purple tangs

[DDiver]

does anyone keep purple tangs with other tangs in their tanks?i would like to put one in my tank but i read that they are somewhat aggressive and territorial towards other tangs...specifically yellow tangs because they are the same shape...i have a yellow tang right now that is large and was considering getting a purple tang but wanted to see if anyone has any experience with keeping them with other tang species..thanks in advance..

[Kimchi Corals]

I have a purple, Naso, Powder Blue, Yellow, and Kole tangs in the tank right now. The purple is the smallest of all and gets picked on once in a while. In the beginning the purple tang almost died because of the powder blue and Yellow tangs. I ended up changing the aquascaping a little to upset the territories of the fish and allow the purple tang to find a safe area. It has taken months but now there is not much fighting between the fish.

[Sharkb8]

How big is the tank? I think Kimchi summed it up well. It all depends on the situation - size of tank, amount of cover, moving around rocks, how it is introduced, comparative sizes, personality of the particular fish, etc etc etc ...

Edited October 22, 2008 by Sharkb8

[jason the filter freak]

justin (ctenephore) keeps a number of different tangs together in his 550, including purple, pacific blue, naso, yellow, and orange shoulder i believe...

[flowerseller]

Have 3 yellow, 1 purple, and a Vlamingii Tang in my 220.

I added the 3 yellows ( about the same size) and the purple tang (slightly larger) at the same time.

Even then, there was a little hostility between the four but nothing from the Vlamingii.

I find that tangs of a different body shape do not bother each other nearly as much.

[DDiver]

well the yellow tang is about 4.5 inches and the purple i wanna get is small..no bigger than 2 inches..the tank is 120g and i dont plan on adding anymore tangs if i do decide to get the purple..

also in the tank is 3 lyretails and 5 chromis..

Edited October 22, 2008 by DDiver

[flowerseller]

I think the yellow will mark it up.

[lanman]

I purchased a purple and yellow that got along great together in a small tank. I put them in my 240. The yellow kicked the purple's butt almost to death. Now the purple 'lives' in an area of the reef - and as long as he stays there, the yellow doesn't bother him. However - the purple has been growing a little bit - and could probably kick the yellow's butt now if he really wanted. The yellow is a coward - and when the lights go out at night - the purple rules the tank. So basically - you won't know until you try it. Also - my pacific blue tang (dorie) was the size of a chromis back then. She is now about the same size as the purple and yellow. Never been any trouble between her and the other two.

 

My purple is fearless other than with the yellow tang... and a major chow hound. I have to beat him away with the turkey baster when I try to feed any of my corals - and he just considers it a minor annoyance.

 

bob

[DDiver]

I purchased a purple and yellow that got along great together in a small tank. I put them in my 240. The yellow kicked the purple's butt almost to death. Now the purple 'lives' in an area of the reef - and as long as he stays there, the yellow doesn't bother him. However - the purple has been growing a little bit - and could probably kick the yellow's butt now if he really wanted. The yellow is a coward - and when the lights go out at night - the purple rules the tank. So basically - you won't know until you try it. Also - my pacific blue tang (dorie) was the size of a chromis back then. She is now about the same size as the purple and yellow. Never been any trouble between her and the other two.

 

My purple is fearless other than with the yellow tang... and a major chow hound. I have to beat him away with the turkey baster when I try to feed any of my corals - and he just considers it a minor annoyance.

 

bob

you're right i guess i wont know until i try it..thanks guys..

[lancer99]

In my 75G's former life I had a purple and yellow tang together and they completely ignored each other, but from what I've read, I just got extremely lucky.

 

-R

[reefhunter]

I have a purple, yellow, sailfin, naso, hippo and a clown tang in a 220. The only aggression is the clown tang chases the hippo.

 

On another note, when I added the Yellow tang the Purple tang whooped his butt for 3 days and then left him alone.

Edited October 22, 2008 by reefhunter

[Brian Ward]

I think the yellow will mark it up.

 

I agree. The yellow is a lot bigger than the purple you're looking to introduce. Make sure there are PLENTY of hiding places if you decide to try it. And be prepared to rearrange the rockwork to break up the territories and possibly remove the yellow for 4-6 wks to allow the purple to establish.

[reefhunter]

I agree. Get a big purple tang rather than a small.... or sell the yellow and get a small yellow and a small purple and put them in together.

[CHUBAKAH]

I have a yellow and a purple, and they fight like cats and dogs at times. They will go for weeks at a time letting each other heal completely, then the next thing you know they look like they were both in a war. Mine are basically both the same size.

[chucelli]

get a 6 x 6 mirror and tape it to the outside glass. The dominant most aggressive one will attack it's own image for a couple days. The newcomer will seem irrelevant compared to perceived threat in the mirror. Remove the mirror after a few days and by that time everyone will be more used to each other. That is the method I used when I introduced a smaller yellow tang into a tank ruled by a Scopas. Everyone gets along now. Once in a while they will still bicker, but for the most part, they swim/eat together.

[geofloors]

I have a purple, desjardenii, blone naso, hippo and a convict all together with no fighting

 

 

George