Tang Time

[njmaddreefer]

I'm currently growing out a 45 gallon SPS dominant reef.

My fish load consists of:

(a) 3 Clown Fish
(b) 1 Six Line Wrasse

I would like to add some tangs to clean up some minor hair algae on the rocks. I plan on upgrading to a 200 Gallon eventually so not concerned about size requirements since I want to get the yellow tangs on the smaller side. Are there any other tangs folks recommend to clean up the algae and what are the best ways to handle tang-on-tang aggression...

Getting the three clowns to get along was difficult, but I've heard tangs are worse...

 

[DanP-SD]

Bristletooth tangs are really good janitors and will spend all day eating off the rocks and tank walls. That said, no tang will keep a tank clean if the nutrients load and lighting drive algae growth. There are alga they won’t eat. When they do, they tend to eat spots and leave others.

The best way to keep algae under control is nutrient reduction/export (turf scrubbers or a chaeto refugium work well for that) and a combination of clean up crew and algae eating fish.

In terms of managing tang aggression, it may not be what you want to hear but the best advice is wait until you get your 200 gallon. A 45 is small for even one tang. A 200 is no guarantee on tang aggression. Younger tangs are less aggressive than adults so getting a few juvenile yellows in your 45 and moving them to a 200 before they get too aggressive will likely work out. Mixing in another species of tang likely will not. My tank is 72 x 28 x 30 with a lot of caves for hiding. I have two tangs - a Kole and a Desjardini and they still lightly spar a bit toward each other - and I witnessed the Kole murder my prize Regal Angel out of the blue a month or so ago. Koles are reputed to be one of the least aggressive tangs.

If you do decide to mix species of tangs, I would avoid mixing another zebrasoma species in and would, instead consider a gentler tang from another genus. Avoid Acanturus altogether. You might get lucky but most of them have earned a bad rep for good reason. A hippo blue (Paracanthurus Hepatus) would be a good bet with Yellows.

 

[OrionN]

I would upgrade first then get the tang. Life often get in the way of our tank planning

 

[bluemon]

If I had a penny for every time I hear the words “I will move it to a bigger tank with an upgrade in the future” without an actual upgrade, I could buy an abyzz pump

Also, you will end up with a dead clown sooner or later, I guarantee you.

With tangs, it’s not just about their size.

If you’ve owned a bigger one, you realize just how much power they have in actively swimming, and a small tank is not it

 

[OrionN]

Don’t get me wrong. I often put small tangs in mall tanks, but I got this conditions call MTS (multi tanks syndrome). I have multiple possible place to put my fish include a DT of 72x26x30.