Tang Time! (to Hammertime Beat)

so while picking up a yellow tang from the local petco where they actually have clean healthy tanks, mainly for the reason that a freind of mine who has a 75 gal reef works there and i frequently go to petco to talk Reef (a new language that many do not understand), i was asked if i would be interested in adopting a powder brown tang that my freind who worked there had saved from an ich infested tank. The fish is now all well and was treated with copper for like 4 weeks, just to be safe, and is now living in his quarantine. i am hoping that he wont fight with my yellow tang, and if so....tank divider!, and i will be giving him to a freind of mine who is setting up a 90 gal in about 2 months, when its cycled of course! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

Yellow tangs are very territorial and very aggressive when it comes to other tangs being introduced into "their" space.

You will most probably need the divider.

Good luck.

 

You've got something going for you at least with the addition of the new tang. They are different colors and body shape. This should help a little bit with the aggression. There are several other things you can do to try and cut it down.

First you can rearrange some rockwork and break up the line of sight terretories the yellow tang already has established. It will make it more like both were added at the same time. Keep the lights off when adding the new fish and keep them off the rest of the day. Feed the tank while you add the new fish to try and keep the yellow occupied. Make sure you have lots of escapes for the new fish to get into and get a break from any possible beatings.

I have added new tangs to setups with existing tangs and while there was always lots of posturing there was usually very little actual physical contact. But the posturing may be all that's needed to force the new tang into a sickness that ends up killing it.

Also don't forget that powder browns are delicate and already don't have a great survival rate in captivity. Be ready. Good luck.

 

I would be more worried about the Powder Brown Is it a the Acanthurus nigricans or japonicus? The Japonicus is my favorate fish of all time. But can become very aggresive.

J

 

My freind has no idea which one, because he just wanted to save the fella. I also foud out that my other freind, i have too many , might not do a saltwater tank because of the price of the halides for a 90 gal, but ill try to convince her to do a 75. if not he's welcome in my tank as long as he's nice!

 

P.s i was worried that it is a hard maintain fish but my freind says if it starts to degrade he'll take him back, if it helps.