Are we too hard on people asking if they can mix tangs

[sanchoy]

Every tank is different, every tang is different, some are aggressive, some are passive. What I experienced is in a young tank you can have a lot of tangs if added within a short time period, however once the tangs mature and are established good luck on adding new tangs. Mature tangs (well at least in my tank) are notorious killers and are capable of causing serious scalpel damage. I only have 2 tangs now in my tank, the rest were sold or passed away. My tank is over 11 years. I haven't added a new fish for over 5+ years.

My tank: 250
Tangs kept in the past:
Sohal (12+ inch), blue hippo (6-7 inch), tomini (4 inch), horse shoe (15+), Achilles (9 inch), yellow (7 inch), sailfin (9 inch), powder blue (4 inch), purple (5 inch)

Tangs left in tank:
Horse Shoe, Achilles

 

[Faisal27]

@Faisal27 I'll throw in my 2 cents about what would make for successful multiple tangs. I think there are a few factors that contribute to success, Aggression, Body Shape, Food, Other fish, and LOS breaks.

Aggression: Choose your tangs based on how aggressive they are (while they all have personality, some are more aggressive than others). For Example, Sohals are just beasts and so are clown tangs, I wouldn't pair them because they're equally aggressive and get to be similar sizes and have similar body shapes. A tang with that aggressive personally would be best added last. In my tank, my Purple was the most aggressive and the Orange Shoulder was added as a fingerling. Once my OST became of size he usurped the purples dominance and they fought for a couple months but are generally peaceful. Get tangs that look different and you'll reduce aggression, also be aware some are more ornery than others.

Body Shape: If tangs don't look similar they're less likely to see others as competition for food/mates/territory for whatever reason I think this is an instinctual thing. Zebrasoma, Achilles Complex, Bristletooths, Nasos, etc. all look different enough and may increase your chances of cohabitation. Also, size plays a factor Adult Tangs seem to be more likely to be aggressive and territorial while juveniles tend to fall into the hierarchy better and also seem to adapt better to captivity overall.

Food: Feed a lot and this reduces one of the number one things tangs want to control - food. Use two veggie clips instead of one, its impossible for the dominant fish to guard both without a lower ranking tank mate getting their share.

Other Fish: Specifically, Rabbitfish - they get equal in size to most tangs, they compete for the same food as tangs, but their armaments (venomous spines) seem to deter aggression from just about everything and they'll stand their ground, which will distract the dominant fish. I imagine large angels with their cheek spines and attitude will have a similar effect in the aquarium hierarchy.

LOS Breaks: Aquascaping matters. If you have a wall of rock most all tangs are pushed to the front of the tank and forced to interact when they'd rather flee. If you use multiple islands in your aquascape or tunnels, any fish that's targeted for aggression can escape from its aggressor, they might make chase but they'll often give up after their target has escaped its aggressors LOS (think cichlids).

This is what I thought when I made plans to have multiple tangs in my aquarium. So if someone wants to try them I'd consider these factors. For smaller tanks like 100gallons I'd look at keeping Mimic Tangs, Bristletooths, and Convict tangs, maybe a smaller species of Zebrasoma(scopas).

That was one really Informtaive .. yeah I also use the clips one on each side and have unlimited nori and islands so we’re on the same page ..thanks

 

[Faisal27]

I have about 12 large tangs in a 320g system

Can we get some pictures pls

 

[Faisal27]

I've got these 2 happy together in a 75. Convict tang & kole tang. Looking for a 3rd, I've read about odd numbers doing well. Tangs are my favorite and they are living with 3 chromis who school all over together which is fun to watch. Any suggestions on a third are welcomed, leaning toward an vlamigi.

Vlamingi in a 75 wouldn’t work .. unfortunelty this fish is not aggressive at all but grows to more than 20 inches fast ..

 

[Faisal27]

Every tank is different, every tang is different, some are aggressive, some are passive. What I experienced is in a young tank you can have a lot of tangs if added within a short time period, however once the tangs mature and are established good luck on adding new tangs. Mature tangs (well at least in my tank) are notorious killers and are capable of causing serious scalpel damage. I only have 2 tangs now in my tank, the rest were sold or passed away. My tank is over 11 years. I haven't added a new fish for over 5+ years.

My tank: 250
Tangs kept in the past:
Sohal (12+ inch), blue hippo (6-7 inch), tomini (4 inch), horse shoe (15+), Achilles (9 inch), yellow (7 inch), sailfin (9 inch), powder blue (4 inch), purple (5 inch)

Tangs left in tank:
Horse Shoe, Achilles

Yeah good advise .. when it comes to tangs decide on the ones you want and if they could work and add them together .. I learned the hard way

 

[Faisal27]

I started have to clips cause of the vlamingi .. he eats and can eat a lot so one clip wasn’t working cause he would eat evrything .. ended up having the tangs split to eat when ch made sure every tang got his share

 

[stevieduk]

just adding my 2 penny worth, I found that if you buy tangs as young as possible , plan the move into the tank, and add them all at the same time, then they will grow up together and form a group, still having the odd squabble but on the whole, behaving ok

 

[Rakie]

Kind of yes, kind of no. I understand the yes and no side of it.

The problem is Tangs are awesome, and we all see mature big tanks with multiple tangs. Sometimes a shoal of yellow tangs even.. Makes it seem effortless to achieve. Those in the know understand it's not that simple, less experienced people not so much.

 

[4FordFamily]

I've got these 2 happy together in a 75. Convict tang & kole tang. Looking for a 3rd, I've read about odd numbers doing well. Tangs are my favorite and they are living with 3 chromis who school all over together which is fun to watch. Any suggestions on a third are welcomed, leaning toward an vlamigi.

Adding one more to two established tangs in a 75 is not a good idea. A vlamingi is a really bad idea as they grow enormous.

 

[Killamanjaro]

I wouldn't say people on this forum are too bad for it. Other forums though, you so much as word a question wrong and you'll be shot down so fast and then everyone jumps on board.

It is understandable when its someone trolling or just wanting to hear the answer they want and dismissing good advice, but the cliquey and nastiness from some places just make you not want to use their forums.

 

[Young@Heart]

Well I have a plan and what I think is a decent size tank (180 Gallons). Now, I will admit that I am a relative newbie to the hobby (about 2 years total exp (20 and 55 Gallon Tanks - Yes I have lost fish and inverts, but I have had success as well). The 180 has been cycled and going for just over 3 months now and should have it's permanent lighting (2 Kessil AP700s) in the next week or so. The aquascaping in the tank has many caves. It is a mixed reef tank and has 2 Clownfish, a Pygmy angelfish (I do my best to keep him fed and he "minds his P's and Q's"), a six line wrasse, a cleaner shrimp, 4 Snails and a number of corals. My plan is to add a Blue Linka Starfish, Blond Naso, a Blue Hippo and a Yellow Tang. The tangs are in QT at my LFS right now. The Yellow Tang probably no longer needs to be in QT, but he is the Territorial one, so he stays in QT until the others are ready the Blonde Naso and the Blue Hippo joined him about a week ago (they are in QT together so they can get used to each other). Oh, all the fish are small or small medium (on the small side). I did this intentionally to allow them each to have room to grow - now I know that all things being equal they will grow and within a couple of years, I will need a larger tank or some will have to find a new home. But my 180 is a custom 60x24x29 inches. Every one seems to be happy (Tangs are still in QT and will be until January 20). My Plan is to drip them and add them at roughly the same time (same day). At this point I believe I have maxed out the livestock in the tank. I do hope I can be successful. I was not going to do the Blue Hippo, but she was a surprise birthday present from my wife. I would be most interested in your comments.

 

[4FordFamily]

Well I have a plan and what I think is a decent size tank (180 Gallons). Now, I will admit that I am a relative newbie to the hobby (about 2 years total exp (20 and 55 Gallon Tanks - Yes I have lost fish and inverts, but I have had success as well). The 180 has been cycled and going for just over 3 months now and should have it's permanent lighting (2 Kessil AP700s) in the next week or so. The aquascaping in the tank has many caves. It is a mixed reef tank and has 2 Clownfish, a Pygmy angelfish (I do my best to keep him fed and he "minds his P's and Q's"), a six line wrasse, a cleaner shrimp, 4 Snails and a number of corals. My plan is to add a Blue Linka Starfish, Blond Naso, a Blue Hippo and a Yellow Tang. The tangs are in QT at my LFS right now. The Yellow Tang probably no longer needs to be in QT, but he is the Territorial one, so he stays in QT until the others are ready the Blonde Naso and the Blue Hippo joined him about a week ago (they are in QT together so they can get used to each other). Oh, all the fish are small or small medium (on the small side). I did this intentionally to allow them each to have room to grow - now I know that all things being equal they will grow and within a couple of years, I will need a larger tank or some will have to find a new home. But my 180 is a custom 60x24x29 inches. Every one seems to be happy (Tangs are still in QT and will be until January 20). My Plan is to drip them and add them at roughly the same time (same day). At this point I believe I have maxed out the livestock in the tank. I do hope I can be successful. I was not going to do the Blue Hippo, but she was a surprise birthday present from my wife. I would be most interested in your comments.

A naso will outgrow a 180 really quickly, other than that it could work. Also, don’t rely on LFS to quarantine, it won’t be done right, you might find this article useful:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/lfs-fish-“treatment”-the-“sudden”-need-for-quarantine.308/

 

[Faisal27]

Well I have a plan and what I think is a decent size tank (180 Gallons). Now, I will admit that I am a relative newbie to the hobby (about 2 years total exp (20 and 55 Gallon Tanks - Yes I have lost fish and inverts, but I have had success as well). The 180 has been cycled and going for just over 3 months now and should have it's permanent lighting (2 Kessil AP700s) in the next week or so. The aquascaping in the tank has many caves. It is a mixed reef tank and has 2 Clownfish, a Pygmy angelfish (I do my best to keep him fed and he "minds his P's and Q's"), a six line wrasse, a cleaner shrimp, 4 Snails and a number of corals. My plan is to add a Blue Linka Starfish, Blond Naso, a Blue Hippo and a Yellow Tang. The tangs are in QT at my LFS right now. The Yellow Tang probably no longer needs to be in QT, but he is the Territorial one, so he stays in QT until the others are ready the Blonde Naso and the Blue Hippo joined him about a week ago (they are in QT together so they can get used to each other). Oh, all the fish are small or small medium (on the small side). I did this intentionally to allow them each to have room to grow - now I know that all things being equal they will grow and within a couple of years, I will need a larger tank or some will have to find a new home. But my 180 is a custom 60x24x29 inches. Every one seems to be happy (Tangs are still in QT and will be until January 20). My Plan is to drip them and add them at roughly the same time (same day). At this point I believe I have maxed out the livestock in the tank. I do hope I can be successful. I was not going to do the Blue Hippo, but she was a surprise birthday present from my wife. I would be most interested in your comments.

Everything sounds good.. the Naso tang you can keep for a while but don’t know if it’s a lifetime tank .. I don’t know what the dimensions are but if it’s 6-8 feet you should be fine ( closer to 8 than 6 feet )

 

[Killamanjaro]

I'm only interested in a few tang, mainly the powder blue, white cheek and the achilles. Would either of these be ok in a 180?

 

[Young@Heart]

Sounds Like I will need to upgrade to a larger tank at some point. One step at a time. Thanks for the feed back - I do appericate it.

 

[Maritimer]

I'm only interested in a few tang, mainly the powder blue, white cheek and the achilles. Would either of these be ok in a 180?

_One_ of those ought to be OK in a 6' 180 ... but they're all Acanthurus tangs, and a couple on that list have reputations for being at the higher end of the aggression spectrum - even among Acanthurus. That group of three may prove difficult to pull off. (If you really want to try it, introduce all three at the same time, as young fish, with the powderblue the smallest of the group.) I'd suggest choosing a favorite from that list, but possibly considering a Zebrasoma (sailfin genus) and a Ctenochaetus (bristletooth genus) tang, if you'd like to add more than one tang.

~Bruce

 

[mta_morrow]

I think individual situations can be way out from general rules. I have 140 USG of water in a 5ft tank, and 13 fish including a large Blue Tang (6-7") and a larger gold shoulder Tang (7-8") plus a Standard 3-4" Yellow Tang..............they are the happiest of tankmates and it is much more likely the Coral Beauty which stirs things up or the larger Barrier Reef Clown. My three Tangs (Fred MacMurray anyone..?) are the best of friends.

I get it...... 3 sets of fins tapping to the music!

 

[mort]

thank you finally for your comments .. this thread (in my mind ) was supposed to be about successful stories about people who have kept tangs from the same family or different 1 tang or 5 tangs so we can start to see if there are ways for fellow members , reeefers , casuals , etc to successfully keep tangs in a variety of aquarium sizes .. we all agree that a tang in a 30 gallon won’t work but I’m was talking about 100 gallons and up with their success stories .. like I said I have a 500 gallon tank with 8 tangs so I didn’t need to start this thread in the first place cause I’m all set because my tank size helps ..if this thread can be about this topic then let’s do it but if it’s going to be about why( justifying ) we can’t keep tangs or that it’s either you did ur research ( mostly no tangs in a certain sized aquarium or these two tangs in a 1000 gallon tank wont work) then I ask the admin to close this thread ( because I actually don’t know how to or if I can ) ... this isn’t a shot at any of the members in this forum but I was hoping this wouldn’t Become another “either ur with us or against us thread ”

My reply was simply stating why tangs behave as they are and why I personally feel they show better behaviour as a single specimen in a tank. I'm not bashing anyone or trying to suggest anyone doesn't attempt multiple species. If tangs are your thing go for it and enjoy them.
The things I haven't seen mentioned is social acclimation boxes being used so they can be seen but not got at until they are excepted, or qt them together where they will get used to each other in a space with no real territories before being given much more space where squabbles are less likely.

 

[Killamanjaro]

_One_ of those ought to be OK in a 6' 180 ... but they're all Acanthurus tangs, and a couple on that list have reputations for being at the higher end of the aggression spectrum - even among Acanthurus. That group of three may prove difficult to pull off. (If you really want to try it, introduce all three at the same time, as young fish, with the powderblue the smallest of the group.) I'd suggest choosing a favorite from that list, but possibly considering a Zebrasoma (sailfin genus) and a Ctenochaetus (bristletooth genus) tang, if you'd like to add more than one tang.

~Bruce

Haha, I wouldn't dream of mixing them, especially as a first timer.

I would pick one out of the three and keep it as the sole Acanthurus tang.

 

[4FordFamily]

I'm only interested in a few tang, mainly the powder blue, white cheek and the achilles. Would either of these be ok in a 180?

They don’t often mix well unless crowded and small. I break lots of rules so I wouldn’t suggest many do as I do, but I’ve kept the three together with other tangs in a 180. Again, I don’t recommend it that’s very risky