Successfully Keeping A Powder Blue Tang

[Nigel35]

I have always wanted to enjoy this fish in a reef tank and would like to take the right measures to ensure it thrives. I haven't had the greatest track record with tangs unfortunately. I have been able to keep them for a few years but not for the three decade they can live for. They are beautiful creatures and deserve a maximum and full life.

I would plan to undergo a rigorous but not to traumatic quarantine to ensure that no diseases or future issues may arise. I am also a strong believer in building up tang's immune systems through vitamin enriched foods and building a fat and healthy tang. I would hope to have it readily consume a variety of mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, garlic enhanced red and green seaweeds for grazing during the day, and supplementary pellets. Since this particular tangs enjoys a fairly large tank (150-200 gallons IMO, it would be cruel to put it in something smaller) would it be best to encourage such movement with higher flow to boost the health of the fish?

Since disease has a way of creeping in on even the most healthy how can I best ensure that the PBT doesn't succumb to disease? I know they are highly sensitive and are "ich magnets" but when properly quarantined and fed can this risk be curbed? Does an effective UV make that difference?

I have always wanted to keep this fish and have had much success with other tangs but not this one in particular. I would greatly appreciate advice on keeping an incredible creature.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[Nigel35]

Seeing how that ironically was a milestone post I would like to give a huge shoutout and thanks to all the members on this forum which have provided me with much need valuable and sound advice. It has been an incredible journey and I would like to see it continue on into the future.

Much thanks to everyone,

Nigel

 

[kingjoe]

Seeing how that ironically was a milestone post I would like to give a huge shoutout and thanks to all the members on this forum which have provided me with much need valuable and sound advice. It has been an incredible journey and I would like to see it continue on into the future.

Much thanks to everyone,

Nigel

Hi Nigel-
Quarantine is essential for these fish. They are very likely to come in with or get infested with cryptocaryon, so a copper treatment is almost a given. I have one in QT now which is, amazingly, crypto free for the past four weeks, but I'll do a prophylactic treatment with Copper Power just to be safe. I did have a fluke and septicemia issue with a pearlscale butterfly who is in the same tank, so I've already given a Kanaplex treatment, followed by General Cure; I'd have treated with General Cure, regardless. My QT has a fair amount of rock and PVC tubing, which is essential for the comfort of the fish. I'm running an Aquaclear 500 and an airstone, along with a small UV that I run when not medicating. O2 saturation is very important for tangs of the Acanthurus genus, hence the large power filter and airstone.
As far as feeding, sheets of algae treated with nutritional supplements are a must. Every day he gets folded up sheets of green and red or purple algae, which are treated with Selcon and Zoe. About once a week I add a few drops of vitamin C, as well. The algae is rubber-banded to a terra cotta disk, and after I treat it, I let it soak in the refrigerator over night, then just rotate it in the morning with the other disc that was placed in the tank the day before. This way, my powder blue has a constant supply of algae, unless he consumes the entire package- which he sometimes does. It is surprising to see just how much algae these fish will eat. Regarding meaty foods, I feed a large variety of seafood preparations, including mysis, and the powder blue will eat his fill of these, too. Ocean Nutrition and LRS (Larry's Reef Services) offers many good choices.
While UV can somewhat mitigate parasite and bacterial issues, it is not a treatment in itself. The only way to treat parasites is to eradicate parasites. It will certainly help kill free swimming theronts, but it won't eliminate them entirely.
Water flow is important for these fish; I have an Ecotech MP40 in my main tank, and will be buying another soon. Tangs often inhabit high flow regions, and they will appreciate the current.
So, I would recommend a quarantine period for a minimum of 30 days, with at least a 2 week (4-5 weeks if he shows signs of crypto) copper treatment, and likely a round of General Cure, just to cover as many potential pathogens/parasites as possible. Then, ensure that you have suitably high water flow and O2 levels in your main tank when you move him in there; you may want to buy an O2 test kit, just to be certain. And, really, really push the algae. These fish need their greens, and the more the better.
Will he be the only tang in your tank? Even for a community tank with the powder blue as the only tang, I'd make him just about the last addition, given the aggression issues that typically come with these fish.

 

[Nigel35]

Hi Nigel-
Quarantine is essential for these fish. They are very likely to come in with or get infested with cryptocaryon, so a copper treatment is almost a given. I have one in QT now which is, amazingly, crypto free for the past four weeks, but I'll do a prophylactic treatment with Copper Power just to be safe. I did have a fluke and septicemia issue with a pearlscale butterfly who is in the same tank, so I've already given a Kanaplex treatment, followed by General Cure; I'd have treated with General Cure, regardless. My QT has a fair amount of rock and PVC tubing, which is essential for the comfort of the fish. I'm running an Aquaclear 500 and an airstone, along with a small UV that I run when not medicating. O2 saturation is very important for tangs of the Acanthurus genus, hence the large power filter and airstone.
As far as feeding, sheets of algae treated with nutritional supplements are a must. Every day he gets folded up sheets of green and red or purple algae, which are treated with Selcon and Zoe. About once a week I add a few drops of vitamin C, as well. The algae is rubber-banded to a terra cotta disk, and after I treat it, I let it soak in the refrigerator over night, then just rotate it in the morning with the other disc that was placed in the tank the day before. This way, my powder blue has a constant supply of algae, unless he consumes the entire package- which he sometimes does. It is surprising to see just how much algae these fish will eat. Regarding meaty foods, I feed a large variety of seafood preparations, including mysis, and the powder blue will eat his fill of these, too. Ocean Nutrition and LRS (Larry's Reef Services) offers many good choices.
While UV can somewhat mitigate parasite and bacterial issues, it is not a treatment in itself. The only way to treat parasites is to eradicate parasites. It will certainly help kill free swimming theronts, but it won't eliminate them entirely.
Water flow is important for these fish; I have an Ecotech MP40 in my main tank, and will be buying another soon. Tangs often inhabit high flow regions, and they will appreciate the current.
So, I would recommend a quarantine period for a minimum of 30 days, with at least a 2 week (4-5 weeks if he shows signs of crypto) copper treatment, and likely a round of General Cure, just to cover as many potential pathogens/parasites as possible. Then, ensure that you have suitably high water flow and O2 levels in your main tank when you move him in there; you may want to buy an O2 test kit, just to be certain. And, really, really push the algae. These fish need their greens, and the more the better.
Will he be the only tang in your tank? Even for a community tank with the powder blue as the only tang, I'd make him just about the last addition, given the aggression issues that typically come with these fish.

thanks @kingjoe for the reply, I do appreciate it. Would you recommend a 2:1 algae to meatier foods diet? Perhaps 1 large feeding of mysis or LRS then algae throughout the day?

I believe your correct on UV's. They help mitigate the spread but don't prevent it entirely, quarantining is essential.

Would a 30 day quarantine work? I have always believed in the longer approach reaching almost 90 days but I would love to hear more on your quarantining procedure.

the tang will be with a fairly large hippo tang almost 8 inches and a smaller yellow tang around 3 inches but yes this would be the last tang in the tank.

 

[Squidward]

I would first make sure your tank is ich free. If it's not, then qurantining it won't do much. It'll get infected from the ich in your tank soon enough. How I've successfully kept 11 tangs including a Powder Blue and Achilles was doing TTM (Tank Transfer Method). I also qurantine all inverts and corals for a minimum of 30 days. Except for urchins where you can just rinse and plop in according to Humblefish's Qurantine Chart.

 

[EugeneVan]

I have Power Blue and Power Brown in my 200 gal Reef for almost a year. Quarantine is a must for these fish. When I bought them back then, both tangs show up sick in my quarantine tank 2 days after I bought them at LFS. Symptoms like scatching their bodies, not eating..... Lucky I start the treatment on day 1 they are in the quarantine tank. Treating included Copper Power and Metroplex. Metroplex dose for 21 day. And Copper Power for 45 days. Both tangs start eating again after 10 days of treatment. The rest is history. Now they are happy and healthy in their 200 gal and eat like a pig. I feed them Hikari frozen mysis shrimp, spirulina brine shrimp, mega marine and mega marine angel mix together 2 days a day. And they are lawn mowing the live rock everyday for green supplement

 

[kingjoe]

thanks @kingjoe for the reply, I do appreciate it. Would you recommend a 2:1 algae to meatier foods diet? Perhaps 1 large feeding of mysis or LRS then algae throughout the day?

I believe your correct on UV's. They help mitigate the spread but don't prevent it entirely, quarantining is essential.

Would a 30 day quarantine work? I have always believed in the longer approach reaching almost 90 days but I would love to hear more on your quarantining procedure.

the tang will be with a fairly large hippo tang almost 8 inches and a smaller yellow tang around 3 inches but yes this would be the last tang in the tank.

I wouldn't be too concerned regarding how much of the carnivore preparations he eats, and he will likely eat plenty during your regular feedings. With surgeonfish in the tank I feed the other fish normally, usually twice a day, but I make sure that there is a good amount of algae available at all times for them- they will graze intermittently throughout the day. If algae is available, he will eat his fill. Acanthurids are somewhat detritivorous, so he'll probably find plenty of interesting items around your tank. It is generally better to have a tank that's been up and running for a time before adding anybody from the Acanthurus genus, Zebrasoma not so much. You might be interested to see how many other fishes avail themselves of the algae; I wasn't previously aware how much engineer gobies enjoyed it.
Regarding quarantine, my approach is that long enough is long enough. I set 30 days as my minimum, generally because it takes nearly that long just to go through the prophylactic measures- copper, General Cure, maybe kanamycin. And, if the fish arrive in good condition, I like to get them eating for a week or two before I begin medicating. Another reason for a 30 day minimum is that sometimes a fish can arrive very sick, but it can take several weeks for symptoms to manifest. So, you are certainly right to extend quarantine if anything seems remotely questionable. I have two quarantine tanks- one for fish and one for inverts/corals. If I've brought a more delicate species through all the medical protocols, but I'm still not certain as to his health, I'll move him into the coral QT for two weeks or so. The coral QT is a reef tank in itself, so the fish will be going into a much more natural environment and can fatten up and get comfortable before transitioning to the main tank. I've found this to be very helpful with butterflies, but a powder blue could benefit as well.
Many aquarists set their fish only QTs at hyposalinity, maybe 1.018-1.020, which is very advisable with surgeonfish. In fact, many retailers keep their fish tanks at low salinity in order to discourage ectoparasites. Fish can make the osmotic stretch from higher to lower salinity during, say, a two hour acclimation without too much problem, but going the other way can be very detrimental. So, if you keep hyposalinity in your QT (~1.018-1.020), and your main tank is at a typical reef tank salinity (~1.025-1.026), take about a week to slowly raise the salinity before transferring him.

 

[Nigel35]

I would first make sure your tank is ich free. If it's not, then qurantining it won't do much. It'll get infected from the ich in your tank soon enough. How I've successfully kept 11 tangs including a Powder Blue and Achilles was doing TTM (Tank Transfer Method). I also qurantine all inverts and corals for a minimum of 30 days. Except for urchins where you can just rinse and plop in according to Humblefish's Qurantine Chart.

Good point. I haven't had any diseases including ich for more than 3 years now. No new added fish and almost all with the exception of 1 fish was treated and properly quarantined. Although it is troublesome to think that the existing fish have built a tolerance to it and when the new fish would be added it could succumb to disease... Would it be necessary to again quarantine all the fish that have been living disease free for many many years??

 

[paul barker]

be careful with a powder blue and yes I think UV is good if it's done right I pick one up put in QT tank for two weeks did the copper thing all was looking great eat good so I move him in the 180 and a mouth later went out of two for a couple days when I came home he was died all the fish in the tank were sick got them all out put the in QT tank out of 10 fish only one made it a sad day that was