Purple Tang - Help Adding "Friends"

[Soggy Frito]

So, I have a ~4" purple tang. Tank is a 150gal (5x2x2) and includes a pygmy angel, flame cardinal, a couple clowns, possum wrasse. Will soon also include a royal gramma and diamond goby. Now, unless you didn't know, this is all my purple tang's world and we are just living in it. It appears to get along fine with it's tank mates, but we have had some mysterious deaths after trying to add fish (anthias, flame cardinals). Not sure who killed who (Col. Mustard in the Library w/ a pipe!), but we do want to add more tangs (bristle tooth for sure, maybe another zebrasoma, maybe other?).

Question - If I put it in "timeout" in my sump for a couple days, added new fish / moved a couple rocks (I like most of my aquascape), and then brought the purple back - what do you think the odds are of mass homicide??? I was thinking I would add tangs either obviously <4" or >4".

Appreciate all the wisdom on this site!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

#reefsquad

 

[Hairyteeth]

It might work, might not….. my tang wasn’t fooled though

 

[exnisstech]

I never sumped mine. I tried the mirror trick but my purple was scared of the reflection and hid behind rocks peeking out from behind them lol. Mine is big but shy.
You just never know when adding new fish so it's always good to have a back up plan just in case.
I grew most of my tangs together which works much better than adding them one at a time I think.

 

[tbrown]

Another option to try is an acclimation box. That allows them to see and "smell" each other without being able to access each other.

 

[littlefoxx]

worth a try, purples are nasty! Mine is, he hides in the rocks when I add a new fish and dive bombs them for a few days from the rocks then seems to realize it isnt going anywhere and then moves on

 

[DarkReefer]

I've gone with the acclimation box for a few days then also adding a mirror to distract the tang once released.
The PT can still be a jerk but it should help a little and probably better than doing nothing.

 

[Should I]

mirror helped with mine when i added powder blue but even then he wasnt that BAD my tangs wer very well behaved tbh even the powder blue

 

[OrionN]

Make sure the tank has plenty of space in the rock work so the new tangs can take refuge in the rock, not the corner of the tank. Make sure the new tangs are healthy and eating well. Then make sure you supply the new tangs with food as they get chase into the rock work for days to weeks. Same for adding Angels with resident angels in place.

In my tank, the new tangs stay in QT until he is eating well and are trained to eat Nori attach to a clip on a stick. In DT, I put nori on a stick and place it where the tang tank refuge. After a time, they are able to venture into the open space. Recently I added 4 angels, not all at the same time, to my tank. One CB Regal, and a pair of CB Majestic Angels and a WC Regal angel. After several months, all but the smallest of the CB Majestic are moving freely in my DT, other than the smallest of the CB Majestic which is only 1.25 inch. He still stays mostly in the L back corner of the tank. He is eating well with Nori I place there and the automatic feeder always dump food in that area, so he stays fat and healthy. I am sure in a few months my Flame harem will leave him alone when he ventures out of this hiding place. Right now, the male Flame angel still runs at him whenever he leaves the corner and swims out into the open.

 

[Soggy Frito]

Sounds like a mirror and making sure the new fish don't starve are the keys.

Would you add all at once (several LFS's have suggested that) or 1 at a time?

If I do all at once, I could probably get the purple into the acclimation box / fish trap.

 

[Rocks reef]

One more side note, add them after lights out.

 

[56longroof]

In all honesty I highly doubt any of the above will work. I finally had to rehome mine. The purple and Tomini in my tank were the big boss and any new additions had to go through alot of aggression. With the purple gone now the Tomini has taken over. He would be gone by now but it's alot smarter and nearly impossible to catch.

 

[Soggy Frito]

In all honesty I highly doubt any of the above will work. I finally had to rehome mine. The purple and Tomini in my tank were the big boss and any new additions had to go through alot of aggression. With the purple gone now the Tomini has taken over. He would be gone by now but it's alot smarter and nearly impossible to catch.

That’s what I’m afraid of. It’s just such a beautiful and cool fish. It has become my little buddy.

 

[DarkReefer]

In all honesty I highly doubt any of the above will work. I finally had to rehome mine. The purple and Tomini in my tank were the big boss and any new additions had to go through alot of aggression. With the purple gone now the Tomini has taken over. He would be gone by now but it's alot smarter and nearly impossible to catch.

Yeah my Tomini has killed my sand sifting goby pair (fairly sure it was that guy as it was the only fish I saw ever chase them). It's also the most skittish fish when it comes to me getting near the tank. Pretty much most if not all other inhabitants will come up to the glass but it will always bolt away into/behind rocks.

 

[56longroof]

Yeah my Tomini has killed my sand sifting goby pair (fairly sure it was that guy as it was the only fish I saw ever chase them). It's also the most skittish fish when it comes to me getting near the tank. Pretty much most if not all other inhabitants will come up to the glass but it will always bolt away into/behind rocks.

Mine hasn't killed anything yet but it acts just like yours. Im really beginning to think tangs should be the last fish added if at all.

 

[Tangdora]

My purple is one of the least aggressive tangs in my tank lol. But if you’re able to easily do rock you shouldn’t have to move it to sump. Best to do it after adding and he seen the new fish. This way if it doesn’t fight, you don’t have to rearrange, but if it does your hands being in a tank rearranging will steal its focus away from what ever you add

 

[Soggy Frito]

So, it may have been Col. Mustard in the conservatory after all. I added a couple fish yesterday including a Australian Stripey. The only fish that paid any of them any attention was my pygmy angel (except my flame cardinal which gorged on a peppermint shrimp). It chased the stripey for 1/2 to 1hr. Today the angel and stripey have been totally fine. I know tangs are another story, but fingers crossed I can make this work. Hate to get rid of my purple...