yellow tangs??

[reefer123]

i am thinking about getting a small yellow tang for my 65g reef.
are they hardy, easy to keep fish?
are they prone to ich, like the hippo tang?
i need it to help my tank with an algae problem.

 

[jerthunter]

a 65 gal is in most people's opinions too small for a yellow tang. That is not necessarily my opinion but I figured I'd mention the size first. As far as being prone to ich, from what I understand they are probably one of the least prone to ich of tangs. Of course if you follow proper quarintine procedures you won't have to worry about ich. My tang is easy to care for although he eats a ton, both meaty and veggie foods. Plus he spends a lot of time picking at the algae on my rocks, however I would not recommend a yellow tang to control algae. A lawnmower blenny would do a much better job of controling algae in my opinion but a yellow tang is a beautiful fish to have

 

[reefer123]

bump.

 

[danedodger]

Yep, people are going to say that 65 gallons is too small for a yellow tang but opinions vary. I feel that 55 gallons is where you move into a "gray area" meaning that anything less than that I would come out strongly against while 75 and up I'd absolutely be comfy with and anything in between...eeeeehhhhh maybe...
They do seem to be the hardiest of the tangs but still somewhat more prone to problems than other types of fish. I've had one for quite awhile now without a single problem though. I'd say they're good fish, personally.
And I agree, don't count on him taking care of your algae problem at all! I bought mine for the same reason and he's been a complete BOOGERHEAD about it!! He won't eat the algae we want him to eat, oooohhh no, not his majesty Mr. Uno! He'll wait till we scrub off the rocks then pick at the GOOD algae we want to keep!!!!!

He also absolutely ADORES the dried algae sheets we put in for him. He'll rip that clip off the wall and drag it around the tank trying to keep it away from anyone else who wants to eat it