Calling all Tang owners!!

[toothybugs]

Hey guys -

I rarely ask fish questions but this one doesn't seem to have an answer readily available. I'm upping my 40B to a 75 currently and am really looking forward to getting a couple bigger fish for it, and am going tang.

First order of business: I'm getting a Kole (60% sure) or one of the bristletooth beauties (35%). ((I left off 5% because the wife may put her foot down and make me get a yellow, but its really unlikely.))

Second order: as noted, she wants a yellow. I don't. They're generic and get a little big for a 75, even a fairly sparsely rocked out 75 - I have about 65-70 pounds of rock going in my tank and it's BB to boot. But I do want a second, small tang if at all possible.

So the question becomes: Can I??

What is the rule on multiple tangs in a 75? No go, you shall not pass, don't collect $200? Or can I get away with a Tomini and a Kole?

The biggest fish in the tank otherwise is a tie between my Valentini and my female ocellaris. And she's a wimp.

So... can I have 2 tangs?

[ca1ore]

I don't see why not. I kept a Chevron bristletooth in a 75 for years along with a convict (though I did rehome the convict after about two years). Got that same combination, along with a small naso and multiple wrasses, in a 90 now.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Let's not use the 'tang police' phrase again, okay?

[toothybugs]

Let's not use the 'tang police' phrase again, okay?

Okey doke - wasn't aware it was offensive or otherwise to be avoided. Duly noted.

[Dmorty217]

The "TP" comment seems to come from those who are lacking education on the subject at hand. It's like asking yourself if you should get a horse for you 1/4 acre yard... Yes you can do it but it probably isn't the best thing

[toothybugs]

The "TP" comment seems to come from those who are lacking education on the subject at hand. ---

And get offended by being told their idea isn't the greatest idea, ala your horse analogy. Which is exactly the reason I'm asking - I really don't have much educated experience with tangs and am seeking it.

I would appreciate a few more "aye or nay" type answers with supporting details though. Currently I'm at about 1 of each.

[CedzAquAddictio]

Technically, it can be done, but I wouldn't risk it if I were you. How about substituting the yellow tang for a foxface? Pretty peaceful fish that is out in the open constantly, but doesn't require allot of swim space. Will also still give you that color splash. Here is the smaller one of the foxfaces out there. LA has it listed as compatible for your upgraded tank.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1465+2704&pcatid=2704

There is a little risk, though. Some people have had issues with them picking at their coral, but some folks have reported tangs doing the same thing (and they are classified to be reef safe). I haven't had any issue with my foxface in my 225g mixed reef...

[toothybugs]

Technically, it can be done, but I wouldn't risk it if I were you. How about substituting the yellow tang for a foxface? Pretty peaceful fish that is out in the open constantly, but doesn't require allot of swim space. Will also still give you that color splash. Here is the smaller one of the foxfaces out there. LA has it listed as compatible for your upgraded tank.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1465+2704&pcatid=2704

There is a little risk, though. Some people have had issues with them picking at their coral, but some folks have reported tangs doing the same thing (and they are classified to be reef safe). I haven't had any issue with my foxface in my 225g mixed reef...

Thanks Cedz. Good info - when I first saw "foxface" I thought "yellow NFL football" but then read further. Thanks for that.


Jwon - I think we're done with the TP analysis. What are your thoughts on my tank situation? Any direction?

[Sk8r]

Tangs come in a couple of dispositions: the rock browsers, like the tomini and kole, which can get along in a smaller tank, or the runners, that do long-distance rushes. They all come armed with a lethal spike, and the day they feel crowded and freaky, they will use it on their tankmates, who may go missing quietly. Most tangs are not satisfactory in a small tank.

[BrianD]

Posts were removed. If you have something intelligent to add based on actual experience, please do so. If you are only posting because you believe you are funny or clever, trust me, you are not.

[CHSUB]

get 1 yellow only and skip the kole; koles are very aggressive, imo!!!

[jason2459]

get 1 yellow only and skip the kole; koles are very aggressive, imo!!!

Having had both of those I'd say both are aggressive. So, only one and my personal preference would be some smaller bristle tooth in that size tank.


But if it is going to be the Yellow then I highly recommend adding it last. Make sure to pick compatible tank mates and those that can defend themselves. Like a Maroon clown would be good. A Copperband butterfly, bad.

[Tigerdragon]

I had good luck with multiple tangs in a 90. A naso, yellow, red sea sailfin, and a yellow eyed kole they got along fine key is if there is enough hiding spaces for them. So far in my 200 i have 2- yellow, an orange shoulder, mimic, kole, and an eibli mimic tang ther are spats at times but everyone settles down. As far as multiple tangs it can be done but i would look at the smaller sized tangs instead of the ones that get 14"

[ginpang]

I'm not a tP .... But tang in a 4' tank... For their entire life expectancy absolutely not! But I've done the itsy Bitsy baby fish until it got to big for the space and rehoused them.
Sometimes hobbyists are thankful for a nice fat healthy specimen that's been Qted for a few years in someone's tank. Sure beats buying a specimen you've never seen on the Internet with possible health problems.

[jason2459]

I had good luck with multiple tangs in a 90. A naso, yellow, red sea sailfin, and a yellow eyed kole they got along fine key is if there is enough hiding spaces for them. So far in my 200 i have 2- yellow, an orange shoulder, mimic, kole, and an eibli mimic tang ther are spats at times but everyone settles down. As far as multiple tangs it can be done but i would look at the smaller sized tangs instead of the ones that get 14"

How long did you have them and what size did those tangs get in that 90? What happen to them? I would not enjoy a 1+ foot fish in that small of a tank. Personal preference regardless of being a tang...

[MitchSutherland]

My thinking is slowly changing after being in this hobby. I used to think just buy the fish QT them and then trade them in/or sell them. But man after all the work you put into quarantining. That idea sounds exhausting. I can still see 2 tangs possibly working out. Just dont get into the habit of thinking, oh I will just move them ect.(not saying you are now. Just stating my opinion)

[eatbreakfast]

A tomini and kole in a 75 may or may not work. Each are smaller tangs, so will be fine even as adults, but some individuals are more aggressive than others. IME neither of these provided too bad of aggression problems.

[Tigerdragon]

How long did you have them and what size did those tangs get in that 90? What happen to them? I would not enjoy a 1+ foot fish in that small of a tank. Personal preference regardless of being a tang...

They all ranged in size from 3.5"-6" then i purchased my 200 had rehomed everyone all was fine till i needed to catch on small marroon clown no easy task in an 8' long tank wound up with stressed induced ich pretty much decimated my tank am now in the restocking phase

[Dmorty217]

Posts were removed. If you have something intelligent to add based on actual experience, please do so. If you are only posting because you believe you are funny or clever, trust me, you are not.

LMAO... I love when Brian gets involved!

[Deinonych]

My $0.02...limit yourself to either the Kole or the Tomini, not both. I have a Kole in my 105, and he can be quite bossy at times, especially to fish occupying the same ecological niche (like my blenny). I would bet that adding a conspecific like a Tomini would focus the aggression in such a relatively small space. Also, my Kole uses every bit of tank length -- they are quite active.

[faulkincanyon]

I love my Kole tang he is a model citizen in a 75 gallon and gets along with all others fish in tank. He is the only tang so not sure how he would react to another tang but he gets along with my fox face face very welll. If you go with more than one tang just make sure to keep them well fed and maybe a veggie clip at each end of tank as mine spends a lot of time eating and that could cause a territory problem. But as you see from above many say aggressive and mine has not been whatsoever so it just depends on the individual fish not just the species in general. Good luck with whatever fish you decide on! Maybe you will see this before it gets deleted.

[CHSUB]

Having had both of those I'd say both are aggressive. So, only one and my personal preference would be some smaller bristle tooth in that size tank.


But if it is going to be the Yellow then I highly recommend adding it last. Make sure to pick compatible tank mates and those that can defend themselves. Like a Maroon clown would be good. A Copperband butterfly, bad.

i will agree koles are smaller, however, i find them far more aggressive than yellows. Yellows are aggressive towards other zebrasomas but koles are aggressive towards everything. i've had koles rip into blennies, gobies, dwarf angels, tilefish, etc...while yellows seemed uninterested in other tank mates.

in a small tank, i would much prefer a yellow than a kole.

[toothybugs]

Posts were removed. If you have something intelligent to add based on actual experience, please do so. If you are only posting because you believe you are funny or clever, trust me, you are not.

I was afraid this was going to need intervention, thought about it in my extra-long drive home. Thanks Brian.

[brett559]

I would think a small purple tang would be fine for quite a while. In my 90 gallon I inherited a 2-year old+ purple tang that was still pretty small. I kept it for a year before selling it when I had to sell my tank. My experience was that it grew very slowly.

My research has shown (I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong) that yellows and purples are slower growing tangs, as opposed to blues, nasos, etc.

Another cool choice would be the White Tail Bristletooth Tang. They are expensive, but only rated for 70 gallons - definitely a showpiece.

[BigBlueTang]

LMAO... I love when Brian gets involved!


Me too! Favorite part of RC!
Lmao

[Giovanni]

Yellow or maybe a Bristletooth type.

[Dmorty217]

Me too! Favorite part of RC!
Lmao

He's one hell of a Mod!:beer:

[jason2459]

i will agree koles are smaller, however, i find them far more aggressive than yellows. Yellows are aggressive towards other zebrasomas but koles are aggressive towards everything. i've had koles rip into blennies, gobies, dwarf angels, tilefish, etc...while yellows seemed uninterested in other tank mates.

in a small tank, i would much prefer a yellow than a kole.
I have a yellow eye kole now and it hates my sand sifting goby. Chases all the time but luckily just a chase and stops there. But he really doesn't bother anyone else. I had a yellow once that didn't like anyone that couldn't fend for itself.

YMMV

[BigBlueTang]

He's one hell of a Mod!:beer:


Funny as hell in the lounge and when banning people too!!

edit: im guessing the only reason we like him so much is because we haven't been infracted or banned.(speaking for myself, Idk about you dmorty :lol: )

[ginpang]

My thinking is slowly changing after being in this hobby. I used to think just buy the fish QT them and then trade them in/or sell them. But man after all the work you put into quarantining. That idea sounds exhausting. I can still see 2 tangs possibly working out. Just dont get into the habit of thinking, oh I will just move them ect.(not saying you are now. Just stating my opinion)


It might be because I never had to quarantine in my home , I had 127 aquariums at work to do so and never had to deal with disease or parasites outside work... But I totally get what your saying.

[CHSUB]

I have a yellow eye kole now and it hates my sand sifting goby. Chases all the time but luckily just a chase and stops there. But he really doesn't bother anyone else. I had a yellow once that didn't like anyone that couldn't fend for itself.

YMMV

yes, i agree, every fish has a different personality....anyways GO PATRIOTS!!!!

[Jacklax]

I have a Kole as well. Was a model citizen until the starry blenny moved in. The blenny is larger than the Kole...I saw the Kole put a hit on the Blenny earlier tonight that would make any linebacker proud. Now they are eating right next to each other...probably depends on the individual fish.

[BigBlueTang]

yes, i agree, every fish has a different personality....anyways GO PATRIOTS!!!!


+1 to this. You never know what kind of fish you are getting, I have heard of hepatus tangs eating coral, although, to what extent that is true, I have no idea.

Broncos are going to bring it home this year ya deflator :)

[snorvich]

My $0.02...limit yourself to either the Kole or the Tomini, not both. I have a Kole in my 105, and he can be quite bossy at times, especially to fish occupying the same ecological niche (like my blenny). I would bet that adding a conspecific like a Tomini would focus the aggression in such a relatively small space. Also, my Kole uses every bit of tank length -- they are quite active.

This is what I would recommend.

[toothybugs]

This is what I would recommend.

When I got a bit more serious I was going to ask you about this.

[jason2459]

+1 to this. You never know what kind of fish you are getting, I have heard of hepatus tangs eating coral, although, to what extent that is true, I have no idea.

Broncos are going to bring it home this year ya deflator :)

Pretty much every tang has that capability to eat corals, be aggressive, and actively swim every inch of every aquarium.

[snorvich]

Pretty much every tang has that capability to eat corals, be aggressive, and actively swim every inch of every aquarium.

Algae grazers that are hungry will eat the Zooxanthellae contained symbiotically within the coral. That is one of the reasons that proper tank size is desirable, especially in a reef tank.

[Dmorty217]

Funny as hell in the lounge and when banning people too!!

edit: im guessing the only reason we like him so much is because we haven't been infracted or banned.(speaking for myself, Idk about you dmorty :lol: )

No bans, have gotten a infraction or two for posting no related things in the for sale section...:hmm5:

[tsunade]

I do believe if u keep them happy and healthy and have a plan later still better than those people with big tank but can't keep the tangs Alive for more than 3 days. Just my opinion tho

[anth245]

I Have A baby Yellow in my 30g cube who is fine!

75G is small for larger tangs but by getting babies you can have them for years before they are too big and need to be rehoused

[snorvich]

I Have A baby Yellow in my 30g cube who is fine!

75G is small for larger tangs but by getting babies you can have them for years before they are too big and need to be rehoused

I disagree.

[toothybugs]

I Have A baby Yellow in my 30g cube who is fine!

75G is small for larger tangs but by getting babies you can have them for years before they are too big and need to be rehoused

I am going to agree with Steve say I also disagree with this. Personally I think it is unfair to the tang and all the other tank inhabitants to condemn them to a future with an overly aggressive tankmate, as I believe the 'rehoming' intention is unethical and irresponsible.

I will be going with one of the bristletooth specimens and would like to especially thank Cenz again for the suggestion of the mini foxface. Thank you all for your input.

[Breadman03]

Deleted, quoted post was removed. :)

[Bogue Chitto]

It might be because I never had to quarantine in my home , I had 127 aquariums at work to do so and never had to deal with disease or parasites outside work... But I totally get what your saying.

That's a lot of work on that many tanks but you get to pick out some good stuff for yourself. I used to have a fish shop and it was like Christmas every week.

[anth245]

I believe the 'rehoming' intention is unethical and irresponsible.


I all fairness I have plans for a 125g tank soon so keeping my small yellow in my 30g is fine. i have plenty of rock work for him to hide.

[toothybugs]

^^^And that is legit if it actually happens. I should have clarified that I meant the "I will just take it to the LFS when I'm done" train of thought that a lot of people have. I have watched way too many 6" angels and 8-12" nasos languish for months at my own LFS.

[jason2459]

I all fairness I have plans for a 125g tank soon so keeping my small yellow in my 30g is fine. i have plenty of rock work for him to hide.
In all fairness many people say this and it never happens. I've bought lots of equipment over the years from people selling off equipment that's brand new because their planned upgrade never happens. This happens for many reasons like it cost more then expected or many different kinds if unexpected life events.

It is so much better to buy fish that can live its life out for the current tank you have. A fishes life should last decades not months. Once the upgrade happens then buy more fish that you want. Patience is a virtue and something very important at all levels in this hobby.

Also, a tang if housed properly and feed appropriately should grow rather fast. Under feeding a d stress of being in a smaller tank will certainly stunt a fishes growth. I do not consider that responsible reefkeeping and helps those that want to stop this hobby. Yellow tangs are a prime example of a fish that many want to ban the capture, export, and sale of.

[davocean]

I just recently got a 2 spot bristletooth for my 120g.
I've never had one before, but due to tank size I decided it was the best choice.
Hands down this is the most algae eating, grazing tang I've ever had, even grooms the sand bed, and so far no tickyness at all w/ other fish.
This is the only tang I plan to keep in this tank.

[GroktheCube]

I just recently got a 2 spot bristletooth for my 120g.
I've never had one before, but due to tank size I decided it was the best choice.
Hands down this is the most algae eating, grazing tang I've ever had, even grooms the sand bed, and so far no tickyness at all w/ other fish.
This is the only tang I plan to keep in this tank.

I kept one in my 120 for a while, and he was a great algae eater!

Unfortunately, mine eventually got aggressive with everything in the tank (wrasses, blenny, firefish) other than my Foxface. From what I understand, that's out of character for them as a species. Mine only starting acting out after he needed to spend 72 days in a 40B, so that might have had something to do with it.

[jason2459]

It's not entirely out if character.

[GroktheCube]

Oh? My understanding was that they were supposed to be relatively peaceful as far as tangs go. I guess the key there is "as far as tangs go".

On the upside, the LFS gave me a hefty credit for him.

[jason2459]

Oh? My understanding was that they were supposed to be relatively peaceful as far as tangs go. I guess the key there is "as far as tangs go".

On the upside, the LFS gave me a hefty credit for him.

All the bristle tooth or Ctenochaetus I've had in the past were a pest to something in my tanks. Like my current Kole tang hates my sand sifting goby. I don't know of any tang that is listed as peaceful. At least they shouldn't be. I've always seen them listed as semi-aggressive to aggressive. This doesn't mean they wont be peaceful and doesn't mean they wont be holy terrors. My A. pyroferus is they most peaceful tang I've had so far and is peaceful to everything in the tank.

[CedzAquAddictio]

I am going to agree with Steve say I also disagree with this. Personally I think it is unfair to the tang and all the other tank inhabitants to condemn them to a future with an overly aggressive tankmate, as I believe the 'rehoming' intention is unethical and irresponsible.

I will be going with one of the bristletooth specimens and would like to especially thank Cenz again for the suggestion of the mini foxface. Thank you all for your input.

No Problemo!!!

Best of luck and keep us posted... :thumbsup: