Tang compatibility

[Slickdonkey]

Steve, or anyone who knows, what's your opinion on mixing the following tangs? Am I asking for trouble? What order would be best to add them?

1) Medium Hippo/regal (present in tank)

Considering adding:
2) Achilles
3) Purple
4) maybe Powder blue or brown, not sure how the hippo would like that though.

The tank is 240 gallons.

 

[ronj]

i would say that the Achilles and PB(either one) could/would be a problem..with your tank size, you could possibly get away with it, but it is a risk!!! i think the hippo will be fine with the others...i have a hippo with a powder brown right now!!.the hippo's aren't that aggresive...do you mean aggresive because of the colors of the hippo and the powder blue?????

 

[balogh03]

With my experience of regals, they are very docile and dont mind new fish. But, i have had a purple and had to get rid of it becuase of its aggression. I think ron can help you with the powders.

good luck
-augustus

 

[ronj]

my hippo's have never shown aggression, even towards each other!! i agree about the purple....i think that your tank size will help though..

 

[Slickdonkey]

Well the purple I was planning to put in last. I could've sworn that I read somewhere that mixing hippos and powder blues was not the best idea, but maybe that was only if the Powder Blue was in the tank first? I'll have to see if I can find that article.

Ron, why do you think the Achilles and Powder Blue would be a bad mix?

 

[ronj]

because they are both from the "acanthurus " family.. mixing some tangs of the same family can be a problem...also, i am just guessing, but you might have read that the hippo and powder blue would quarrel because they are the same color...i have never seen this happen, but i have read this..(not sure if it is true or not)

 

[Slickdonkey]

because they are both from the "acanthurus " family..

Doh, right on that... Well if I were to do it maybe I could acquire the Powder Blue as a juvenile?

 

[ronj]

it could be done..they are all different..you could get a pair of tangs that get along just fine!! personally, i would love to see it!!!

 

[balogh03]

and do you know what makes those tangs look even better?

having them in a 240g!ha
good luck
-augustus

 

[reeftank1]

SlickDonkey,

I have a powder blue, a yellow, and 2 hippos. They all are about 4 inches and get along very well. The 2 hippos seem to be the only ones that have a bit of a chase but it is pretty rare.

There is a LFS in Lakewood that had 9 different tangs in there SPS tank today. I am not sure what all the types were because a couple were pretty rare in that I have never seen those species. I know there was a Vlamangii(spelling is jacked up), purple, i think a chevron and whatever else. It was interesting to watch though because they were all looking as if they were in some sort of school with different paint jobs. No matter where you would walk around the tank the school would follow just waiting for chow.

 

[balogh03]

If the LFS you are talking about is Aquarium Paradise, they usually have a sohal, powder blue, purple, vlamingii, red sea sailfin, a yellow, and what ever else nice they get in.

 

[ronj]

ooohhh!! i would like to see that!!!!!

 

[Slickdonkey]

Down boy, down...

 

[reeftank1]

LMAO....and yep that was the place. Tangs are awesome. I wish I could keep more. i am afraid i would starve them though if I don't supplement them with other foods. They are pure veggie-disposals!!!!!!!

 

[morgan]

i have a sailfin tang a a scopaz tang both Zebrasomas i added the scopaz second and the sailfin went off aye so i remved the sail fin and now that the scopaz has ajusted can i re-intrudce the sailfin or is itg just gonna be trouble?

 

[Maxx]

Morgan,
You're just going to have trouble again because they are both from the same family.
Slick,
Powder Blue/Brown and Achilles tangs are all gorgeous fish, but they are also pretty delicate and can come down with ich pretty easily. You do have a big tank though, and could definately get away with things I could not in mine.

If you're set on getting a couple of tangs in your tank, I'd suggest picking one of the Acantharus tangs, and adding it at the same time you add the purple. If you're bent on getting two of the acantharus tangs.....I'd get two of them as small as possible, and add them simultaneously....and even then I'd only give you a 50/50 chance you wouldnt lose one of them within the year. Another thing to keep in mind is that by adding those fish, (either two Acan tangs or one acan and the purple) you're pretty much ensuring that anyother fish you add later is going to have a nasty welcome wagon waiting....

Nick

 

[morgan]

so how cum people mix red sea and pacific tangs with purples and yellow tangs which are all the same genues

 

[Maxx]

They do it one of two ways:

Add them when they are small to a large tank and allow them to acclimate to each other that way.....(not always successful)
Or
They add one species after the other one but the fish added later is larger than the one in the tank first....(also not always successful)

Bottom line is its a risk to mix the genus of Tang in anything but a very large tank (240 isnt a very large tank...its big for the hobby, but for these guys). Fighting for territory will occur. In the wild, its no big deal, the loser leaves usually before serious injury occurs. In a tank, the loser cant really go anywhere to get away from the aggressor....so you end up loosing the fish.

Yes there are people who have gotten lucky with mixing them....but its not nearly as common as people who havent gotten lucky.

Nick

 

[Herefishyfishy]

My four tangs are now getting along great in the 180 full of rock after only a few days together.
In order of tank introduction:
Yellow
Dejardini
Hippo
Sohal

The most massive and first Yellow is the tough guy, but the Sohal who is smallest and fastest keeps wanting to play. The yellow at first was bothering the Dejardini untill the hippo showed it that he was longer. Now the Sohal almost chases the yellow for the sole purpose of play. No attack gestures, no nipping, no tail arching, just feeding, playing, and cruising.

 

[ronj]

good to hear Mike!!! i like that mix of tangs that you have as well!!!