@Ashish Patel
Hello, I hope you don’t mind answering a few questions:
How long have you had your Orange shoulder tang?
How small was it when you first got it?
How big was it when it started changing colors?
I’d like pictures from around when you first got it to now to examine the growth rate compared to mine.
I’d also like to know what you feed him. :)
EDIT:
I went through this thread and found some info that I was seeking:
It basically took you a few short months to get your tang as big as mine, and mine still hasn’t changed at all.
Mine is NOT dominant and very passive. It’s extremely peaceful. I think that’s why mine isn’t changing.
Hey, my bad for missing your message!
Honestly, I’m still amazed at how fast this tang grew in captivity. When I added him, he was only 2", and I figured I had at least three years before needing to consider rehoming him. But during his growth spurt, he was so clumsy—constantly knocking over frags and corals. Now, though, he’s a lot more agile and doesn’t bump into anything anymore.
A few things probably contributed to his rapid growth, along with the other tangs (except the powder blue, which was already pretty big).
1. The Achilles Tang and the Ich Situation
Adding the Achilles Tang introduced an ich outbreak early on. I treated the tank with hyposalinity, but to keep aggression down, I had to make sure all the tangs were well-fed. At that point, I didn’t worry too much about nutrient buildup—I just wanted to keep my expensive fish alive. That turned out to be a mistake because, up until this tank, I had only relied on a refugium and water changes to control nutrients. As you know, I had to work hard to bring my nitrates down using vodka dosing, and I had to use lanthanum chloride for phosphates. Looking back, I’ve learned a lot from the experience, but if I had to do it again, I’d still overfeed—but I’d also stay ahead of nutrient control to avoid a year-long battle.
2. Heavy Feeding
I really pushed feeding to the max. I bought a huge 2200ml bag of Spectra pellets and had my auto feeder drop food eight times a day—enough to empty an Eheim feeder every two weeks. On top of that, I fed a full sheet of nori every other day.
I also went to the grocery store and bought 10 lbs of shrimp, tilapia, cod, and smelts, ground it all up, and fed the tank. That 10 lbs lasted only three months. I did this for about eight months until my phosphate levels shot up past 200 PPB on the Hanna checker.
Interestingly, nutrient levels spiked even more after adding 12 large turbo snails. Their waste was super dense and got stuck in the rocks. Once I removed seven of them, nutrients started dropping again. My nitrates have been holding between 25-50 PPM for the last four months, but recently, I noticed them creeping up, so I increased my vodka dosing from 18ml/day (maintenance dose) to 47ml/day.
That said, I’m feeding more strategically now. I make sure the Achilles and Orange Shoulder Tang are well-fed to avoid aggression but without being as wasteful as before. In the evenings, from 6-11 PM, I keep frozen food on top of the tank and feed them 4-5 times whenever I check on them. This constant feeding keeps them active and swimming, which I think is the main reason for their growth.
3. Possibly Growth Hormones in Store-Bought Seafood?
I don’t buy "natural" seafood—I just grab whatever’s available at Wegmans or Walmart. Given how tilapia is often farmed with growth hormones and other additives, I wonder if that played a small role in their rapid growth.
4. The Orange Shoulder’s Background
The Orange Shoulder Tang came from another hobbyist who had four of them in one tank. Maybe it learned to compete for food early on. When I first got it, it was only the third smallest tang in my tank—smaller than my two purple tangs, but my two yellow tangs and the powder blue were much bigger. I still remember the first time I added it to the tank—it slipped out of my hand and landed on the floor! Even back then, it was hyperactive compared to the others, and now, it’s grown like crazy.
Lastly, the flow in my tank is pretty turbulent and chaotic, which keeps the fish active, increases their metabolism, and makes them want more food—which I’m more than happy to provide.
At the end of the day, just watch your fish. If they’re happy, let it be. Or, if you’re curious, you can try the feeding routine I use. Maybe it’s the human food, because the Orange Shoulder grew ¾" to 1" per month. Or maybe it’s inspired by
WWC, who feed their fish every hour—I figured if it works for them, it might work for me too.
Anyway, I know this was a long explanation, but I wanted to share everything I could think of since your vodka dosing guide helped me so much. It’s the least I could do—appreciate the help!
