Clown Tangs

[Christopher Davis]

No, Im going back this week and I'll take some. He's a beautiful specimen. Biggest I've seen for sale.

Most likely why he is a bit more pricey! Can't wait to see him!

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Most likely why he is a bit more pricey! Can't wait to see him!

Blue Zoo has XL ones for $250. I know they are expensive. With this store, I'm betting I could get it for $150.

 

[Christopher Davis]

Always barter! I've got some great corals and fish that way! I can't wait for my clown tang to fully mature!

 

[Tapio]

I have had a few for years. Yes they are hard to get eating enough if they are too small. They are from high surge areas so they are swimming like on steroids. Once established it really depends on the individual how mean they will get with tank mates and keepers hand. In my last tank I added a similar sized Powder Blue with the existing Clown Tang. I was afraid the Powder Blue was going to be beaten up. Now the Powder Blue is dominant, chasing the CT daily, but he likes to swim and he has 256 gal to do it in. No harm has been done. I also have other tangs and fish.

 

[Black Pearl]

I have one that was docile and shy in Qt was the last tang added at the time, immediately started tail slapping the other Tangs. Remind me of a guy I grew up with, always looking for a fight. Attacked glass cleaner or anything else I put in the tank. Took me awhile to catch him, cause he was a smooth criminal. Finally banned to the sump. I may attempt to rehabilitate him by putting him in the DT with 4 other tangs in at the same time, maybe the crowd will overwhelm him

 

[Shaun Sweeney]

Definitely have to get them eating right away! I had to baby mine for 6 months he was a ridiculously picky eater only eating small amounts at a time! Now I can't feed him fast enough!

How did you get him started? Got mine a couple of weeks ago and near as I can tell, he only eats algae.

 

[Christopher Davis]

How did you get him started? Got mine a couple of weeks ago and near as I can tell, he only eats algae.

It took mine almost 6 months to really start getting an appetite, upon the intital purchase he was really underweight.
I took at as a personal mission to save the little guy/gal.

I started first with shredding omega one veggie sheets "green" into small pieces and I mean small, as this was the only thing that I could get my clown to keep down. I feed him almost 5 times a day for almost a month. Slowly he would eat more and more.
I also kept a veggie clip on the tank with the seaweed that he could actively graze on throughout the day which allowed the fish to slowly gain weight and I mean it was slow.

Continuing on I would soak the shredded pieces of seaweed in mysis brine and after a couple of times of doing this my fish really started responding well. I then started feeding mysis to him [note he would not eat it before] and he started chowing down! I saw a good amount of weight gain with this method 2x a day!

It took almost 5 months before actively eating flake and mysis! Now he eats absolutely everything and anything that I put into the tank! My clown actually out feeds all the other fish in the tank! And I'm proude to say it's one of my most healthy fish!

It takes a lot of nurture to get them to start eating it can honestly be down right frustrating at times, but be patient while looking for signs of stress and infection. Other than that this is what I did and was able to get my clown tang fat and healthy! Totally worth the pain in the a**

Hope that helps! :)

 

[Shaun Sweeney]

Thanks for that Chris.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I have had my small one in the tank for a month or so now and he's very relaxed with the other tangs. Of course he's a lot smaller than any of them.

 

[tswanso3]

I've had mine for 3 and half years now. He is by far the most aggressive tang I have. I think they are every bit as aggressive as Sohol Tangs. And the only way I'd buy one is if it is already eating at the store. I had tried 2 before (small, 2 to 3 inches) and could never get them to eat. The one I've had success with was eating pellet food at the store. I'd also recommend not keeping this tang unless you have a really big tank, I'd say at least 8 feet long.

 

[wkscott]

I agree however I didn't QT mine and it did just fine.

You were lucky.

 

[Reefpharmer]

Seems like the general consensus is they are terrorists. If you get the large one, expect him to take over the tank quickly and not relinquish control. I feel like if you let fish grow into the tank, you have more chance for a more dosile fish. If you are putting in a large fish straight from the ocean, they have already developed their aggressive personality. Just my opinion, having 6 tangs in the same tank

 

[adhd_nerd]

I have a smallish one about 1/4 the size of my naso, sailfine, rabbit fish, and fox face. Randomly picks fights throughout the day, although gives up pretty quickly and goes back to picking on rocks.

 

[Christopher Davis]

You were lucky.

I've never Qt a single fish... in my 7 years of reefing. Perhaps I am playing with fire but I've never had a problem. All my LFS does Qt before the fish even goes up for sale. IMO no point in doing a double Qt.

 

[Christopher Davis]

I've never Qt a single fish... in my 7 years of reefing. Perhaps I am playing with fire but I've never had a problem. My LFS does Qt before the fish even goes up for sale. IMO no point in doing a double Qt.

 

[tj w]

I've had my clown tang for 6-7 months and is one of the last fish I added. He's about 3" and is a holy terror in my 300g tank. He tries to chase and fight with the majority of my fish. My yellow tang will check him though. He's a gorgeous fish but I just don't think he's worth the stress he causes everyone else. Also, he's an absolute pig of anything I feed the tank and constantly grazes on the rocks.