Nervous about tangs

[darkdrako]

A little background first. A few months ago, I tried to add a Powder Brown Tang (the fish that pushed me into reefkeeping). It was quarentined for about three weeks or so and was doing well. No signs of any disease or parasite and was eating like a pig. Moved it from qt with a large bowl as to not stress it in net and placed him gently into my display. Within a few days a few spots of ich showed up and ultimately killed all of my fish. This almost made me want to stop after keeping a tank for less than a year.

Now, after going fishless for what felt like an eternity I have my tank back in order and everything is well.

My current list of happy inhabitants in my 75g is:
-a pair of Sumatra YS Maroon Clownfish
-Lawnmower Blenny
-Sri Lanka Christmas Wrasse
-Rusty Angelfish (picked up at swap)
-Potter's Angelfish (picked up at swap)
-Snowflake Moray Eel

There is no fighting, everyone is behaving and eating very well. The problem that I have is that none of the fish like to stay in view for more than a minute or two before they rush back into the rockwork (other than the blenny).

This brings me to my dilemma. I love tangs. I love that they are constantly swimming, constantly in view, but I am extremely nervous that if one is added to my tank that it will not end well again.

Are there any suggestions on care or species that will ease my tension?
Any other fish that will not hide all the time?

Thank You for your time
Ray

(Any additional fish will not be added until after the new year as I am now watching over some fish from a friend who's tank was crashing)

 

[DCG1286]

Powder Browns ... like Powder Blues (powder Browns being slightly more difficult imo ... and MANY others) ... don't always do too well in the home aquarium. I have had the same thing happen to me over the years. Fine one day ... then ich outbreak the next. They are indeed a sensitive fish. For a 75G I would stick a tang of the genus Zebrasoma ie. Yellow, Purple, Scopas Tangs.

Just a thought.

 

[darkdrako]

I actually do not prefer the yellow tangs as I feel they are as common as a hippo tang. I wouldn't mind a scopas tang, yellow eyed kole tang, or even a convict tang. Any other fish stay out in the open water just swimming around?

 

[SWITCH420]

yea i heard that too.i have a yellow, sailfin and scopas tangs all doing great.just get them from a good seller

 

[darkdrako]

Switch: How big is your tank with those three tangs? Any trouble with those species?

 

[SWITCH420]

I have a 90 and a 30 plumbed together. in the 90 is the yellow and sailfin they are a nice size now got when they were small. in the 30 is the scopas for now he is small all doing great no problems.when hes bigger he will go in the 90. if u want a small/med sailfin i could get u for like 30 bucks.

 

[caad3]

Best if you can buy off somebody in a well established tank. I purchased a powderblue from another member, and haven't had a problem with Ick. I have heard the fish is an ick magnet.

 

[darkdrako]

1. Would say a scopas tang and convict tang be too much for the tank, myself, or the other inhabitants?

2. Any other fish that stay out in the open?

 

[Master Shake]

first you never said that you acclimated the fish to the display tank water and paramaters. second you said you gently added him, my guess is that you added the water that he was in into the main tank, never do that no matter where your water comes from; even the lfs. third a 75 is going to be a little small for one, let alone multipletangs. they are open water fish and need loads of room. and next time you have an ich outbreak try some herbtana, the only true reef safe ich and other problem solving medication. dont let one bad incident ruin you in the hobby it happens and you learn and move on.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I think you are stocked just fine right now and another fish might be a little over the edge.

 

[bizarrecorals]

Tangs are usually ick magnets, maybe consider a quarantine with copper, leave fish in quarentine for 2 weeks, f/w dip the fish before introducing the fish in the main tank, feed it mysis shrimps soaked in garlic frequent, if the immune system in the fish is good, and if you follow proper quarentine procedures, is really difficult for ick to attack. Pure garlic do maricles in tanks, believe me, I've worked w/ thousands of marine fish.

 

[xvinny631x]

I have 5 tangs in a 150 gallon cube and they do fine! They are definatly a hit or miss fish... I have no luck with hippo tangs tho?!? I like to see a fish do well in a store before i buy them. If you go somewhere to buy one, go to the store a couple times and look to see how they are doing.. Usually only expensive stores will have the same fish for a while before selling them.. Give em a month then buy.. Works for me

 

[marrone]

Tangs are usually ick magnets, maybe consider a quarantine with copper, leave fish in quarentine for 2 weeks, f/w dip the fish before introducing the fish in the main tank, feed it mysis shrimps soaked in garlic frequent, if the immune system in the fish is good, and if you follow proper quarentine procedures, is really difficult for ick to attack. Pure garlic do maricles in tanks, believe me, I've worked w/ thousands of marine fish.

Not all Tangs are ich magnets, so you can't generalize here. Powder Blue, Powder Brown and Hippo are known ich magnets. As for quarantining fish, well it's just that, you're quarantining them to check and see if they have any diseases or problems, not to mention giving them some down time. You don't want to treat a fish with copper unless you know what they have, and then if they do have something, treat them with the correct medication. As for fresh water dips, don't work against ich, as ich can survive in fresh water for quite sometime. Now if you want to use the fresh water dip to remove any copper or medication that the fish may have on and in, that's another thing. Building up a fish immune system will help a fish fight off ich and others parasites but it wouldn't stop it from getting ich.

 

[DCG1286]

Not all Tangs are ich magnets, so you can't generalize here. Powder Blue, Powder Brown and Hippo are known ich magnets. As for quarantining fish, well it's just that, you're quarantining them to check and see if they have any diseases or problems, not to mention giving them some down time. You don't want to treat a fish with copper unless you know what they have, and then if they do have something, treat them with the correct medication. As for fresh water dips, don't work against ich, as ich can survive in fresh water for quite sometime. Now if you want to use the fresh water dip to remove any copper or medication that the fish may have on and in, that's another thing. Building up a fish immune system will help a fish fight off ich and others parasites but it wouldn't stop it from getting ich.

Listen to Marrone ... he knows his fish. :splitspin

 

[darkdrako]

The qt tank had same parameters as dt for the entire quarantine and showed no sign of disease, parasite, etc. I was feeding flake and algae with garlic. As far as acclimation, I took him from qt with a bowl and placed him in a large bucket and drip acclimated him (doubled water and dumped 3 times). From the bucket, (which had mostly dt water now) I took the bowl again and placed him in the dt.

The tang did great for a week, was eating algae with garlic like a pig and then one day he was floating dead next to the overflow. After another week my clowns started showing signs of ich so placed them in a new dt and slowly lowered the water for hyposalinity but was apparently too late.

If I do try another tang i just hope that I will be lucky enough to not have trouble with it.

 

[xc800x]

Get a naso tang.swim like crazy love to come up to glass when you walk up and do very well in home aquariums.not really ich prone either.Get a nice blonde with streamers and will be you favorite fish quickly.Just be ready to get a bigger tank as they grow pretty big and love to swim back and forth all day.

 

[Reeftanker3295]

Scopas tangs stay pretty small. I would only put 1 small tang in a 75, like a yellow, purple, scopas or most of the mimic tangs. If you are looking for another kind of fish that stays out swimming alot get an anthias or two. They require feeding around 3 times a day but are beautiful fish that swim all day.