Purple tang

[petergorde]

i just got a beautiful purple tang last night and had a few questions that the LFS couldnt answer but the price was so right i couldnt pass it up ($35)!!!!!!!!. anyway how big do they get and what exactily is there perfered food. i was told they eat brine but i dont really trust that. anyway thanks for your help!!!

 

[loopy]

algae and frozen brine shrimp, or live is what I was told. We got a tang, and were told it would eat flake food...but it wouldn't. It got really thin and listless. I couldn't get hold of the algae pads you can buy and attach, so I took him back....now the fish store is feeding him frozen brine shrimp and he's doing good. Don't know if we'll take him back or just get some other fish in his place. Good Luck, bet he's beautiful!

 

[jasonk]

"Although Tangs will eat meaty foods along with the other fish in the aquarium, it is important that they are offered plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. This will strengthen their immune system, reduce aggression and improve their overall health. Offer dried seaweed tied to a rock or use a lettuce clip, and feed at least 3 times per week. Sea Veggies, Seaweed Salad and Ocean Nutrition are all ideal products and are very easy to use."
this was taken from another site, and it also says they get up to 10" long and need a minimun tank of 100 gallons. If you're putting this in the 45 gal. you have listed, get ready for the tang police to come a callin.

 

[jacknjill]

yeah, what size tank did you put him in?

 

[reefnut]

No brine... exept maybe the occasional snack… if that.
Greens, greens and greens... Seaweed Salad Sheets (algae sheets), macro algae, Formula 2, Omega One etc... also some meaty foods like Formula 1, Prime Reef, etc... but mostly greens.
Get some Selcon or Zoecon and maybe some garlic to soak the food in occasionally.
Read up on Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE). Tangs are very susceptible to HLLE if not given the proper diet and/or environment.

 

[jacknjill]

is hlle contagious?

 

[reefnut]

No, it is not contagious... but if other tangs are living in the same conditions that made one contract it, then it is possible for the other to get it also...

 

[scubadoo]

If you put that purple tang in a 45 he will not like it for long depending on his size. if he is small you may be able to keep him for a little while but he will get sressed. Watch for lateral line disease too as if he get stressed it could develop quickly.
my suggestion is to take him back and get something else. he will not last long in a 45. Not trying to be the police ...just trying to make both you and your fish happier.

 

[loopy]

We did take our tang back....we have a 55. He really wasn't doing well....due to a variety of problems. Personally, I love them....and if you think you might get a larger tank up the road, keep him and put him in there, just will be able to have fewer fish in the tank you have now. till he moves out. I let ours go cuz I just don't have room for a bigger tank and wasn't aware (LFS>>>didn't tell me the truth) that they would get so big. Would love to see one that big!!!

 

[petergorde]

my tang is verry small right now barely over 1 inch. how long will it take for him to out grow my 45 gal? i am planning on getting a bigger tank but not for a while as my funds are running verry low. thanks for your info.

 

[osufarker]

what are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[ophiura]

45's are often a tall 30 long, so a 3 foot tank. Not always, but that is what mine is. While it might work for awhile, it won't work for years, IMO. They are a very, very active fish.
FWIW, I would be wary of an LFS that pushed brine as a primary diet. AND certianly one that couldn't answer basic questions about the fish. I wouldn't trust their quality, I would trust their advice, I wouldn't buy the livestock, I wouldn't give them a dime. JMO. If you are in the fish selling business, you better be able to answer questions about the fish you sell. Still, JMO . No back to brine - though quite delectable to many fish and a good way to get them to eat, is basically nutritionally devoid. It really should be soaked in Zoe, Selcon or similar at the very least. But as mentioned, tangs need greens.
I must give one slap on the wrist But I promise a gentle one ...a good price is not the best way to choose a fish. You may definitely get more than you bargained for...especially because so many fish are very pretty and tempting but a waste of your money - regardless of how inexpensive it was.

 

[petergorde]

that didnt hurt too bad. thanks for taking it easy on me. anyway i know that you have to be able to care for a fish before you get it i just wanted to know for sure what it ate casue i got some conflicting information about brine and seawead. the reason that i bought the pruple tang is becasue i have wanted it for a long time and know that by the time it was too big for my tank, i would have a larger tank for it to go in. anyway thanks for all the help and hopefully my tang will he happier because of all of you.

 

[ophiura]

No, we've been pretty easy on you...if a true tang police person had been in here, you would've been wimpering. I think one of the best things to do, however, is getting yourself set on the idea that you will have a bigger tank in, say, a year or so. Set a goal for that, because, really, you don't want to leave a purple in a 45 for all that long.