How to best introduce multiple Tangs

[TWYOUNG]

My new tank is ready for it's last additions, TANGS! I'm adding a newly purchased 2" Biota Yellow , 3" Quarantined White Tail Yellow Eye Bristletooth, and my 7" Powder Blue which is currently in my old tank. Would it be best to add all three simultaneously, or allow the smaller fish to settle in prior to transfering the PB?

 

[TurboTang]

What size is your tank - and what other fish do you already have?

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

White tail, and yellow eye are different Bristletooth tangs.

Generally best option is the tangs all about the same size, or the smaller be the more aggressive ones, at one time and at dark after feeding heavily for days, into a tank with plenty of open hiding caves.

With those three fish, I've got a feeling it is going to be a mess no matter what. The powder will punk everyone. The YT will get punked by everyone.

 

[TWYOUNG]

White tail, and yellow eye are different Bristletooth tangs.

Generally best option is the tangs all about the same size, or the smaller be the more aggressive ones, at one time and at dark after feeding heavily for days, into a tank with plenty of open hiding caves.

With those three fish, I've got a feeling it is going to be a mess no matter what. The powder will punk everyone. The YT will get punked by everyone.

 

[TWYOUNG]

What size is your tank - and what other fish do you already have?

130 gal display with 100 lbs of rock. About a dozen small fish. Gobies, Blennies, clowns.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

White tail, and yellow eye are different Bristletooth tangs.

Generally best option is the tangs all about the same size, or the smaller be the more aggressive ones, at one time and at dark after feeding heavily for days, into a tank with plenty of open hiding caves.

With those three fish, I've got a feeling it is going to be a mess no matter what. The powder will punk everyone. The YT will get punked by everyone.

This. The PBT is going to crush it's opposition, the poor yellow needs to grow a bit.

Maybe the aggression will be spread out, maybe it won't. Be prepped for the PBT to be the odd one out.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

?? Ok so they are telling you the color of the eye, when white tails always have yellow eyes. That's silly.

Still, the yellow eyed Bristletooth and white tail by are Different tangs.

 

[TurboTang]

Difficult road ahead with that group of fish and tank size. Ideally you put them all in at once, but that PBT is going to be difficult

 

[educatedreefer]

i find that the order you put them into the tank + how long you let them settle in before adding more determines the hierarchy, but at the end of the day you can always use the good ol’ mirror trick for whoever ends up being the most aggressive or changing the reefscape, if your tank is relatively new to change up territories. but each tang has its “personality” and level of aggression so even if you do perform all the advice or techniques, it might or might no make a significant difference but usually they’ll figure out their pecking order soon enough given time and enough tank space.
i had a 2” clown tang and a 4” damsel pick on my 8” Hawaiian black tang in one tank and a powder blue tang and Achilles tang in another where they were both model citizens and never chased or demonstrated aggression (probably due to hiding spaces in my reefscape and tank size).
My personal experience is to put the largest or most aggressive last to give the smaller ones more adjusted and familiar with the environment so they don’t get harassed + stressed from a new environment.

 

[alaind`]

I bought multiple fish incl 3 tangs from that seller, Velvet AND ich issues in quarantine. Made the mistake of sectioning off 60G breeder w/egg crate. Only the PBT survived medication. Used credit to get a purple tang. picked up another white tail locally. All in QT for too long now, super careful. I'll follow, it's time to make my move to DT as well.

 

[educatedreefer]

I bought multiple fish incl 3 tangs from that seller, Velvet AND ich issues in quarantine. Made the mistake of sectioning off 60G breeder w/egg crate. Only the PBT survived medication. Used credit to get a purple tang. picked up another white tail locally. All in QT for too long now, super careful. I'll follow, it's time to make my move to DT as well.

out of curiosity what medication did you use during your quarantine?

 

[i cant think]

My new tank is ready for its last additions, TANGS! I'm adding a newly purchased 2" Biota Yellow , 3" Quarantined White Tail Yellow Eye Bristletooth, and my 7" Powder Blue which is currently in my old tank. Would it be best to add all three simultaneously, or allow the smaller fish to settle in prior to transfering the PB?

You’re not likely to do this successfully. The size difference is a nightmare. The bristletooth may go under the radar of the PBT however that yellow most likely won’t and will get beaten on. What other fish are in the tank?

A 6’ tank looks large until you put a PBT in it. I have personally seen a 7” PBT in a 6’ tank and the owner could only have a total of 4 fish in there. This is due to how active the powder blue actually was, they may not show it all the time but if they thrive, they push out a lot of activity as well as aggressive tendencies.

 

[Dave1993]

mirror trick for that powder blue works for mine

 

[i cant think]

mirror trick for that powder blue works for mine

The mirror trick won’t always work, the PBT I saw didn’t fall for it. In my time in the LFS I have seen many cases of the mirror trick failing.

 

[Dave1993]

The mirror trick won’t always work, the PBT I saw didn’t fall for it. In my time in the LFS I have seen many cases of the mirror trick failing.

Worked fine on mine when i added the goldflake always worth a try had it up half a day when i took it down forgot all about the new fish

 

[Dave1993]

wonder if the ones that don't fall for it could live with another powder blue