question about tangs......

[t-byrd]

im in the process of putting together 120, but its only 4 feet long.
arent tank dimensions more important than tank volume for tangs,
which require alot of swimming room? i dont think im going to put one in here, he wont have any more swimming room than my 4 foot 55g reef.
id like to have something to backup my decision to show the wife,
who REALLY wants a tang in there. im thinking i should set this up as
fish only, and get a 6 foot oceanic for the reef, to provide more swimming room.

 

[Tony Quinn]

I agree with your comment about swimming room but a Yellow Tang would be fine in such a tank as they don't get too big and tend to graze on algae most of the time. Avoid your Sohal's, Lipstick and Regal Tangs which grow large and enjoy long tanks.

 

[t-byrd]

well i was looking at the powder blue, thats my favorite tang.
do they need alot of swimming room, or would they be fine in the 4 ft 120?

 

[Tony Quinn]

I wouldn't recommend a Powder Blue, they like open spaces and when I've been diving I've seen them shoal in their hundreds. They are prone to disease and very hard to keep alive let alone healthy.

 

[t-byrd]

how about a naso tang?
would one of these be ok?
would the tank be able to support 2 of these, i hear they
are peaceful for a tang?

 

[t-byrd]

come on tang police, im asking for your help and input.
i guess i should repost and ask if i can put 2 naso's in a 29......

 

[monkeyboy]

I wouldn't recommend a Powder Blue, they like open spaces and when I've been diving I've seen them shoal in their hundreds.

Well, wouldn't that be true for most of the tangs then?

IMO, you should be fine w/ most of the zebrasoma, maybe w/ the exception of z. veliferum and z. desjardeni. Other choises would include the carribean blue tang (get one as a juvy and watch it cange!), or a hippo. I'd stay away from nazo's, they get pretty big. At some point even these guys outgrow the tank, so they're not quite permanent residents. HTH

 

[damicodric]

t bird,

to each his own, but i have a sailfin, lepizi, chocolate, purple and hippo in my full reef, oceanic 120. yes, it is 48" long. have never had an issue.

i believe that "swimming room" is secondary to overpopulation. provide pristine water conditions and provide as "natural" a tank as you can and go buy your tangs.

if you are looking into one of the acanthurus species (sohal, powder blue, etc.) try to do one only.

health issues aside, a 120, 48" long tank should not be an issue for a single powder blue, naso or lepizi.

good luck to you.

 

[Anonymous]

How much rock are you gonna have in that tank? If it is full of rock, then no swimming room. But if it's not overloaded with rock piled up against the back and side, then you have more swimming space. So aquascaping plays an important role in your ability to keep tangs happy!

HTH

Louey

 

[Tony Quinn]

No Monkeyboy, most Tangs don't shoal. Having dived for 12 years around the World, I have generally only observed Powder Blue's and Brown's shoaling. The larger Tangs tend to swim either solitary or in small groups.

 

[monkeyboy]

Oh, I was referring to the open spaces comment. Sorry. I'd also like to second what was said about powder blue tangs being disease prone.

 

[Expos Forever]

Here are some pretty good articles about tangs:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangs,.htm

 

[t-byrd]

thanks for all the advice and information,
since im still getting all my equipment together, its going to be
quite a while before i add fish. but i want to plan ahead so i dont
repeat any mistakes i made on my first reef.
i plan on having approx 150 lbs of live rock, so that was a concern about the swimming space. i guess ill see how much room i have
after i get it all put together, and then go from there.
i used to do some diving myself in HI, thats why i like the tangs so much.
i do remember seeing yellow tangs in schools so thick, you couldnt see through them.

 

[anthem]

Short term, most of those are possible. In the long term, I suggest you stay away from any Naso's (lopezi, unicorn, vlamingi, lituratus, brevirostris, etc). The Naso's are constant swimmers and get large fairly quickly. Most of these are fully capable of growing to 15-25" in captivity. Not sure you want a 2ft fish in a 4ft tank. . ..

 

[t-byrd]

yea, i didnt realize the naso's got so big.
they wont be going in the tank.
i'll probably just get a couple yellows,
2 i think would be ok in there.

i dont know, im thinking i might get a 6 foot for the reef anyways.
put some carnivores in the 120.

 

[Reef Guy11]

Hello,

If I can make a comment, Don't put two Yellow Tangs together. They Will Fight, If you got them in a School of 6 or more then your fine. Two Will diffenitly Fight.

 

[t-byrd]

well thanks for the comment darrel
i think i will hold off on the 120, go with a bigger tank
and put 6 in there. since ive seen them school in the wild, i didnt think
it would be a problem. but i do remember hearing this, and about other schoolers that they need more than a couple or they will fight.
there's so much to consider when setting up a large tank,
it will probably be a year by the time i get anything in it.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

t-byrd
How many tangs do you want in your tank?
IMO, the most you wanted in a 120 is 2 tangs. As some people noted above already, avoid tangs in the Genus Naso. They get big very quickly.
I would also avoid tangs with very bright marking at the spike like Achilles tang as they are very aggressive. Powder blue tangs are difficult. I think most people who have success with PBT have larger tangs with fast moving water. Other tangs to be avoid in your tank are Clown Tang and Sohal tangs(large and aggressive)
Zebrasoma tangs are OK except the Sailfin tangs(get too large). Kole tang, Chevron tang, Whitecheek tang (A. japonicus), Atlantic Blue tang are all OK.
IMO, you should get a two of the following 5 tangs. Yellow, Purple, Kole, A. japonicus, Atlantic Blue tang.
Good luck with your tank.
Minh Nguyen

 

[R33f_$hark]

I would recommend either a yellow tang or a blue tang. Both don't grow to be TOO big and should have adequate swimming room in a 120 as long as you don't pack with LR. Good luck man.