Tangs for 200

[John R. Allen]

Hello to all.I'm new to this board. I just got a Chevron tang to add to my 40 gallon. I have a marroon clown,cuban hogfish and flame angel. It is a semi reef; some mushrooms,polops and star polops. I have a protein skimmer and uv filter.As weel as wet/dry filtration.My chevron was in quarantine for two weeks. During the entire time he had a small irregular blemish on one pectoral fin. It got no bigger,no smaller, for two weeks.I finally put him in my main tank,thinking he'd be etter off there. Now I'm worried. What could that "blemish" be? HE's eating spirulina algae and mysis shrimp(with garlic),and he's grazing on the live rock. IS he ok? Any one who has experience with chevrons please comment. Thanks so much.

 

[DVTang]

Karm: yes, the powder brown does have white cheeks with a yellow and orange top fin. Some people get it confused with the Gold Rim Tang which is powder brown and yellow and do not do well in tanks. The powder brown is a wonderful fish that is one of the more active tangs. My powder brown takes any type of food from my hand. The powder brown is more aggressive than an Achilles which I also have in my 240 along with a Chevron, Purple, and Indian Ocean Sailfin. When selecting an Achilles, go with a reputable dealer. It will make all the difference in the world since they are a delicate fish. I bought my Achilles from a dealer in Hawaii which is where they are from. So I have to agree with all your selections except for the Clown tang. I strongly urge you to keep away from this tang. Not only do they have poor rates of survival, but they are extremely aggressive. Maybe go with a Purple or Yellow tang... Use lots of aeration, try the garlic, and some macroalgae wouldn't hurt either...

DV

 

[samurai9]

hi,

if you need top-quality fish, i suggest the Marine Center. www.themarinecenter.com
HTH

 

[MandarinFish]

I got a Powder Blue from a guy and, although I kept it in the water I got from him, it died within 24 hours.

I think the temp got into the mid-60's though (long story).

The grouper I got with the Tang was totally fine.

I'm still bummed about Ween (the Powder Blue) dying

I won't get another.

 

[Karm40]

It seems like the Achilles and the White Cheek are very similar. Would they be constantly battling? Maybe a Chevron, Achilles and an Atlantic Blue tang would be a good combination?
Mark

 

[DVTang]

Karm, those two fish are both acanthurus species and they will both know where the other is at all times... they will battle here and there, but nothing to worry about in a 200G tank. One will be somewhat dominant so the other will just swim away.. For some reason, I have not had great success with Atlantic Blues.. I think it might be that they need a cooler temp... A beautiful fish especially in its juvenile stage... Good luck on your stocking... don't forget the Nori cause they love it...


DV

 

[AuroraDave]

I would select Sailfin, Purple, Yellow and Hippo and stay away from Powder Blue & Clown.
Black Tangs are beautiful, but they are also difficult Long-term.

 

[naesco]

Karm as was stated earlier the 'powder brown' has white cheeks but also an orange fin. Do not mistake it for the gold rim which does not have the orange and is impossible to keep.
Choose the powder brown over the achilles which is also difficult to keep and will spar with the powder brown. The clown is certain to die in your tank.
Powder brown, atlantic, chevron, yellow would be the easiest and most pleasing combination IMO.
You know the drill with tangs. Feed them the garlic treatment. Choose only species that are active (not hiding or docile), agressively feeding, no spots or tears, full plump body, clear eyes. Otherwise pass on the fish there will be others later. Do not believe anything the LFS tells you.
FYI I keep yellow, powder brown, atlantic blue, kole and vlamingi (too large for your tank.

 

[Karm40]

OK, I think I have this figured out. I'm going to go with Desjardinii, Purple, Chevron and Powder Blue. Yeah, I've heard that the Powder Blues can be difficult, but I have 2 friends that have nice plump ones.
Mark

 

[SPC]

Posted by Karm40:
Yeah, I've heard that the Powder Blues can be difficult, but I have 2 friends that have nice plump ones.


Yeah, I think you heard it here too from 5 or 6 people how difficult these fish are.

Steve

 

[danmhippo]

Ask your 2 friends how long have they had the fish.

 

[Karm40]

Don't be mad. One has had his for 1 1/2 years and the other has only been 3 months. I get your point! I'll ask them what their secret is and see if it makes sense to you guys.
Thanks,
Mark

 

[Karm40]

Don't be mad. One has had his for 1 1/2 years and the other has only been 3 months. I get your point! I'll ask them what their secret is and see if it makes sense to you guys.
Thanks,
Mark

 

[Anemone]

Just to reiterate what others have said - stay away from the powder blue!

I have had a number of tangs in the past 8 years. I currently have two tanks that are large enough for tangs (IMO

), in which I have a purple tang (4 years) and a sohal (18 months). The sohal was the direct cause of the death of my Regal (hippo) tang (5 years).

I have tried powder blues three times (some people need a little longer to learn

). In each case, the fish was 3-4" in size, ate well at the LFS, and appeared in perfect condition. Each died within two months

. No excuses. I provided good conditions, appropriate food, and amenable tankmates, yet I couldn't keep them alive.

If you come to a BB looking for experience and advice, disregard what you learn at your own peril.

Kevin

 

[D-Nak]

I had a Sohal, a Yellow, and a Purple tang in a 125 gallon tank -- and all got along quite well. There was some fighting during the first few days, but after that they got along quite well. They were all about the same size and all added at different times (I don't really which ordered I added them). I think if there's enough live rock to dart into and they don't constantly "see" each other you should be okay.

I highly suggest going out and spending the extra money on the Red Sea fish (sohal and purple). They are great fish and quite hardy and definitely worth the money. Besides, I've seen purple tangs at the LFS for less than $35.00 -- which is really cheap considering they used to go for over $100.00.

See ya,

D-Nak