[fermaster]

BrainD, great idea with this series of threads.
I’ve had the pleasure of keeping 3 Achilles tangs over the course of about 8 years.
Achilles 1:
The first one I bought out of sheer ignorance. I didn’t really use the Internet to explore my newfound hobby and I relied on the “expertise” of the LFS.
Tank size: 125 gallons (72”x18”x22”)
Tank type: Reef tank/DSB, softies
Water changes: Weekly 25%
Water flow: 8x tank volume
Tank mates: 4 chromis, 2 perculas
Food: only ate red algae
Size at purchase: 3.5”
Aggressiveness: none
Quarantine: At that time it was the first fish so I put it directly in my tank.
Experience: Great personality. Very active in the rockwork.
Result: I moved and I sold everything after 2 years.

Achilles 2(Honky Tonk Man):
I had just put together a 300 gallon tank and I really wanted to get another Achilles tang. This time I was researching everything. Everything I read said that only an expert could keep this fish and that it would certainly die. This contradicted my experience so I gave it a shot again.
Tank size: 300 gallons (96”x30”x24”)
Tank type: Reef tank/BB, SPS
Water changes: Weekly 20%
Water flow: 30x tank volume
Tank mates: Naso elagans, Zebrasoma Desjardinii, Paracanthurus hepatus, Ctenochaetus strigosus, 4 bimaculatus anthias, 6 chromis, 2 percula
Food: Red algae, krill, mysis (refused pellets)
Size at purchase: 4.5”
Aggressiveness: none extremely passive
Quarantine: I put it in a 75 gallon tank for 2 months with hypo-salinity conditions
Experience: Great personality. This fish was my favorite by far. Every time I’d put a new clip of algae in the tank it would dart over after it take a bite and do loopty loops for a while then dart back over and grab some more. The rest of the time it was a pretty calm swimmer.
Result: I hate thinking about it but I was moving some corals that I had pegged into the rock work and I was having trouble getting one out and I tugged on it and lifted the rock it was attached to and it then broke free. It then fell back on the rock pile it was resting on where the Achilles was hiding. I was beside myself… I had it for 3 years and in this case I’m positive the pleasure was all mine.

Achilles 3:
I wasn’t going to get another one but my LFS just got a shipment of about 8 Achilles and I was the first one there. I went to all the tanks saw which ones ate and took one at $40.
Tank size: 300 gallons (96”x30”x24”)
Tank type: Reef tank/BB, SPS
Water changes: Weekly 20%
Water flow: 30x tank volume
Tank mates: Naso elagans, Zebrasoma Desjardinii, Paracanthurus hepatus, Ctenochaetus strigosus, 4 bimaculatus anthias, 6 chromis, 2 percula
Food: Red algae, mysis
Size at purchase: 5.5”
Aggressiveness: At first it received some aggression from the Paracanthurus hepatus but after a few days there was none.
Quarantine: Because I got this fish at the spur of the moment I didn’t have my quarantine tank setup and cycled. So I put it directly in the tank…hey I’m not perfect.
Experience: It didn’t exhibit the same personality as the last one did. It was active but not in the same way.
Result: I moved to Dallas so I sold the tank. I had this fish about 3 years.

Conclusion: None of the Achilles I’ve kept were aggressive. I never had a problem getting them to eat. I never observed any problems with ich e.g. I never saw them do the tang ich tail shimee, or scratch on the rockwork. Would I keep one again? Probably not. Achilles #2(Honky Tonk Man) ruined my ability to like another one.