Advice for Tangs

[jrb384]

I know there is no garuntee for success when adding livestock, some work out, some dont, but can someone tell me what has worked for them as far as adding several tangs to one tank? I have a 125 gallon reef tank, and would like to complete my fish with 3, or ever 4 tangs. I would like a blonde nasso, purple tang, powder blue tang, and a yellow tang in no particular order. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I have 2 perc clowns, a bar goby, purple flame goby, engineer goby, a flame hawk, long nose hawk, and 3 chromis. a pair of coral banded shrimp, a few emerald crabs, sally lightfoot crabs, horseshoe crabs, and various hermits and snail. 4 4' vho's, ice cap ballast and one 400watt metal h.

 

[bang guy]

If you add those four Tangs I do not believe you will have long term success. It could happen but the odds are stacked against you.
I think you would be likely to have success if you got the Naso and two or three months later added either a Purple or a Yellow.
If you're heart is set on the Powder Blue (gorgeous fish!) then that's the only Tang you should have IMO.

 

[jessicarabit]

I agree with Bang Guy. I heard that Powder Blue are very aggressive, but also I have heard that Purple Tangs are very aggressive. Since they are a different shape then a Blond Naso it would be okay. I have had a Sailfin & Yellow together in a tank & they got along swimmingly I have also had a Yellow (adult) with a Blue Hippo (juvenile) & they seem to be okay, but things can change as you probably know as time passes & territories are established.
Now at one of the LFS I have seen in a tank probably the same size as yours, a Sailfin, Powder Blue & a Naso. I have been told if you add them when they are juveniles all together you have better chances of happy tank mates. Good luck & keep searching. P.S. I personally want a Purple, so I say somehow get one of any. Also have you considered a Dwarf Angel? They are very interesting & I think it would really add to your set up.

 

[dockery07]

I have three tangs a Chevron, Sailfin, and Doctor in my tank with a fox face. I loved the naso. I might take out on of the others for this one. I did have a yellow and a purple they faught all the time. i have heard with tangs, you get two at the same time And if you want to add on more, put it in a critter keeper for a couple of hours with the lights of and let the other fish takes out its aggressions on that and not the fish. I have not used this method but have been told it works. I have not had any problems with my tangs except the damn yellow.

 

[jrb384]

hey, thanks for the advice guys. I do remember the LFS saying that fish see only in black and white, so they go off of shapes, and when tangs see the same shape they fight, so like you said bang guy the naso and purple or blue could work. jessica, I have seen some great angels, but arent they known for picking at corals, ect. ? anyways, thanks again for your posts. and keep on posting!

 

[justnu]

I have a 150 gal FO and tried to have mutiple tangs. Your list is quite similar to mine ! Here's your chance to learn from others mistakes.....My PB is rather large and IS the KING.I tried to put a YT in with him. but the poor yellow was beaten up , I took him out but he ending up dead.
When I added my lion , he didn't touch him. however, when I added my Koran angel , he harassed him for a few days. I changed ALL the rocks, and finally he left him alone ( 2wks later)
This is alot of stress for a Powder Blue, so I have decided against adding any more.
My suggestion would be to get your tang(s) small, and if you really want a PB get a very healthy 3-4" MAX. but make sure the others are the same size or larger. Any other fish in your tanks need to be more aggressive/larger. That still won't help the stress. After I took out my yellow, Ithought my PB was a goner from the ich.
Just keep a close eye on them, you'll know when they are not happy. Good luck! let us know how it goes.

 

[infinsable]

I have all 4 you mentioned in my tank, Yellow first,pb next naso,then purple, the only prob i had was the yellow attacking the purple for 4 days then he let up, all are happy living together. May be a hitmiss. I also added fish vital it decreases aggevation.could be the reason i have all in same tank,may want to give it a shot HTH

 

[jessicarabit]

Dwarf Angels are not a real threat to reefs. I have had a Coral Beauty (lost her to parasites) who was as they usually are, very shy & timid. I have a Flame Angel now who holds her own & wouldn't be intemidated by the aggressive Tangs. I do recall that even some larger Angels can be reef safe. Search on here & I would recommend getting a book about saltwater fish. I know it has help me to understand this addiction a lot better. Angels have so much beauty & personality. Good luck!

 

[jrb384]

thanks for your post guys/gals. im going to add the blonde nasso tang next tuesday, i'll keep my fingers crossed. All the discussion on the board about " tang=ich magnet" has gotten me worried. And everyone says you need a QT tank, and to keep the fish in it about a month.... whats up with that? better safe than sorry, but have any of you done this? infansable, u said you have all 4, did you do anything particular? also, noticed the usmc flag, when were you in? what was your mos? I did 6 years in the reserves, i was an 0331. my dad was AD for 21 years, retired in 94. Thanks again for the help.

 

[jrb384]

hey all, just added a PB today, so far so good. the yellow tang is picking at him, but its more territorial I believe so far, just keeping him away from his cubby hole.... I think if he makes it until the morning all will be fine.

 

[saltyh20]

I now that I am comming in on this conversation kind of late. I have a question, about one month ago I bought two hippo tangs and a yellow tang and put them all into the tank at the same time. Never had a problem untill last night. I noticed that the one fish is starting to loose some of his skin on his top fin. Now untill today I never noticed any aggression between any of the fish but today I saw the other hippo tang nibbling at him. what do I do.

 

[jrb384]

I would just keep an eye on the one getting beat up and make sure he doenst get beat to badly. The fin will grow back as long as its not all the way to the nubb.. or it should. Are there plenty of spaces for each of them to call home? like different caves, or caverns in your live rock? sometimes it helps if each can claim their own spot in the tank. Right now, my yellow tang has been picking at my powder blue, he doesnt really bite him, he just swims up and runs him off, it could possibly be a food issue, the yellow may think he's a threat to his food supply. Maybe your blue hippo thinks the same, who knows. I have been told that fish see in black and white, so they basically go off of shape, and 2 blue hippos would have the same exact shape, while the yellow is different. maybe your hippo just decided that now is the time to rule the playground, just keep an eye on it and if it gets to out of hand just see if your LFS will give you credit for him, or swap.

 

[infinsable]

did 4 active got out in 89(seens like a long time ago), I also feed my fish Spectrum Thera A non medicated antiparisite formula, They love all my fish suck it right up, enhances color as well,along with this i feed flake my fish are fat happy and parasite free, I recommend the Spec A highly Oh yea mos1142 feild electrician/generator tech, HTH