Orange Shoulder Tang (Acanthurus olivaceus)

[Steven]

Any one have experience with this fish? I'm considering adding one to my tank to help control diatoms on the sand bed. (I've tried phosphate/silicate removers to eliminate the diatoms but they just keep coming back. I use RO water for all water changes and to prepare the kalkwater mix.)

Tank parameters:

120 g. (48x24x24) A juvenile should be OK in this. As I'm planning an 8 ft long, in wall tank for next summer, I'll have enough space for the fish as it grows.
30 gal sump
AquaC EV-180 skimmer
Mag 9.5 (return from sump), 2 Maxi-jet 1200's, one on an Osci-Wave (circulation in tank)
120 lbs live rock
2.5 - 3.5 inch deep sand bed (presently covered in diatoms!)
Amonia and Nitirite: 0, Nitrate: 5 -10, Phosphate and Silicate: 0

Current occupants:
4" Yellow Tang (could be a problem re territory), coral beauty angel, lawnmower blenny, falco hawkfish, 2 ocelaris clowns, 3 blue chromis damsels, yellow-tail blue damsel and a blue damsel.

2 Colt corals (one approx. 1 foot across and almost as tall), 4 mushroom leather corals and some mushroom anemones. Also, 2 cleaner shrimp, 2 nice sized brittle stars, 4 blue-leg hermit crabs, numerous snails of varying sizes and all sorts of other critters commonly found in a reef tank that's been up and running for 2 years.

I've read the books about the tang and am now looking for personal experience.

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't kept this fish but I think its hit or miss whether it decides to help you with your problem or not. More reliable would be a cuke....the little yellowish atlantic cukes work well and in my experience aren't toxic.

Nice fish however...

 

[EmilyB]

The Acanthurus I have kept do nothing much with diatoms, although I have only kept a tennentii and a lineatus.

However, I have a Kole tang -Ctenochaetus strigosus, and a Chevron -Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis that do. The Chevron is remarkable, and since he is in a tank with a trigger, I am limited as to the other cleaners I can use.

Tiger tail cucumber is another good choice.

 

[Lazyreefer1]

It may be the ugliest tang I have ever seen. you just soon get fresh water fish. I would check into other options.

Good Luck

 

[beerbaron]

It may be the ugliest tang I have ever seen. you just soon get fresh water fish. I would check into other options.

Good Luck

Boy lazyreefer, this is at least the 2nd post where you said a fish was ugly :roll: . maby you picked the wrong hobby, or your a bit self conscious?

BB

 

[Anonymous]

 

[Steven]

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This fish looks pretty nice to me, is rated as being fairly hardy (Scott Michael's book) and is supposed to do a fair impression of a vacume cleaner. I've thought of the Kole tang too but the books seem to indicate they scrape algae from rocks and glass, rather than the sand bed.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Anonymous]

It looks nice to me too. The transitional phase I've seen some in is not so attractive, maybe some have seen that.

 

[Lazyreefer1]

ok,ok My bad.

That is a good looking fish. The one I saw look nothing like that. It was at a LFS and hidious looking.


Btw, Bleenies (for the most part) are still ugly though.