Yellow tang with purple tang?

[Damien Potgiete]

Is it possible for me to keep a yellow and a purple together in a 504 litre tank, 133gallons with a 270 litre sump. Would I be better of going with 2 yellows and one purple? I would also have a kole tang in there but I will be upgrading within a year to a 1008 litre tank, 265 gallon. The yellows at the lfs are a decent bit smaller than the purples.

[tonysi]

I have no experience with the two together as I only have a yellow tang, but I've read from others that a purple tang tends to be more aggressive than the yellows. Hopefully someone with experience of having the two can chime in for you.

[heathlindner25]

You could probably do it if you're lucky and you put them all in as juveniles

[codydemmel4]

i have a yellow and purple tang in my 180 gallon. they fought at first but after 1-2 days they are perfectly fine.

[Joe0813]

that's a toss up... my purple tang was with a kole tang and he was fine. but they aren't the same shape.

[D-Nak]

I had a yellow and a purple in a 125 long and they sparred a bit, bit then got along fine.

[HidingReefer]

You would have higher chance of them getting along if you add them at the same time, however nothing is guaranteed. I currently have two tangs, but they aren't the same genus. I am not sure if adding 3rd one would help or not, it would make sense that a 3rd tang would diffuse the aggression, but I am not sure if adding a 3rd one would just make things worse.
Another thing, if you are adding them at the same time, make sure your filtration can handle the extra bioload.

[Timfish]

Probably, as mentioned above it will depend on the personalty of the fish. Beside adding at the same time I would get different sizes. You need to be ready to rehome one on short notice. As they mature they can get territorial and you may have problems several years down the road. It will be pretty obvious when one keeps chasing the other away.

[NYCBOB]

if adding at the same time, should have no issue.

[johnike]

I have 2 Purples and 2 Yellows in the 240.
Along with a Chevron, Tomini, Convict, Blue Hippo, and Desjardini.

You should be ok.

[rooster426]

I've had a purple, yellow, and Hepatus together in a 110 gallon for many years. No problems at all. Except the Pacific Blue is currently in the process of dying, I'm afraid. I haven't lost a fish in years. Everything/everyone else in the tank is healthy.

[anbosu]

I wouldn't try it in the 133 gallon, but if you wait until you set up the 265 I think you'll have a better shot at it working.

[JohnnyRedd]

Is it possible for me to keep a yellow and a purple together in a 504 litre tank, 133gallons with a 270 litre sump. Would I be better of going with 2 yellows and one purple? I would also have a kole tang in there but I will be upgrading within a year to a 1008 litre tank, 265 gallon. The yellows at the lfs are a decent bit smaller than the purples.

I have a purple and yellow. Purple is much larger but they get along swimmingly. (see what I did there)

[biecacka]

I have a purple, yellow, 2 blue, and a sailfin in my 240. They are all cordial.

Corey

[scooter31707]

I wouldn't try it in the 133 gallon, but if you wait until you set up the 265 I think you'll have a better shot at it working.

I would not add those 2 tangs to that size tank. Is the tank 5ft or 6ft? I would wait if you are getting the 265. You get those fish, then life occurs, and for some reason the upgrade cannot happen then you are stuck with some decent size and semi-aggressive fish and small confinements. That usually don't turn out too well.

[Damien Potgiete]

My tank is 5 ft. I'm maybe considering going with just a purple and a kole for the time being and then when I upgrade to the 265 then I could get a few yellows as well and a sailfin and hippo to try suppress the aggressive

[HidingReefer]

Another thing, if you are adding these tangs, like someone else said, have a plan for removing one or the other before purchasing.

[Damien Potgiete]

Instead of the purple could I do a power blue or hippo?

[D-Nak]

Instead of the purple could I do a power blue or hippo?

Typically this is a better bet than going with similarly shaped tangs of the same family -- like yellow and purple tangs. However, all tangs may still squabble a bit and each will have their own personality. For example, I used to have a sohal tang that was a model citizen, but in other people's tanks they've been known to be bullies.

Powder blue tangs, along with powder brown and achilles, are known as ich magnets. Hippos tend to get HLLE more than other tangs. Best to get a healthy fish from the get go, or better yet, find one from a local reefer who wants to get rid of theirs.

[scooter31707]

Instead of the purple could I do a power blue or hippo?

IMO, a Hippo does better in a 8ft tank or bigger. Powder Blue needs to be in 180 or bigger. It has been known if a Powder Blue feels cramped it can really do some damage. IMO, they are the top 3 most aggressive tangs. I would not take a chance on neither until you get the 265.

[brett559]

Do it (yellow and purple). Add two small ones at the same time. Those fish would do better than a blue in your system IMO.

[Finland]

I have purple and yellow together along with a powder brown , naso, and hippo in my 280. All get along great. Yellow is the boss amongst the tangs, but there is very little chasing going on. Yellow was added first, then I added the purple and powder brown. A little scrapping at first, but then they decided the yellow was boss and the scrapping ended.

[Clavius78]

I've been keeping a yellow and purple tang together in my 500 ltr tank for over ten years now. Sometimes they "fight". Or maybe they're just playing?