Another Tang Question?

[Alpha]

As part of my stocking plan for my new tank (78"x24"x28")

I would like to include a schoal of something like say yellow tangs.

I currently have a single yellow tang in an existing tank and would like to introduce this one along with another 4 once the tank has sufficiently matured. :roll:

My question is that I also have a Powder Blue in the existing set up that I also want to include. Which should go first. The Powder Blue or the schoal of Yellow Tangs?

Thanks

Alpha :wink:

 

[Alpha]

No ideas guys.

I was hoping for a response because the varius threads I have tracked down all contradict.

Some say singly, some say match a pair, smoe say a pair will fight to the death, some say in a group of no less that 5.

My tank is big to me, but at about 175 G (uk G) its not huge and 5 Yellow Tangs would look lovery but is this right??

Thanks


Alpha :?:

 

[Garry thomas]

hello alfa you should have a minimum of 5 yellow tangs! and yes you would put them in before the powder blue they are very aggessive. remember the stocking rule, not the fishnet one? plasid first aggressive last. And because you have 1 allready put him in the tank when you introduce the others, he will not have decided upon his territory! I have a shoal of 8 yellow tangs they are stunning, but one of the last fish to go in was a clown tang arcanthurus lineatusor something like that, he's a little terror....... very aggessive especially to one of my moorish idols. but only the one...........very strange.. remember to pick fat full bodied example's they do far better, good luck hope i'v helped

 

[Alpha]

Thanks Garry I'd just about given up on a response here :roll: . Seems odd were both from the Uk on a USA based forum and ur the only responder.

Never Mind mate welcome to Ultimate Reef Uk. I just hope mine looks something like urs when its stocked

Thanks

Dave

 

[royy]

Garry,
8 Yellow Tangs! Must be one heck of a tank. Maybe someday I will have enough cash, and a big enough house, to have a tank big enough to house 8 yellows.

Roy

 

[whiirly]

hey royy
look at GTS tank its here somewhere and see
Garrys tank its pleanty big and beautiful :lol: :roll: 8O

 

[naesco]

Garry, sorry but you give very poor advice.
His tank is too small for 8 tangs.

 

[Alpha]

In defence I dont think GT was advising 8 YT but stating that he kept these in his bigger tank. My question still stands guys, how many do you suggest for a tank of my size? would I get away with the minumuum suggested schoal of 5?

Alpha

 

[naesco]

Alpha I hope not.

The fact of the matter is that I would not add more than the two you have already. The risk if far too high by adding another tang to the small tank you already have. The stress caused by the addition tang, even one will most certainly cause you an ich or other outbreak particularly with a fish like a powder blue which is very difficult to keep for any length of time even by expert reefers.
If you multiple fish choose smaller ones like green chromis which will give you the desired effect and will add more interest. I take it you will be using the sand rock and water from your old tank. If not wait for you tank water to age (3 months) and add one fish one month apart ( the yellow first)
By the way, great beginning on your new tank.

 

[Expos Forever]

FWIW

1 British gallon = 1.20095 US Gallons

so

175g UK = 210.16625 Gallons US

I have a single yellow in my 4 ft tank.Knowing now what I didn't know then I wouldn't get one. IMO 5 yellows in a 6'ish foot tank is too much. Do a search on "Tang Police" on this board and you will find opinion's from both sides.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

I got 4 tangs and a Majestic Angel in my 450 g tank and I think this is about max out on tangs and angels. When I first set this up I got 3 Yellow tangs, a Purple tang, Mimic tang and a Majestic angel. I think this is way too many tangs. They are constantly bickering with each other. More than 1/2 of the time, looking at my fish, at least one of the tang would have war wound, punture wound or split fins They were all very fat and have no problem wiht disease or anything like that. I got tired of the fighting and removed the two larger Yellow tangs. Eventuraly, I added a Powder Blue tang because they are so beautiful. That is it for my larger fishes.
Your tank, which is about 220 g, is not large enough for more than 3 tangs, especially all of the same kind, IMO. I think if you really push it, you can keep 4 or 5 tangs alive in your tank if you are lucky. I however, I would not like my tank like that.
Minh Nguyen

 

[SPC]

Posted by Alpha:

In defence I dont think GT was advising 8 YT but stating that he kept these in his bigger tank. My question still stands guys, how many do you suggest for a tank of my size?

-One

would I get away with the minumuum suggested schoal of 5?

-No

Steve

 

[Vixyswillie]

I watch these YT discussions with interest - and amazingly - it now seems we're now down to 1 YT per 220g! Steve - what's the basis for your recommendation? And honestly - in your opinion - should we even be keeping these fish in our tanks at all?

(Hmm.... this is beginning to sound like the MI discussion - where's Garry? )

 

[Newts]

In my 180g I have 1 purple tang,1 blue hippo tang along with a foxface rabbit fish,a pair of maroon clowns and several smaller fish.They were all juveniles when introduced to tank.Now that they are grown there dosen't seem nearly as mutch room in the tank as when I first set it up.Sometimes I wish I would have left out one of the bigger fish or several of the smaller fish,it can look crowded at times.The 180 seemed so big at first,not any more.This is just my thought on the subject,but I tend to agree with SPC.If you should do it anyway,my seggestion is to get small juvenile fish to start with.

 

[Garry thomas]

dan dan dan i'm back just like some mystical super hero without the cape, but i quite fancy the pants over the tights? MMMmmmmm tangs!
firstly
i did not suggest 8 y/tangs for daves tank! i quoted 5
secondly 5 tangs in a 6ft tank is no problem at all! how and why can you suggest otherwise. i had 5 tangs in ,my last tank 7x2x2 1/2 no problem! as long as they are introduced together even arcanthurus spc will live in harmony if introduced together?
And as for calling daves tank small! well i dont think so! how can it be classed as small when it looks like over there the average reef tank under 100 gals? tang questions are allways going to cause contraversy but why? because people stock 1 , then fancy another and because there is definatly going to be aggression they are then tainted! because of there experience!

 

[Garry thomas]

dan dan dan i'm back just like some mystical super hero without the cape, but i quite fancy the pants over the tights? MMMmmmmm tangs!
firstly
i did not suggest 8 y/tangs for daves tank! i quoted 5
secondly 5 tangs in a 6ft tank is no problem at all! how and why can you suggest otherwise. i had 5 tangs in ,my last tank 7x2x2 1/2 no problem! as long as they are introduced together even arcanthurus spc will live in harmony if introduced together?
And as for calling daves tank small! well i dont think so! how can it be classed as small when it looks like over there the average reef tank under 100 gals? tang questions are allways going to cause contraversy but why? because people stock 1 , then fancy another and because there is definatly going to be aggression they are then tainted! because of there experience!

 

[Minh Nguyen]

I watch these YT discussions with interest - and amazingly - it now seems we're now down to 1 YT per 220g! Steve - what's the basis for your recommendation? And honestly - in your opinion - should we even be keeping these fish in our tanks at all?

(Hmm.... this is beginning to sound like the MI discussion - where's Garry? )

Vixyswillie and Alpha,
I don't have any basis for my recommendation of one yellow tang either other than my observations of my three Yellow tangs in my 450 g tank. Yellow tang will fight with yellow tang no mater how large your tank is. In Alpha's new tank, certainly more than one tang can be keep but I would not recommended more than one Yellow tang.
Do you know why there is a recommendation of 5 or more Yellow tangs in a tank? The answer is that so the dominant yellow tang would slash out at any Yellow tang it meet. There are so many that he won't slash out at the same one every time, and that he eventually semi-give up because there are too many. This way, not one fish took the blunt of the attack, but divided it out between 4 or more Yellow tangs. This was what I saw in my 450 g tank. I had three. Would it the tangs fare better if there are 5 or more? I don't think so because my tangs were fat. They can be kept alive in there but I was not very happy with it and decided to remove the more aggressive and larger Yellow tangs from my tank.
One of the books, of Nick Dankin (sp) I think, recommended 5 or more Yellow tangs in a tank. On the cover of one of his books, The Marine Problems Solver, there is a picture of 5 Yellow tangs. They were all emaciated and with damage fins on them. Show me a tank with 5 or more Yellow tangs and I show you injured Yellow tangs.
Minh Nguyen

 

[Alpha]

Guys I realise that this is a touchy subject and is often more confused by the various opinions. I read an article in the latest addition of Practical Fishkeeping that stated that Yelow Tangs should be kept in a matched pair. Les Holliday divulged his findings on reef fish reproduction from a recent conference and it clearly suggested YT should be kept in pairs, however I have seen the aggresion between 2 introduced together in a dealers tank (admittedly it was a small tank).

For what its worth I introduced a powder blue to my existing (soon to be defunct) system which was almost half again as large as the YT already there. It was flashy and attempted to domineer the Powder blue who jst ignores it completely. Now there like husband and wife. The swim together they feed together and they never even bicker. All I was thinking of doing in adding a couple of more Yellow tangs to my new aqurium (of course aiting for the clycling process to be completed and sufficient time for the tank to mature. I am in no hurry here guys I just hate little chromis with a passion. There too much like freshwater tropicals for me, and I realise I may have just offended half the forum but hey its my tank. I will see how it go's with the tangs, but Im still considering a small grouping but I can decide on the number.

I dont want to go overboard here but I am still of course willing to listen to advice. Does anyone have experience with the Pyramid Butterfly (which according to readings schoals peacefully and is reef safe??

thanks

Alpha

 

[Garry thomas]

Comeon ming! 5 tangs to many for any sized tank! honestly that is not the case. My y/tangs get on fine as did the 5 in the smaller tank before. and as for three definatly not enough you put more in and you would see less agresssion? you talk as if you have experiance keeping large shoals tangs. I dont think so! I have, and yes i am speaking from experiance not preconcecpted ideals?

 

[Vixyswillie]

Comeon ming! ... you talk as if you have experiance keeping large shoals tangs. I dont think so! I have, and yes i am speaking from experiance not preconcecpted ideals?

Uh-oh... here we go. 8O
[ducks under computer desk]