Tang Question....

[Anonymous]

Very quick Q here: is the Eibli Mimic Tang an Algae eater (sorry, no scientific name given...)?
What about the Clown Tang? (also no scientific name...)

Does anyone know if they are aggressive or not? None of this "semi-aggresive" crappola; will they pester my mandarins when they are mating in the moonlight or not?

TIA

 

[cdeakle]

None of this "semi-aggresive" crappola

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I have fealt the same way. Its like asking for a yes or no question and getting , yes...um no...um maybe I guess? LOL

 

[SpecialK]

mimic tangs are usually peaceful and slow growers.

 

[Anonymous]

Pretty much all tangs are going to be aggressive to some degree, at least towards conspecifics (fish of the same body shape). In other words, put a yellow tang and a purple tang together, they'll duke it out pretty hard in most cases. Put a yellow tang together with a hepatus blue tang, and you're probably okay.

Lineatus tangs tend to be very touchy to water conditions going into a tank, but once they settle in they rule the roost.

So you say you don't want any of "this semi-aggressive crapola"...well it's not so much that they're semi-aggressive, it's just that you have to understand the behavior of the fish a little bit, that's all.

 

[Anonymous]

What you want and what you get are going to be two different things. But, what you ultimately need is the truth. The TRUTH is that there are some tangs that are great big wimps. And the truth is that there are SOME tangs that will CUT you and anyone/thing else that get in their way. There are some species more prone than others.

 

[Expos Forever]

I've never owned one but don't Lineatus have the reputation of being one of the very most aggressive tangs available? along with having a very high mortality?

If you're looking for a peaceful fish (and a fish that will live longer than 6 months), you should proabably avoid a clown.

BTW, wetwebmedia has a great collection of info about most tangs.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangs,.htm

 

[monkeyboy]

I've never owned one but don't Lineatus have the reputation of being one of the very most aggressive tangs available? along with having a very high mortality?

If you're looking for a peaceful fish (and a fish that will live longer than 6 months), you should proabably avoid a clown.

BTW, wetwebmedia has a great collection of info about most tangs.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangs,.htm

Yep, clown tangs have a history of adapting poorly to captivity, and if you are 'lucky' enough to have one survive, they are real beasts! The eblei mimic would be a good choice and shouldn't bother your mandarins when they're gettin' their groove on, unless you purchase a perverted one 8O Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

So far my lineatus is doing well, but, yes, very aggressive. It was definitely not easy to get it to eat.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, well, thats all well and good, and I appreciate all the info (never been a real tang guy...), but one of my primary questions has gone un-answered: are either of them--on any scale you see fit to use--big algae eaters or not? Im talking long tufts of grotesquely-enchanted, forest-like green hair algae, and now a new onset of the reddest cyano epidemic...

Well, looks like the mimic's the better choice, eh?

seamaiden, I almost got up and gave you a standing ovation for that monolgue back there! :lol:

Sharkky, you've changed your avatar again! Sharkky, Sharkky, Sharkky! The whole point of this post was to ask about a fish whos behavior I inherently dont know of; that and the fact that people could just cut the bull and say "territorial to significant degree" if thats what "semi-aggresive" really meant--and if not, then just forget about the dumb term--could sorta make everything a bit cleaner and easier!

Thanks again, though, folks! I seem to be getting better advice person-to-person these days, so Ive layed off this trite and obnoxious forum for a bit, but there is still good info to be found here, eh? Touche'!

 

[krullulon]

Thanks again, though, folks! I seem to be getting better advice person-to-person these days, so Ive layed off this trite and obnoxious forum for a bit, but there is still good info to be found here, eh? Touche'!

nice.

 

[Anonymous]

DG, you gotta stop blaming everyone else for the "problems" you have communicating. You went over to Digital Grin, and have managed to rile up one of the NICEST groups of people I've ever run across online. That alone should tell you something, but at this point I'm going to assign your inability to see your role in all of this to your maturity level.

One day, I sincerely hope, you'll see what we're talking about.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, well, thats all well and good, and I appreciate all the info (never been a real tang guy...), but one of my primary questions has gone un-answered: are either of them--on any scale you see fit to use--big algae eaters or not? Im talking long tufts of grotesquely-enchanted, forest-like green hair algae, and now a new onset of the reddest cyano epidemic...

Best tang I've ever seen on hair algae has been a convict.

W
Sharkky, you've changed your avatar again! Sharkky, Sharkky, Sharkky! The whole point of this post was to ask about a fish whos behavior I inherently dont know of; that and the fact that people could just cut the bull and say "territorial to significant degree" if thats what "semi-aggresive" really meant--and if not, then just forget about the dumb term--could sorta make everything a bit cleaner and easier!

huh?

Thanks again, though, folks! I seem to be getting better advice person-to-person these days, so Ive layed off this trite and obnoxious forum for a bit, but there is still good info to be found here, eh? Touche'!

And did you notice that even though your original post was pretty trite and obnoxious in and of itself, you got nothing but good (and friendly) advice? Perhaps it's not this site that's trite and obnoxious...?? :?

 

[Anonymous]

But arent convicts aggresive? I was actually wondering about the two I asked about...

What was trite and obnoxious in my first post? And Im the one with communication problems?!
Youre right though; I did get friendly (I think) advice from everybody, but it hasnt always been that way.

seamaiden, I wrote a large response to the last post in that one thread, but for some reason the Dgrin site choked somehow, and I was back to logging in and lost my post...
seamaiden, you gotta stop blaming me for way people react on these blocks of text. You cant possibly fathom that people who spend their time online are there for a reason? Ill leave that one up to you to figure out, as Ive made the revelations, and Ive moved on to getting better help in person, the way things were meant to be. And the maturity thing was lame; I am open and have no shame with the way I am now, and it turns into exactly what I thought it would on these forums. Another scape goat.

Sharkky, I was asking about a fish I dont know about, right? How would I know the behavior of the fish? I dont pretend to know anything about tangs, even though I kept a lovely sailfin for a month or so before he got a little too rowdy (hence "if it will bother my mandarins"...). I just need something that will help metabolize some of the remaining algae (now on its way out; woot.), and then its time to work on the red cyano...

Well, thanks anyway people! I guess Im looking at the mimic for algae consumption and a "different" addition to my tank, righto?
Tchau for now, and dont kill each other.

By the way, 420, which way do you usually lean--on a fish-to-fish basis--with the whole "semi-aggressive" thing? Are they usually more aggressive than peaceful, or vice versa? Or do you take the gamble and "find out" ?

 

[Anonymous]

Right, DG, whatever you do, make sure to never allow that the source of all your problems lie with everyone else. Like my Aunt Janie used to say, "It's not me, it's the rest of the world that's got the problem."

C'iao!

 

[Anonymous]

If you want something mellow and eats a wide variety of algaes, I would stop thinking tang and start thinking foxface.

 

[Anonymous]

Ahh, but Ive seen some aggressive foxfaces, though! My neighbor with the 200g has a little rabbit one, and hes a little easy to rile up... remember, this is only a very, very temporary arrangment, since all the fish Im looking at will get waaaaayyy to big and restless for a 29g in a short while. Im looking at keeping this fish--whatever it may be--for a total of about--maybe--3 or 4 weeks. Less if it chows down on the algae better than I expected. After that period, Ill retire it and put it out to pasture in my neighbor's 200g which contains other tangs... Their tangs all get along well, but at first its a rocky few weeks/months... Thats where my last tang--the sailfin--has ended up, and is now sort of the low-man on the totem-pole (hey, he was top-dog in my tank! Maybe he needed a humbling experience after pestering my mandarins! An man was the little jerk hard to catch!), but part of the hierarchy nonetheless...

Wah, wah, wah, seamaiden. If youre anything like my hot-blooded Brazilian/Italian mother, then I know why youre still pushing that old lug around! Whatever you want to say about me is fine, but why dontcha PM me or something? Im used to making my point and then sitting back and letting the hot air singe my sanity, so youre welcome to do that if youd like. Fact is, everyday I have less and less interest in what goes on around here. Im getting a real job (hey, doing digicam research for millionares is nice, but waiting for a check isnt!), Im getting some 17's put on my car (low-pressure cast! w00t!), Im loving my new camera (even if the software still seems to more harm than good!), and Im gonna start looking at JC fairly soon. You can have all the percieved online victories you want (remember, to me, its hot air).
Have fun! Ill be joining Budo, right SM?

Once again, though, I thank everybody for being straight-forward and quite helpful (in most cases)! You all keep working towards making these forums a more realistic place to get info and a more pleasant place to have discourse, yea?

By the way, seamaiden; I spell "ciao" as "tchau", cause' thats how the Brazilians do it! They also spell Brazil as "Brasil"! Just incase you were wondering!

 

[Expos Forever]

Dewr

I have been away from the site not because it's "trite and obnoxious" but because I've been moving, etc... so I apologize for the late response.

Some people actually like it here, even though ignorant and lazy people sometimes come here to ask questions they probably could have researched themselves (you know, things like scientific names). Can anybody help my blue fish? He's swimming funny. And then, sometimes these lazy and ignorant people have the gall to complain that the advice given isn't 100% on point!

Later troll.

 

[npaden]

Any Tang is not the answer to a serious algae problem IMO. Try a LOT of mexican turbo snails and some tuxedo urchins.

Clown tangs are VERY aggressive.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[Sprattoo]

I know that theres a wierd rolling discussion going on about lots of stuff... but I would like to add my 2 cents on the issue at hand with your tank.

If you are growing a forest of hair algae and the like you might want to check into whats going into the tank.

In my inexperienced and humble opinion I would suggest investing in a good RO/DI for water changes and top-off water. If you are growing all that algea nutrients are coming in from somewhere. Over feeding maybe? It could be the answer might not be getting the Tang at all and then your Mandarins can do it all night long!

I have noticed a HUGE difference in my tanks since I got my RO/DI. Also, Are you Skimming?
Could we hear more about the setup? maybe we could address the cause of your algae not how to grow and eat it?

As an added note: Although on occasion they might inspect one or two polyps.... I have had 3 Mithrax crabs and all have been good hair algae eaters. I don't have any now, I think they would starve out anyway.

I also have a very heavy population of amphipods and mysis swarming my tank I attribute them with a lot of algae clean up. Your Mandarins would clean them out in a second (yum) but maybe you could get some breeding in a refuge setup or something?

 

[Anonymous]

*snarls like a troll* "savetheexpos", that was a defining moment for you! :lol: :lol: :lol:
I dont like expos. And I figured (correctly, I might add) that people would kinda know what Im talking about from the common names. Quit fightin' for fluff.

Anywho, as Ive said before, the algae is on its way out; the real problem now is becoming the cyano, which I have been told to address in the same way Im addressing the algae... Yes, Im skimming, although Ive been meaning to upgrade from my essentially useless Seaclone (which I modified) to a decent skimmer... I only feed once per day, if even that, to keep nutrients down, and I use only Alhambra drinking water (ok, so it has some minor elements like calcium ions and sodium ions reconstituted to it, but I kinda counted that as good...) for top-offs/water changes. I should do more water changes, but its really hard to get to it since I have such a primitive setup (buckets and water hauling, anyone?)... *shame*
My general setup is also very basic and/or primitive; an Emperor 280 for filtration, packed with lots o' extra chemical media (one Bio-Chempure for its carbon and basic resins, and two Purigens [my saving grace(s)]), a Seacolne 50 for a skimmer, two ViaAqua power heads with a sort-of Phosphate grabbing pad cut out and stuck into the strainers, and I have 130 watts of PC running on a 12-14 hour photo-period. I have suspected the latter for my algae problem and slight fish-madness, but its a result of when Im there to turn stuff on and off... I need to get some decent timers, but HomeDepot was out last time I went there... Maybe I go today, then... I know what youre saying about the RO/DI system! Those things make pure water... I need to look at working up the funds for one, and a system for an auto-topoff kinda deal... Im moving in the very near future, though, and Ive kinda put this whole hobby "on the back burner", as they say. Not that Im not interested anymore, as Im looking into making a larger setup in my next house (or going awesome-w00tness-Hwarang-style nano cube gloriousness!), and Ive had these... *schemes*... running through my mind.
Im definitely going to do the turbos, though, as I have three of them and they seem to have single-handidly cleared a whole area of "the hair"!

Thanks for your help again, and I guess Ill keep ya posted on the cyano (since I get the email notification for this constantly)!

-Troll that does 2/d12's worth of damage with my witty retorts