Triggers and Tangs

jastim

Member
I am in the breaking-in stage of a new 75 gallon tank. I currently have two 4-stripe damsels and 1 domino. I would like to eventually get a yellow tang followed by a puffer and a picasso trigger (in that order) once the tank has cycled. Any info. on how well the tang and the picasso trigger would get along in this setup? Other compatibility issues?
thanks
 

treble

Member
Those fish wont be able to live all together. Tangs are prone to ick, and get to large to stay comfortable in a 75G. The puffer and trigger will not get along, they will bite watch-other, and both will need a new large tank 125G within 3 years.
 

triggerfool

Member
it all depends, just make sure your fishstore will take it back if things are immediately bad. Some get along some dont. Ive never had a problem with all those fish in the same tank.
 

demodan

Member
One more thing. Do have a quarentine tank, you will not regret it. I made the mistake of not having one, and it cost me my first batch of fish. It was not a slow thing, either. They ate in the morning, and when I got home from work, two were dead, and the other died soon after. The tang will have ich, so be prepared to treat it.
 

rapt0r32

Member
I have a mimic Yellow a stars and stripes puffer and a Huma and they just ignore one another. I just might be lucky that they get along..
 
i had a yellow tang rip :( he was in with
clowntrigger
huma huma
porky puffer
lionfish
snowflake eel
it was in my 150 but make sure you get the tang bigger than the trigger,or pick a tang which is very active mine would act like a trigger himself eating silver sides ,but none of my triggers ever picked on him even when he was sick and passed on they didtry to bite him :cool:
 

reefaholic

New Member
I don't think tangs as docile as they are should be mixed with triggers.
I had a niger(S) and PB tang(L) in a 75. All was good until I added a picasso(S).
I had a peice of branch LR that I used to tie down algae with a rubberband for the PB tang to eat. The picasso claimed ownership of the LR, and whenever I put algae on it, it munches it off and spits it out. When this happens there is alot of tension going on in the tank, as this is the PB tangs food and his stick, and he sees the picasso barfing out HIS FOOD. Might be a different story if it actually ate it.
The PB tang gets pissed when it does this. And for a while tried to protect his algae stick, but did not stand a chance against the picasso. I think that a tang does not deserve this additonal stress, considering that they are ich magnets in general.
 

bluto

Member
For what it's worth...
I had a Naso which contracted ich shortly after purchase. At the time I was new to this hobby and didn't have a quarantine tank setup. Since I had a large amount of expensive inverts, I tried to treat the ich with other means (garlic, hyposalinity). I succeeded in saving the inverts but lost all 4 of my fish. I would like another Naso (it now being a year later), but will never get another without being very carefull (freshwater bath, quarantine w/copper, etc).
In addition, I had a porcupine puffer and Pinktail trigger (you know...one of the "docile" triggers) which did NOT get along. I had to get rid of the trigger.
Bluto
 

kenobi

New Member
Some good advice you got indeed. Some bad as well. To be honest, your are right all along. Your size gallon of 75 is an excellent choice for the fish that you have chosen. Also the order that you have decided is excellent. All those fish do fine together. Remember not too big of a puffer. They can grow very fast.
 

jastim

Member
Thanks for the advice all. I know my lfs does take back fish if they don't get along. So far I have had good luck with my three damsels (two striped and one domino). The domino is definitely the "alpha" damsel and the pecking order is very recognizable. Will be interesting to see what shakeup occurs when the other fish are added one by one. I have set up a wall of coral rock (dead rock) in the back of the tank with a few caves. Figured this would be beneficial to the all. Will eventually add small pieces of lr to "seed" the other rock. In the end I should have about 100lbs of lr in the tank.
 
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