most fish so disregard the tang police and go with the purple tang as it'll stay smaller slightly longer and will cruise around in your tank whereas the sohal will look like a caged tiger, pacing back and forth.

[snorvich]

In reality no tank is big enough for most fish so disregard the tang police and go with the purple tang as it'll stay smaller slightly longer and will cruise around in your tank whereas the sohal will look like a caged tiger, pacing back and forth.

So why do you consider the postings above as coming from the "tang police"? And why is your opinion more valid?

[BangkokMatt]

In reality no tank is big enough for most fish so disregard the tang police and go with the purple tang as it'll stay smaller slightly longer and will cruise around in your tank whereas the sohal will look like a caged tiger, pacing back and forth.

Most educated reefers have tanks which are more than suitable for the type of fish they wish to keep. What do you mean by "most fish"?
Please explain your post. I would like to know what you mean.

[Pickupman66]

I would say that I understand his post....many of the fish we have in our tanks dont stay in the confined area we keep them (180 gal tank in my case) in while in the wild. the size guidelines are for sustainability and other factors for the animal.