Clown Tang Experiences

[reefs4life]

Hello guys, I have becoming addicted pretty much to keeping mainly tangs in my tank and I have been really wanting a clown tang because there aren't many tangs with all those colors IMO. I have heard that they are pretty aggressive though and I do have tangs already so my question is are they really as aggressive as they are said to be? And would it be a bad idea to even consider one in a tank with tangs already in it? Please share your experiences with me. Thank you in advance, Fortunato

 

[marrone]

They are pretty aggressive, even small ones can be a problem. As for mixing them, it really depends on the size of the tank and what type of Tangs you currently have. Any of the Tangs in the Acanthurus Family maybe a problem. I would say that they're much more aggressive than a Sohal Tang, especially smaller ones.

A more important problem is a lot of them don't eat, and some do spend a lot of time attacking other Tangs then eating.

 

[reefs4life]

They are pretty aggressive, even small ones can be a problem. As for mixing them, it really depends on the size of the tank and what type of Tangs you currently have. Any of the Tangs in the Acanthurus Family maybe a problem. I would say that they're much more aggressive than a Sohal Tang, especially smaller ones.

A more important problem is a lot of them don't eat, and some do spend a lot of time attacking other Tangs then eating.

Alright thanks for that information, I suppose it is not suitable for my tank then

But here's a list of all my tangs:

Blonde Naso Tang - Naso elegans

Yellow Tang - Zebrasoma flavescens

Hippo Tang - Paracanthurus hepatus

Purple Tang - Zebrasoma xanthurum

Red Sea Sailfin Tang - Zebrasoma desjardini

Scopas Tang - Zebrasoma scopas

Kole Tang - Ctenochaetus strigosus

Mimic Tang - Acanthurus pyroferus

Atlantic Blue Tang - Acanthurus coeruleus

 

[marrone]

You have quite a bit of Tangs, though in a 360gal it shouldn't be a problem. For the most part that Tangs you have aren't that aggressive


A couple of Tangs you could add:

Orange Shoulder
Let. Tang
Dussimeri
Convict Tang, though the Yellow, Kole or Purple Tang may have a problem with it.

 

[marrone]

You have quite a bit of Tangs, though in a 360gal it shouldn't be a problem. For the most part that Tangs you have aren't that aggressive


A couple of Tangs you could add:

Orange Shoulder
Let. Tang
Dussimeri
Convict Tang, though the Yellow, Kole or Purple Tang may have a problem with it.

You may want to also add a Rabbit/Foxface, as they do well with Tangs, and eat similar foods too.

 

[thirty6]

the sohal is a really nice looking tang too, similar body style and equally aggressive. thats a nice list of tangs you have. Are you going to try adding the clown?

 

[reefs4life]

You have quite a bit of Tangs, though in a 360gal it shouldn't be a problem. For the most part that Tangs you have aren't that aggressive


A couple of Tangs you could add:

Orange Shoulder
Let. Tang
Dussimeri
Convict Tang, though the Yellow, Kole or Purple Tang may have a problem with it.

Yeah like I said, I've become a bit of a tang addict lol just isn't a good species of fish to be in because my tank isn't enormous and they all get pretty big so unfortunately there's a limit to how many I can keep

You may want to also add a Rabbit/Foxface, as they do well with Tangs, and eat similar foods too.

And funny you say that because I actually have a Double-Bar Rabbitfish - Siganus virgatus, always had one in my tank since I've been in the hobby, they're one of my favorite fish and very voracious eaters and great for hair algae

 

[marrone]

Yes, some do get very very large, which I can attest too in my tank right now, and with size can come problems, which I can also attest too.

 

[Reef Fixations]

Aside from aggression many people have isssues just keeping them alive. They seem to do well for a while eating everything and then they're just gone all of the sudden. The Sohal is a much easier alternative in terms of keeping it alive with relative ease. The fact that they aren't "as" aggressive is a plus over the clown tang IMO.

Best of luck!

 

[qy7400]

All those tangs are in the 210? 6 foot version? I'll guess they are all very small as they will outgrow that tank quick.

 

[reefs4life]

All those tangs are in the 210? 6 foot version? I'll guess they are all very small as they will outgrow that tank quick.

Yes in a 6 foot 210, and yes they are all small 2" or under

 

[reefs4life]

And honestly I'm looking for 5' cube, something like 60"X60"X27" would be awesome but I doubt I'll find that anywhere other than getting it custom made

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

I have a few Acanthurus together. Bariene, Fowler, and Clown. I added the clown and Bariene together at the same time. The clown is definitely more agressive. I made sure he was a little smaller than the Bariene. The Fowler which i added later on was a bit bigger than the other two and after Qt I had him in an eggcrate box 2' x 2' inside the display tank for two weeks. At first there was a lot of hostility but after a little over a week they were not paying as much attention. I released him soon after and yes there was a little hostility but I have quite a few other dither(distractions) in adition to a relatively large tank. They all live in harmony now; however the clown tang is the boss of the whole tank. Make sure they are all extremely well fed as well. THis always seems to help as well. This is a stunning fish. One of my favorites along with Fowler, Sohol and Atlantic..:wink1:. Unfortunately the prettiest ones tend to be the most nasty.

 

[Jim]

I'm also a huge fan of Tangs. Right now I have 2 yellow, 2 purple, 1 black 1 Achilles, 1 Sailfin, 1 blonde naso and a yellow eye kole. I tried the clown awhile ago with little luck. He was eating fine for months and died for no apparent reason. I don't remember it being that aggressive though. Right now my favorite is the Achilles and my most aggressive is the yellow eye.

 

[tangy84]

I added a clown tang to a tank with purple, yellow, naso, 2 hippos with no aggression problems at all except that my fat damsel was chasing the clown tang around. He was eating of the powerhead the same night he went into the tank, and all of a sudden disappeared (after a week). If you add him, just feed your tank in one side and drop him in the other side.