tominiensis (tomini) tang

[JohnD2]

Hello,

I saw this fish recently listed with Premium Aquatics. Does anybody have first-hand experience with this tang?

TIA,

John

 

[TheJGMProject]

I have this tang. Very beautiful fish. Gets along with most fish (except other tangs probably in a smaller tank). Mine likes to pick on the rocks for algea - great grazer. It's a pig too eats mostly anything..mysis, flake. Just be sure your tank is big enough and you'll enjoy this fish. It's one of the smaller tangs IMO, but its always nice to have good swimming room for it

 

[Anonymous]

I got one too, not too long ago a TON were showing up at every store you could think of in the area.

Seems like a bit more mellower of a tang than the Zebrasoma species (Yellow, Purple, etc tangs), also the mouth structures leads them to as more of a "scraping" fish as far as eating algae rather than a picking fish (again... zebrasoma genus), I still would recommend a large tank for any tang, with a 100g tank being an absolute bare minimum.

 

[Anonymous]

Ctenochaetus tominiensis. Like pretty much all the Ctenochaetus spp. it is a relatively peaceful and great algae grazing fish. We have approximately 19 in our 20k tank and another 50 or so in holding. We have had very good success getting them through quarantine and acclimating them to prepared foods. Small individuals will likely get picked on by larger tangs.

 

[TheJGMProject]

I can't wait to see the new exhibit....man 19 tommi's and probably still plenty of room for another 100 fish!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I can't wait to see the new exhibit....man 19 tommi's and probably still plenty of room for another 100 fish!!!

I know that seems like a lot now but we will have something like 1000 tangs in there when it's all said and done.

Sorry to help hijack the thread.

 

[Anonymous]

Guess having algae grazers is an absolute must as tanks get larger and larger

 

[JohnD2]

Thanks for all the comments.

 

[Nemo2007]

I have a small one in a 29G tank doing very well. The plan is to move it to the 72G tank some day. It went through a 30 day quarantine with no ill effect treated with coppersafe. This species of tang is often decribed as the most difficult bristletooth tang to take care of. This my second attemt at this species. The previous fish had a significant tail wound and small mouth wound at purchase and died after a month in the 29G display even though it seemed to be doing okay. This brings up a significant point. Really, look over this fish before buying one. Besides the usual criteria for a healthy fish, focus on the mouth. Many specimens have mouth damage from capture which can significantly decrease the chance of long term survival. That applys to all bristletooth tangs. When possible, capture the fish without a net to avoid damaging their delicatre mouths. I have been told they prefer higher alkalinities but I don't know how true that is.

Anyway, the second fish has been going strong for at least three to four months after quarantine. He's been kept to this point in the smaller tank because it is a longer established tank with lush microalage growth. He is a bit of a pig and his belly stays full between feeds from the algae in the tank.

Lastly, in trying to secure a healthy specimen, make sure its the right species. There is a LFS that was selling a bunch for just $40. I usually see them for $50 to $80. It turned out it was really a related species. There are several species with similar coloration. Even the small tomini tangs should have adult coloration. When I informed the owner of the mistake, he kept selling them under the false label.