imo, Orangeshoulder Tangs are

pontius

pontius

Active Member
possibly THE most under-appreciated and underrated of all the tangs. I have an Orangeshoulder, Yellow, Hippo, and Sailfin in my 180 along with some dwarf angels, cardinals, a watchman, and a clown.
the Orangeshoulder is always out in the open and will actually eat flake food right out of my hand. tonight, I bought 6 new shrimp. the Orangeshoulder methodically went from one shrimp to the next waiting to be cleaned.
add to that, beautiful coloration and their bristleteeth are very pronounced and look like a goofy set of buck-teeth.
the one I have was in very bad shape when the lfs got him and was nursed for months in their QT before I got him. I've had him for over a year now and he's very fat and about 9" long.
so if you're looking for something a little different than what everybody else has, I recommend this one. even though I'd have at least one of EVERY tang if I had room and I like my other 3 tangs too.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
Once they get their adult coloration they're probably one of the most beautiful tangs out there IMO. I've seen a little variation in coloration too which makes them even nicer.
Do you have any pics of yours?
-Justin
 
teen

teen

Active Member
yea, they are really nice i just think some pppl have trouble keeping them or dont have tanks big enough for them. i feel they need at least a 180g.
nice looking tangs though.
 
N

nereef

Guest
definately a great fish if you have a big enogh system with aggressive enough tankmates. is yous pretty aggressive toward the other tangs?
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Originally Posted by WangoTango
http:///forum/post/2483976
Once they get their adult coloration they're probably one of the most beautiful tangs out there IMO. I've seen a little variation in coloration too which makes them even nicer.
I fully agree. I just saw an adult this week at an LFS and it was so gorgeous!!
 
m0nk

m0nk

Active Member
I'm definitely torn between one of these and a Convict for myself. I like both, and the orange shoulder is definitely a lot more colorful, but my LFS stocks the convicts rather frequently and rarely has orange shoulders, and when they do the cost is a lot more, almost double.
 
pontius

pontius

Active Member
Originally Posted by fishyCPA
http:///forum/post/2484022
Pontius, what LFS do you go to (provided you are in central SC)
I live in the Conway/Myrtle Beach area. the store I mostly go to is Sea Critters Depot. he only sells saltwater related stuff and is pretty cheap, and all his fish are QT'd for at least 2 weeks before he sells. his main business is public aquariums, so his store is only open on Saturday night, Sunday night, Tuesday night, and Thursday night from something like 6pm to 9pm. I think he opens on Sat and Sun from 1pm to 6pm. if you're in the area, it's worth the stop.
 
pontius

pontius

Active Member
Originally Posted by WangoTango
http:///forum/post/2483976
Do you have any pics of yours?
-Justin
these are some pretty old pics. I need to take some new ones since I just got a new camera for Christmas. his back-end has darkened up a little since these pics were taken.....

 
pontius

pontius

Active Member
Originally Posted by Kevin34
http:///forum/post/2484920
I agree. Orange shoulders get too big for a 125 right?
Michael Scott (the author of "Marine Fishes") recommends 135 gallons. I personally think you could get by with 125 gallons depending on a few things......
1. your maintenance routine. the more you do to keep the tank and water clean, the more you can keep. depending of course on territory and swimming room.
2. swimming room. the 125 is 6' long, right? that's the same length as my 180 and honestly, the orangeshoulder doesn't even usually swim but around half of the tank (though I wouldn't recommend a tank half that size of course). if your tank is packed with LR, thus cutting down on swimming room, it's probably not a great idea. but if you've got plenty of open space across the front, should be ok.
3. make sure the orangeshoulder is the largest fish in the tank and if you must have another tang, make sure it is a much smaller one like a yellow or kole tang.
4. is your tank a reef, semi-reef, or fowlr? because the "rule of thumb" concerning number of fish and fish size has a lot to do with that. you don't want a ton of fish in a heavily coralled reef tank, because all the fish waste can hurt the corals (the water quality). but if you don't have corals or only have some easily kept soft corals, more fish bio-load shouldn't be much of a problem.
the fish grows to slightly over a foot long, but is 100% peaceful. mine occasionally gets chased around by the sailfin, but it's not a big problem. I have noticed that the orange-shoulder and sailfin seem to be faster growers than the yellow and hippo. I've had the yellow tang for over 3 years and the hippo for over 2 years and have noticed no growth. the orange-shoulder and sailfin have each grown about an inch in 1 year.
 
pontius

pontius

Active Member
Originally Posted by NEreef
http:///forum/post/2484070
definately a great fish if you have a big enogh system with aggressive enough tankmates. is yous pretty aggressive toward the other tangs?

not agressive at all. my sailfin is the most aggresive of my tangs. my flame angel is also more aggresive (though only a third of the size). the Orange-shoulder pretty much ignores all the other fish except the sailfin, which occasionally chases him for a bit.
 
kevin34

kevin34

Active Member
Originally Posted by Pontius
http:///forum/post/2485205
Michael Scott (the author of "Marine Fishes") recommends 135 gallons. I personally think you could get by with 125 gallons depending on a few things......
1. your maintenance routine. the more you do to keep the tank and water clean, the more you can keep. depending of course on territory and swimming room.
2. swimming room. the 125 is 6' long, right? that's the same length as my 180 and honestly, the orangeshoulder doesn't even usually swim but around half of the tank (though I wouldn't recommend a tank half that size of course). if your tank is packed with LR, thus cutting down on swimming room, it's probably not a great idea. but if you've got plenty of open space across the front, should be ok.
3. make sure the orangeshoulder is the largest fish in the tank and if you must have another tang, make sure it is a much smaller one like a yellow or kole tang.
4. is your tank a reef, semi-reef, or fowlr? because the "rule of thumb" concerning number of fish and fish size has a lot to do with that. you don't want a ton of fish in a heavily coralled reef tank, because all the fish waste can hurt the corals (the water quality). but if you don't have corals or only have some easily kept soft corals, more fish bio-load shouldn't be much of a problem.
the fish grows to slightly over a foot long, but is 100% peaceful. mine occasionally gets chased around by the sailfin, but it's not a big problem. I have noticed that the orange-shoulder and sailfin seem to be faster growers than the yellow and hippo. I've had the yellow tang for over 3 years and the hippo for over 2 years and have noticed no growth. the orange-shoulder and sailfin have each grown about an inch in 1 year.
My tank isnt set up yet but as soon as I figure out how to assemble my RO unit I will be ready to fill it. The tank is 6 feet and I do plan on having corals including SPS, LPS, and zoos and mushrooms. I am planning to get around 180lbs of live rock. I dont think this fish would be right for my tank. Thanks a lot for the info though.
 
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