powder blue tang with purple tang compatibility

GSnake · May 6, 2022

I was interested in adding a powder blue tang and a purple zebrasoma tang to my 90gallon and was wondering if these two were compatible with each other.

from what live aquaria says they powder blues should not be housed with other tangs due to extreme aggression.

ive seen them together in tanks though - in the store -
so i was wondering what are your experiences with both of these together?

Dave1993 · May 6, 2022

I have both of these tangs had scraps at 1st get along great now

Dave1993 · May 6, 2022

Dave1993 · May 6, 2022

My powder blue is not aggressive maybe i got lucky though i had the purple for 1 year then added the powder blue

nereefpat · May 6, 2022

The powders can be pretty aggressive. Purples can too. I wouldn't mix them in a 90 gallon. I would just go with the purple. Keep in mind that it will rule a tank that size.

Dave1993 · May 6, 2022

i have mine in a 90 get along fine

JGT · May 6, 2022

Get both around the same size and introduce at the same time. There may be be some jousting initially but that will wane over time. Mine will still periodically joust but it's more instinctual rather than doing it with bad intent.

adittam · May 6, 2022

What are the dimensions of the 90? If it were a 180, and you introduced them at the same time, or used acclimation tricks, you'd probably be ok. In a standard 90, they're going to outgrow the tank, especially the powder blue. It's just a matter of time.

stovenut · May 6, 2022

The 2 tangs will be fine. But I would not add a 3rd tang or other large fish. The tang police are rightfully concerned about housing a PBT in a 90g. They are very active swimmers and really benefit from a 6ft or longer tank. I have both in my 135g and the PBT is the most active and is constantly swimming the circuit.

GSnake · May 6, 2022

other largish fish i was considering - 1 regal angel and one spot foxface rabbitfish - no third tang here but maybe the rabbiitfish is not so good an idea with the tangs? maybe 2/3 or 1/3 of them (pbt, purpT,foxface)

other will be wrasses (5 inch)< and green chromis etc

GSnake · May 6, 2022

adittam said:
What are the dimensions of the 90? If it were a 180, and you introduced them at the same time, or used acclimation tricks, you'd probably be ok. In a standard 90, they're going to outgrow the tank, especially the powder blue. It's just a matter of time.

ya just a standard 90 gallon - PBT is being reconsidered - i mean how fast can it outgrow it? i might move in a few years and upgrade tank in the that time.

stovenut · May 6, 2022

It's your tank!!! If your favorite fish can be added, then go for it. If the PBT and the Purple are your 2 dream tangs, and they CAN live in a 90g, you should choose those 2. But be careful to add other large fish as that limits the PBT's swimming space and comfort. (And also increases bioload.)

A PBT was the most important fish to go into my reef. So everything in my tank planning considered the PBT's health and well-being.

Joe462 · May 6, 2022

GSnake said:
I was interested in adding a powder blue tang and a purple zebrasoma tang to my 90gallon and was wondering if these two were compatible with each other.

from what live aquaria says they powder blues should not be housed with other tangs due to extreme aggression.

ive seen them together in tanks though - in the store -
so i was wondering what are your experiences with both of these together?

They can get along, but the 90 is a little small for those 2. I'm sure it can be done but may not be optimal long term.

i added a powder blue to my 150 with largish purple tang. i was pretty concerned, the purple aggressively attacked the powder at times, and i would turn the lights out on them when it got bad and that would calm them down. had to do that for about three days, watching them closely and when it got to aggressive shutting the lights off. Any time i wasn't home to keep an eye on them i left the lights off. After 3 days they were mildly aggressive but the powder had the lay of the land and was getting used to the purples antics and could avoid it or fight back, like your normal bully once it wasn't easy to pick on the powder the purple got bored with it. Now they are fine, get along great.

GSnake · May 6, 2022

They can get along, but the 90 is a little small for those 2. I'm sure it can be done but may not be optimal long term.

Joe462 said:
i added a powder blue to my 150 with largish purple tang. i was pretty concerned, the purple aggressively attacked the powder at times, and i would turn the lights out on them when it got bad and that would calm them down. had to do that for about three days, watching them closely and when it got to aggressive shutting the lights off. Any time i wasn't home to keep an eye on them i left the lights off. After 3 days they were mildly aggressive but the powder had the lay of the land and was getting used to the purples antics and could avoid it or fight back, like your normal bully once it wasn't easy to pick on the powder the purple got bored with it. Now they are fine, get along great.

that is relieving to hear!

it was this from liveaquaria that had me concerned from the get go ". It is extremely aggressive towards other Tangs or Surgeonfish,"

i will introduce them at once and hopefully be able to upsize the tank in the future - it is a wonderful fish.

Joe462 · May 6, 2022

GSnake said:
They can get along, but the 90 is a little small for those 2. I'm sure it can be done but may not be optimal long term.

that is relieving to hear!

it was this from liveaquaria that had me concerned from the get go ". It is extremely aggressive towards other Tangs or Surgeonfish,"

i will introduce them at once and hopefully be able to upsize the tank in the future - it is a wonderful fish.

It is one of my favorite fish. It was nerve racking at times, but it worked out well for me. Hopefully you have a similar experience, or easier. Just be ready with ways to distract the aggressor or calm them down. The lights out trick worked well for me, like they went back to their own corners and regrouped. I have heard that using a mirror to redirect the fish's aggression sometimes works too, i was about to go get a smallish mirror, but the lights out thing worked out well enough for me that i didn't end up bothering. Good Luck!

adittam · May 6, 2022

Read this article by @4FordFamily, lots of useful information (of note, the powder blue is listed as the *most* aggressive tang species):

Tang Aggression - Understanding and Combating

Tang Aggression - Understanding and Combating So what's the deal with tangs? How do I keep them together? Why are they so aggressive and difficult to keep sometimes? It's a common discussion point. Some may dissent with what I have to share but I've never had less than three tanks running at a...

www.reef2reef.com

adittam · May 6, 2022

GSnake said:
ya just a standard 90 gallon - PBT is being reconsidered - i mean how fast can it outgrow it? i might move in a few years and upgrade tank in the that time.

The footprint and aquascaping of the tank are the most important aspects. I have an 80 gallon lagoon display that is also 4 feet long, but is actually wider than yours (24 inches instead of 18), and I recently had a small yellow tang and medium sized two-spot bristletooth tang in there together. They weren't killing each other, but they also weren't happy. The bristletooth couldn't accept that he wasn't the king of the tank anymore, and was constantly stressing the rest of the fish out trying to show dominance. Maybe I could have made it work long term, but after a couple months of that, I made the decision to rehome my bristletooth. And that's with a bigger tank footprint than you have, and two tangs that are both smaller, less active swimmers, and lower on the aggressiveness rankings I linked above than a powder blue and purple.

You do you. Just be prepared to remove one of the fish if it doesn't work out like you hope, cause there's a decent chance it won't.