Tang Aggression - Understanding and Combating

[New Jersey REEF]

How big is your tank?

130x59x31 inches is the tank size

 

[Brian1f1]

130x59x31 inches is the tank size

That’s a 1,000 gallons. You’re playing with fire, and some of the most expensive fire you can play with, so I suppose, yolo, if your rich enough to take the sorts of gambles your proposing I suppose your rich enough to handle it if it blows up. I’d say if you want 30 tangs in there, or whatever, add all the rest at once but rearrange the rock work first, and make sure you’ve got a G if water ready to go and your diver ready to jump into action if you need to bail anything out. Really it sounds pretty fun, not local to Pittsburgh are you? I’d help you start this party.

 

[Bruce17]

130x59x31 inches is the tank size

Wow!! That’s a nice big size.

 

[OrionN]

It's a240gal 8ft×
2ft × 2ft. They are all small except fox face now and Tank looks pretty bare actually. I do realize when all are full grown it will be full. I will move any if needed but feel they will work. I am home most of the time and tank is always in site so if something doesn't work I will adjust.. How many do you think are a
Appropriate for this size?

I am not sure. The dimension of the tank is difficult. Deep and height is small but it does have the length. I had 8 foot tank before but it was a 420 gal tank

Your fishes will be large and they will reach large size in record time.

 

[4FordFamily]

With the

With an acanthus are they mostly just suppose to be the last tang or last fish of all?

Last tang us best practice but some aren’t too aggressive such as convict and orange shoulder

 

[4FordFamily]

I have a dilemma, I’ve got a 3” gem tang I need to add to the main tank.
I currently have 11 yellow ones 1 powder blue, purple, 2 Tomini tangs, sailfin tang, convict, scopes and 2 blue hippo tangs

I also want to add naso, achielies, unicorn tang and 2 copperband butterfly fishes.

I wonder if it’s best I get them all together and put all at once in the main system?
Most dominant fish is powder blue right now, about 6”.
Thinking about getting much bigger achilies and hope for the best.
Any one has experience with adding So many tangs together ?

The more the merrier if you have the real estate. A powder blue tank boss is worst case scenario generally, however. I’d remove him first and let a naso or something larger but less aggressive take hold and take over first.

 

[mcbdz]

Last tang us best practice but some aren’t too aggressive such as convict and orange shoulder

Scarcely I think we are leaning towards a powder brown. Would we beable to add and angel, butterfly or trigger at a later date if we add a powder brown?

 

[4FordFamily]

Scarcely I think we are leaning towards a powder brown. Would we beable to add and angel, butterfly or trigger at a later date if we add a powder brown?

Hard to be sure as they are aggressive but I’ve rarely had even the nastiest go after anything other than tangs. Anything is possible. The smaller they are the less likely for them to terrorize non-tangs, IME.

 

[vangvace]

Hi everyone,

Also looking for advise for my Max S 650; 5 feet long, 25" wide and tall.
I have a ~3.5" Yellow Eye Kole, Foxface, and some wrasse and clowns in the tank. I recently tried a Blue Jaw Trigger, but the Kole bullied him to death The Kole was in the tank from the beginning and left the Foxface alone.

Sunday, I am picking up a pellet eating Regal Angel from the lfs that is coming from a 800g breakdown. The store also has a 5" Gem that has been on display for a few months now along with some younger Dejardin and Achilles.

My questions:

1. Should I worry about the Regal Angel getting bullied as well? It'll be bigger than the Kole, but I am scared for one of my unicorn fish.
2. Should I add more than just the Regal to help defuse some of the aggression?
   Ideally, the Achilles and Gem would be amazing for everything but my wallet.
3. What size acclimation box are people using? Should I just put an eggcrate divider into the tank?
4. Anything that I am missing?

 

[4FordFamily]

Hi everyone,

Also looking for advise for my Max S 650; 5 feet long, 25" wide and tall.
I have a ~3.5" Yellow Eye Kole, Foxface, and some wrasse and clowns in the tank. I recently tried a Blue Jaw Trigger, but the Kole bullied him to death The Kole was in the tank from the beginning and left the Foxface alone.

Sunday, I am picking up a pellet eating Regal Angel from the lfs that is coming from a 800g breakdown. The store also has a 5" Gem that has been on display for a few months now along with some younger Dejardin and Achilles.

My questions:

1. Should I worry about the Regal Angel getting bullied as well? It'll be bigger than the Kole, but I am scared for one of my unicorn fish.
2. Should I add more than just the Regal to help defuse some of the aggression?
   Ideally, the Achilles and Gem would be amazing for everything but my wallet.
3. What size acclimation box are people using? Should I just put an eggcrate divider into the tank?
4. Anything that I am missing?

1) Yes, if your kole bullies a trigger it will very likely bully a regal. Regal cannot handle bullying well and will likely stop eating and stress.

You have a unicorn tang in there?

2) I advise against an Achilles in a 5 foot tank, gem perhaps

3) the biggest I can find, I haven’t measured (sorry I’m not more help on there mine is probably a bit smaller than a standard 8x11 piece of paper

 

[vangvace]

1) Yes, if your kole bullies a trigger it will very likely bully a regal. Regal cannot handle bullying well and will likely stop eating and stress.

You have a unicorn tang in there?

2) I advise against an Achilles in a 5 foot tank, gem perhaps

3) the biggest I can find, I haven’t measured (sorry I’m not more help on there mine is probably a bit smaller than a standard 8x11 piece of paper

1) Ok, I'll definitely acclimate box and prep to deal with the Kole.

No unicorn tang, the Regal is one of the "unicorn" fish though.

2) Sad, but fair. Esp as they grow. Acanthurus will likely be avoided until I win the lottery and upgrade. Should I avoid desjardini for size reasons and stick to other Zebrasoma? Adding additional Ctenochaetus is a huge risk as well correct?

 

[MnFish1]

I have a large purple tang (the boss) and 2 yellow tangs slightly smaller - I think the solution that works for me is 'lots of small hiding places'. When I saw these fish in the wild - they would often chase each other into areas where the one being chased could escape into. If you have a really open Aquascape - It might not work as well

 

[4FordFamily]

1) Ok, I'll definitely acclimate box and prep to deal with the Kole.

No unicorn tang, the Regal is one of the "unicorn" fish though.

2) Sad, but fair. Esp as they grow. Acanthurus will likely be avoided until I win the lottery and upgrade. Should I avoid desjardini for size reasons and stick to other Zebrasoma? Adding additional Ctenochaetus is a huge risk as well correct?

Unfortunately it may not work, a Kole can be a nasty fish especially if it’s got “only tang syndrome”. It may require removal of it, I’d almost advise that instead because if a Kole kills a trigger it’ll kill just about anything.

Sailfin need 6 feet or bigger, I’d say as full grown fish 8 foot is best. Zebrasoma are good, adding another bristletooth is certainly risky, yes. For acanthurus, you could do a convict tang. I think them suitable for a 5 foot tank, of the Kole doesn’t murder it!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

It's interesting that your Kole is so aggressive, is this a typical behavior? Kole tangs I had in the past have been fairly skittish and submissive...almost like a scopas.

In other news.. SUPER excited..I have a maculiceps and fowleri arriving on friday!!

 

[vangvace]

It's interesting that your Kole is so aggressive, is this a typical behavior? Kole tangs I had in the past have been fairly skittish and submissive...almost like a scopas.

In other news.. SUPER excited..I have a maculiceps and fowleri arriving on friday!!

Not that I have experienced yet. The Kole went in with the first round of fish to the tank. Since then I have added another Fairy Wrasse, a Foxface, and a few Chromis.

Feeding wise, I place nori on a clip 5 days a week and extra on weekends if I am going to be gone. Four nights a week I feed pellets or frozen.

 

[Garrett0606]

Hey guys. I just got a purple tang. Ive already have a sailfin a yellow a hippo and a vlamingi tang in the tank they were all perfect together until the purple i had kept the purple in a acclimation box for a couple days to see if there was any signs of aggression and didn’t see any so I released him expecting him to be picked on a bit by my yellow who was king of the tank. But the purple has been beating everyone up. What can i do to stop this or should i let it play out. Btw no one has slash marks or puncture wounds. But the sailfin does has son torn fins. The purple mainly just chases the others.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Garrett Hole

 

[Halal Hotdog]

130x59x31 inches is the tank size

Based on your tank size you can absolutely keep everything you described. What has worked for me in the past is getting larger tangs, QT, then add them in at the same time. I also divide up my tank with polycarbonate dividers, which allows the fish to see each other before they can touch each other. Two weeks of this leads to very little aggression from my experience. You want to fatten them up as much as you can in QT before throwing them in. 3 gem tangs will dilute the initial aggression.

 

[MnFish1]

Hey guys. I just got a purple tang. Ive already have a sailfin a yellow a hippo and a vlamingi tang in the tank they were all perfect together until the purple i had kept the purple in a acclimation box for a couple days to see if there was any signs of aggression and didn’t see any so I released him expecting him to be picked on a bit by my yellow who was king of the tank. But the purple has been beating everyone up. What can i do to stop this or should i let it play out. Btw no one has slash marks or puncture wounds. But the sailfin does has son torn fins. The purple mainly just chases the others.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Garrett Hole

I personally let it work it self out - and it did - in the mean time - feed well. Chasing shoudl not be a problem in a healthy tank thats well fed - fish chase one another all the time in the wild. This is just my personal experience (and the tang I got was given up to the fish store because 'it was chasing fish'. Its fine in my tank with 2 smaller yellow tangs, a dotty back a harlequin tusk. (funny thing is that the tusk is becoming more the boss)

 

[thewalkingdad]

I don't plan on mixing tangs, so maybe this thread isn't the right place for this question, but it does involve aggression from a tang.

I plan on keeping a pretty peaceful group of small fish (less than 4" in most cases) in a 160 gallon (60x24x29). I want to keep one tang in there for algae patrol (and because most tangs look great). I'm leaning towards a yellow because I also want something fairly hardy and inexpensive. Most fish would be omnivores/carnivores so I'm hoping there won't be too much competition for food. I also plan on the tang going in last (out of about 20 or so small fish). Fully grown, the yellow tang could be 2x the size of the next biggest fish, and that has me concerned a bit.

So my question is, absent from a tyrannical jerk of a yellow tang (if my luck is that bad to get a really mean one), should I be concerned? Is there another hardy, inexpensive, and reasonably peaceful tang I should be considering instead of the yellow?

 

[mfollen]

Tominis are peaceful, but they are different types of algae eaters.