Sohal Tang Primer - Page 2

Sardaukar · 02/15/2010, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjstecchino

I may have got a wimp. Mine does not seem overly aggressive, does not bite me or the other fish. He has not had tail fights with any other fish. So far I am happy he is docile. He is about 6in, Is he going to become a terror as he grows larger?

Some people's experience seems to be the Sohal, especially if its with other much more dominant/larger tangs, being pretty passive up til about 8-10" and then it can rapidly become a terror. On the other hand, it might be fine.

I've also heard of people doing the opposite, as in making sure the Sohal is king of the tank by putting it with much smaller fish so that it won't feel that its dominance is threatened. Not sure if one method is better or worse than the other.

Creetin · 02/15/2010, 12:06 PM

If you like sohals check this video out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG_yo...eature=related

Kieth71 · 02/15/2010, 12:45 PM

That guys gonna get flamed for having that many sohals in that tank! J/K

RealReef7 · 02/15/2010, 01:07 PM

My next fish I want is a sohal but I know its not going to happen until I can find a 8-10' tank

Toddrtrex · 02/15/2010, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Creetin

If you like sohals check this video out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG_yo...eature=related

I like this one better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc14o...eature=related

jjstecchino · 02/15/2010, 01:34 PM

I hope he was scuba diving and he is showing a real reef and not his tank!

dflad · 02/15/2010, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 29reef

Gary and 64Ivy,

Did yours ever nibble at your fingers/arms while you were cleaning the aquarium? Ive serviced tanks where the the tang would be very bold and "friendly"; did you both experience the same? I have heard the same for some of the other tangs like Bariene and Vlamingi; just wondering if this is the case with your fish.

My Sohal enjoys trying to eat me often. Many times when I go into the tank she will surprise me with a bite to a finger. Startling to say the least. She also is extremely fond of her algae clip. That being said, she is one of only two fish in her tank since she does not play well with others /understatement

jjstecchino · 06/03/2010, 08:32 PM

Well... the sohal has been in my tank for just about six months so I thought I post an update. He still is a model citizen, plays along with the other tangs very well and I still have to see him fighting once. He still does the sand slapping thinghy from time to time. I do not see any abnormality on his skin, so I do not think is trying to scratch. It must be a behavioral thing. He has grown almost an inch, I am afraid he is getting closer to 8" and as mentioned earlier these fish can become a problem as they get larger. I am keeping finger crossed. It is a beautiful fish and I hope I can enjoy him for a long time

Claudio

Sohal Tang Tim · 06/03/2010, 10:33 PM

Claudio...my sohal tang, who is extremely healthy as far as eating and swimming, is slapping the sand with it's side also.... It does not rub against rock and has ZERO sign of illness... Does not go near shrimp or cleaner wrasse for a cleaning....no interest so I do not think it is external parasite.....

I am wondering if it is habit also???? Other then it slapping the sand on it's side occassionally the fish looks and acts perfectly healthy... it is very very strong eater and swimmer....no problem.

Any ideas anyone? Why does this fish swim on it's side against the gravel occassionally? NOrmal? I have owned 3 of them in the past and the last 3 never did this.....?????

If you find out Claudio please let me know.
Thanks kindly
Tim

jjstecchino · 06/03/2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sohal Tang Tim

Claudio...my sohal tang, who is extremely healthy as far as eating and swimming, is slapping the sand with it's side also.... It does not rub against rock and has ZERO sign of illness... Does not go near shrimp or cleaner wrasse for a cleaning....no interest so I do not think it is external parasite.....

I am wondering if it is habit also???? Other then it slapping the sand on it's side occassionally the fish looks and acts perfectly healthy... it is very very strong eater and swimmer....no problem.

Any ideas anyone? Why does this fish swim on it's side against the gravel occassionally? NOrmal? I have owned 3 of them in the past and the last 3 never did this.....?????

If you find out Claudio please let me know.
Thanks kindly
Tim

Tim, I believe it is normal. The fish is perfectly healthy, just from time to time, while swimming he turns on the side, dives down to the sand and slaps the sand. I also do not see any iaggressiveness before or after he does the slapping so i do not think is a dominant behavior display as well.
If anybody has any info I would love to hear

Claudio

Sohal Tang Tim · 06/03/2010, 10:49 PM

I hope you are right Claudio.....
I can tell you that a friend of mine dosed my reef with Prodibio stuff
and told me...that the sohal will *stop* doing that with this new biological
bacteria added to the tank.....

honestly...the fish has reduced signficantly the number of times
that he slaps the sand since the use of this product....

Whyyyyyyy would adding a new bacteria to the tank slow the sohal
down from slapping??? Very weird...but....no kidding....it has worked
as far as reducing the sohal from slapping.... he still slaps but...much
more rarely....

Tim

Creetin · 06/04/2010, 04:53 AM

Maybe its a nerve thing. Speculating here, But i have seen fish rub on the glass when the tank is getting too small for them.
No change in mine he still is in good behavior. No spouts with my full grown scribbled angel.
Now he does spout off with the purple tang though because the purple pester's every fish that gets near his sleeping spot. The purple has a couple spots on him where he has been caught,

I am afraid the purple will get caught with a good one one day if he does not stop.

Stanley-Reefer · 06/04/2010, 05:38 AM

I think the occaisional rubbing is normal too--mine does it and it's FINE.

We scratch our head and ourselves

Does that mean we have lice or crabs? Most of the time--NO

The other thing to remember about swinning along side the glas is that they are seeing the reflection of your reef behind them too--you can see them get duped by food that is in a corner until they realize the funhous mirror effect and strike at the actual piece of food!

1ucky · 06/04/2010, 06:04 AM

My Sohal does the occasional slapping on his left side from time to time; he's been doing this since I've had him (almost a year now). He sometimes goes months without doing it....

Creetin · 06/04/2010, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stanley-Reefer

I think the occaisional rubbing is normal too--mine does it and it's FINE.

We scratch our head and ourselves

Does that mean we have lice or crabs? Most of the time--NO

The other thing to remember about swinning along side the glas is that they are seeing the reflection of your reef behind them too--you can see them get duped by food that is in a corner until they realize the funhous mirror effect and strike at the actual piece of food!

I dunno if i would compare it to use scratching so much, I would lean more to compare it to a stress condition like a twitch. I have seen many sohals in tanks and never seen one flap on the sand in a normal fashon regularly. A flag would go up if i seen mine do that regularly. IMO

Creetin · 06/04/2010, 08:04 AM

Heres a little better shot of him. Not much growth other than some girth.
He's just a titch over 9 inches incuding his tail streamer. about 7.5 not including tail.
I can never get him to flair his fins. He does not do that very often.

Sohal Tang Tim · 08/04/2010, 10:28 AM

My sohal has completely stopped slapping himself against the sand bottom.

Very weird.....I guess it was a form of claiming territory in the tank perhaps....

Now that he is all settled in..he has completely halted that behavior after

a few months in the tank.....

just and update.

Thanks .

Tim

Creetin · 08/05/2010, 01:20 AM

Goodt to hear! Mine has become less skittish of me and will pretty much bite my fingers at feeding time. He learned this from the adult male scribbled angel. They pester my hands whenever i am doing stuff in the tank nipping and such. The sohal is never in a defense posture he just wants to eat, He is a fatty and loves to eat. The angel is a porker too.
The angel is the most bothersome and relentless. It does not hurt, Just freaks me out when i go to grab something and out of no where a 9 inch angel takes a pock shot at ya. LOL

knockout · 12/16/2010, 08:26 PM

any updates or other anecdotes out there! always loved this fish but been afraid it will mess with my sailfin who is about 6" now and have him for 4 years, I am redoing the tank and in the process of reaquascaping, I am thinking of giving this guy a shot... but will like to start with a small one, there is also a yellow tang and many wrasses in the tank today.

215g 72x24x30 tank

jjstecchino · 12/16/2010, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knockout

any updates or other anecdotes out there! always loved this fish but been afraid it will mess with my sailfin who is about 6" now and have him for 4 years, I am redoing the tank and in the process of reaquascaping, I am thinking of giving this guy a shot... but will like to start with a small one, there is also a yellow tang and many wrasses in the tank today.

215g 72x24x30 tank

Give it a shot, it is a beautiful fish. Mine is behaving well in company of 3 yellows, a sailfin, a powder blue, a naso and kole a few wrasses and a few gobies. I observed mine at the lfs for over a month before taking him home. He was with other tangs and I have never seen him fight, however the lfs had another sohal that was full of scars. He was returned several times because killed several fish on other customer tanks. So it really depend on the fish.

johnike · 12/17/2010, 09:35 AM

R-nel · 12/20/2010, 11:43 PM

Mine is also doing the sand slapping. I wasn't sure what to make of this but it looks like almost everyone here has had the same experience with the sohal... he's only been in my tank for two months, he's about 5 to 6" still kinda small but very healthy eat like a pig and very active. I also have a sailfin and purple tang that are smaller but both has been in my tank the longest, they do keep him in check every once in a while.

jjstecchino · 12/21/2010, 07:28 AM

I would not be worried about the sand slapping. My Sohal stil does that from time to time, definitely less often than earlier on. I had this fish for one year now, it has grown about 1 inch. It is very active and by far it is not the most aggressive fish in my tank. Most of my other fish had developed some kind of intolerance for other particular fish, the kole tank doesn't like the diamond goby. the PBT does not like the firefish goby, the sixline wrasse doesn't like any other wrasses smaller than he is; The Sohal has not developed any particular dislike. He loves the naso tang, they are similar size and often swim as a pair. The sohal has plenty of swimming space, the tank is 6ft long but has free swimming space in the front and the back of the rockwork, with many caves and passages between front and back. This fish is a very active swimmer and preferably should be kept in a tank much bigger than mine but I believe with proper rock arrangement a 6 ft tank may do ok if this fish will not grow to his full potential. If it does I like him so much that I will upgrade to a 500G just for him.

Claudio

AfricaOffroad · 12/21/2010, 08:25 AM

My Sohal does not like any other tang in the tank.
He tries to dominate all of them. This includes a purple tang, yellow tang, olivaceus and convict, the latter 2 being his particular dislikes.
He totally ignores every other fish, although he did give the Bellus Angel a good checkover when it first arrived in the tank.

jjstecchino · 12/21/2010, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AfricaOffroad

My Sohal does not like any other tang in the tank.
He tries to dominate all of them. This includes a purple tang, yellow tang, olivaceus and convict, the latter 2 being his particular dislikes.
He totally ignores every other fish, although he did give the Bellus Angel a good checkover when it first arrived in the tank.

Well it all depends on the particular fish personality and the Sohal Tangs personality surely have!
A Sohal will definitely be the dominant fish in the tank. They can be very disruptive to the point of killing every other fish. It has been said that the bigger they get, the worst they become, expecially when bigger than 9". A small querrel from time to time is ok but if it becomes a continuous nagging, take the Sohal out and back to the lfs.

02/15/2010, 12:06 PM	#27
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	If you like sohals check this video out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG_yo...eature=related __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

02/15/2010, 01:34 PM	#31
jjstecchino Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Carolina, USA Posts: 409	I hope he was scuba diving and he is showing a real reef and not his tank! __________________ Claudio Click on my username and 'Visit jjstecchino's homepage!" to view my 180 gallon reef build thread. Current Tank Info: 180 Gallon Reef in Infancy

06/03/2010, 08:32 PM	#33
jjstecchino Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Carolina, USA Posts: 409	Well... the sohal has been in my tank for just about six months so I thought I post an update. He still is a model citizen, plays along with the other tangs very well and I still have to see him fighting once. He still does the sand slapping thinghy from time to time. I do not see any abnormality on his skin, so I do not think is trying to scratch. It must be a behavioral thing. He has grown almost an inch, I am afraid he is getting closer to 8" and as mentioned earlier these fish can become a problem as they get larger. I am keeping finger crossed. It is a beautiful fish and I hope I can enjoy him for a long time Claudio __________________ Claudio Click on my username and 'Visit jjstecchino's homepage!" to view my 180 gallon reef build thread. Current Tank Info: 180 Gallon Reef in Infancy

06/03/2010, 10:33 PM	#34
Sohal Tang Tim Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Collingwood , ON, Canada Posts: 928	mine is slapping sand also! Claudio...my sohal tang, who is extremely healthy as far as eating and swimming, is slapping the sand with it's side also.... It does not rub against rock and has ZERO sign of illness... Does not go near shrimp or cleaner wrasse for a cleaning....no interest so I do not think it is external parasite..... I am wondering if it is habit also???? Other then it slapping the sand on it's side occassionally the fish looks and acts perfectly healthy... it is very very strong eater and swimmer....no problem. Any ideas anyone? Why does this fish swim on it's side against the gravel occassionally? NOrmal? I have owned 3 of them in the past and the last 3 never did this.....????? If you find out Claudio please let me know. Thanks kindly Tim __________________ "My God Reefs are Gorgeous!" Current Tank Info: 160 gallon reef

06/03/2010, 10:49 PM	#36
Sohal Tang Tim Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Collingwood , ON, Canada Posts: 928	weird I hope you are right Claudio..... I can tell you that a friend of mine dosed my reef with Prodibio stuff and told me...that the sohal will stop doing that with this new biological bacteria added to the tank..... honestly...the fish has reduced signficantly the number of times that he slaps the sand since the use of this product.... Whyyyyyyy would adding a new bacteria to the tank slow the sohal down from slapping??? Very weird...but....no kidding....it has worked as far as reducing the sohal from slapping.... he still slaps but...much more rarely.... Tim __________________ "My God Reefs are Gorgeous!" Current Tank Info: 160 gallon reef

02/15/2010, 12:45 PM	#28
Kieth71 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: colorado Posts: 1,026	That guys gonna get flamed for having that many sohals in that tank! J/K

02/15/2010, 01:07 PM	#29
RealReef7 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: bikini island Posts: 954	My next fish I want is a sohal but I know its not going to happen until I can find a 8-10' tank

06/04/2010, 04:53 AM	#37
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	Maybe its a nerve thing. Speculating here, But i have seen fish rub on the glass when the tank is getting too small for them. No change in mine he still is in good behavior. No spouts with my full grown scribbled angel. Now he does spout off with the purple tang though because the purple pester's every fish that gets near his sleeping spot. The purple has a couple spots on him where he has been caught, I am afraid the purple will get caught with a good one one day if he does not stop. __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

06/04/2010, 05:38 AM	#38
Stanley-Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Stanley, NC Posts: 1,933	I think the occaisional rubbing is normal too--mine does it and it's FINE. We scratch our head and ourselves Does that mean we have lice or crabs? Most of the time--NO The other thing to remember about swinning along side the glas is that they are seeing the reflection of your reef behind them too--you can see them get duped by food that is in a corner until they realize the funhous mirror effect and strike at the actual piece of food!

06/04/2010, 06:04 AM	#39
1ucky Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Cliffside Park, NJ Posts: 264	My Sohal does the occasional slapping on his left side from time to time; he's been doing this since I've had him (almost a year now). He sometimes goes months without doing it....

06/04/2010, 08:04 AM	#41
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	Heres a little better shot of him. Not much growth other than some girth. He's just a titch over 9 inches incuding his tail streamer. about 7.5 not including tail. I can never get him to flair his fins. He does not do that very often. __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

08/04/2010, 10:28 AM	#42
Sohal Tang Tim Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Collingwood , ON, Canada Posts: 928	mine just stopped My sohal has completely stopped slapping himself against the sand bottom. Very weird.....I guess it was a form of claiming territory in the tank perhaps.... Now that he is all settled in..he has completely halted that behavior after a few months in the tank..... just and update. Thanks . Tim __________________ "My God Reefs are Gorgeous!" Current Tank Info: 160 gallon reef

08/05/2010, 01:20 AM	#43
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	Goodt to hear! Mine has become less skittish of me and will pretty much bite my fingers at feeding time. He learned this from the adult male scribbled angel. They pester my hands whenever i am doing stuff in the tank nipping and such. The sohal is never in a defense posture he just wants to eat, He is a fatty and loves to eat. The angel is a porker too. The angel is the most bothersome and relentless. It does not hurt, Just freaks me out when i go to grab something and out of no where a 9 inch angel takes a pock shot at ya. LOL __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

12/16/2010, 08:26 PM	#44
knockout Really Cool Stuff! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Poconos, PA Posts: 459	any updates or other anecdotes out there! always loved this fish but been afraid it will mess with my sailfin who is about 6" now and have him for 4 years, I am redoing the tank and in the process of reaquascaping, I am thinking of giving this guy a shot... but will like to start with a small one, there is also a yellow tang and many wrasses in the tank today. 215g 72x24x30 tank __________________ Kelvin. Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 250

12/17/2010, 09:35 AM	#46
johnike Moved On Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bureau County Illinois Posts: 5,406	Heres mine

12/20/2010, 11:43 PM	#47
R-nel Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Corona Posts: 298	Mine is also doing the sand slapping. I wasn't sure what to make of this but it looks like almost everyone here has had the same experience with the sohal... he's only been in my tank for two months, he's about 5 to 6" still kinda small but very healthy eat like a pig and very active. I also have a sailfin and purple tang that are smaller but both has been in my tank the longest, they do keep him in check every once in a while.

12/21/2010, 07:28 AM	#48
jjstecchino Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Carolina, USA Posts: 409	I would not be worried about the sand slapping. My Sohal stil does that from time to time, definitely less often than earlier on. I had this fish for one year now, it has grown about 1 inch. It is very active and by far it is not the most aggressive fish in my tank. Most of my other fish had developed some kind of intolerance for other particular fish, the kole tank doesn't like the diamond goby. the PBT does not like the firefish goby, the sixline wrasse doesn't like any other wrasses smaller than he is; The Sohal has not developed any particular dislike. He loves the naso tang, they are similar size and often swim as a pair. The sohal has plenty of swimming space, the tank is 6ft long but has free swimming space in the front and the back of the rockwork, with many caves and passages between front and back. This fish is a very active swimmer and preferably should be kept in a tank much bigger than mine but I believe with proper rock arrangement a 6 ft tank may do ok if this fish will not grow to his full potential. If it does I like him so much that I will upgrade to a 500G just for him. Claudio __________________ Claudio Click on my username and 'Visit jjstecchino's homepage!" to view my 180 gallon reef build thread. Current Tank Info: 180 Gallon Reef in Infancy

12/21/2010, 08:25 AM	#49
AfricaOffroad Moved On Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Durban, South Africa Posts: 335	My Sohal does not like any other tang in the tank. He tries to dominate all of them. This includes a purple tang, yellow tang, olivaceus and convict, the latter 2 being his particular dislikes. He totally ignores every other fish, although he did give the Bellus Angel a good checkover when it first arrived in the tank.