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How many Tangs?


onux20

Tangs   

20 members have voted

  1. 1. Can three Tangs coexist peacefully in a 120?

    • Yes. As long as they are added at the same time.
      13
    • Not no way. Not no how!
      0
    • No more than two.
      1
    • Only one for a tank that size.
      1
    • I have more than three in mine and they are doing great!!!
      5


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Purple and Scopas are both zebramosa, so I would add them at the same time. You shouldn't have any trouble adding the kole seperately. If you ask me, even though you didn't, I think it's always better to add them at the same time.......that way they can all figure out their territory at the same time instead of getting one established and having it beat up the new guy.

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Purple and Scopas are both zebramosa, so I would add them at the same time. You shouldn't have any trouble adding the kole seperately. If you ask me, even though you didn't, I think it's always better to add them at the same time.......that way they can all figure out their territory at the same time instead of getting one established and having it beat up the new guy.

But I did ask. And thanks. :biggrin:

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I've got a 6' 150g, I have all of 4 fish in it all of which are algae grazers to try and resolve the hair algae issue.

 

1 - 5" Yellow tang

1 - 3" Desjardini Sailfin tang

1 - 2-3" Atlantic Blue tang

1 - 4" Starry blenny

 

Yellow tang was first, followed by the blenny, then the sailfin and finally the ABT. I watched them all like hawks as new fish were added (always on a weekend where I would be home). They all get along, they all swim and play together with no "abnormal" behavior. They occasionally chase each other then lose interest in the chase and go about whatever it they are now thinking about.

 

It's actually been great to see them all swimming in close range of each other and just grazing away on the rock. They don't really ever seem to be far apart and even the blenny hangs out with the tangs.

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I have three tangs, Zebrasoma desjardini, Zebrasoma xanthurum, and a Paracanthurus hepatus that are each around 5" in my 120. There is lots of swimming and hiding spaces. They get along just fine now but when I first introduced the sailfin and purple tang there was some tension but it didn't last long and it only happened at night when everyone was finding thier sleeping spots.

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in my 180, i have a hippo, purple, achilles, blonde naso, and added them in that order.

the achilles attacked the hippo for about 3 months, and now each is a model citzen. occassionally the purple and achilles will now get at each other, but strangley enough, the hippo now bothers the achilles.

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Shouldn't be a problem, I have a desjardini, purple and blue hippo in my 120. The desjardini went in first and attacked the purple for a while, but there were plenty of hiding places so the purple could get away. Now, there is little to no aggression. I don't think you'll have a problem, I would recommend introducing all at the same time, or if you stagger, Kole, Scopas, Purple. But ideally do the scopas and purple at the same time. Purple is the most aggressive of the 3 (Red Sea fish are usually very aggressive) and should go in last.

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I agree with Brian. From my experience, the purple is normally the more aggressive one.

 

What I have found in my experience with tangs, there is A LOT of individual personality involved. All fish act differently in different enviornments as well, male/female, reef formation, and even have these fish ever even seen another fish like it if they come from different parts of the world? When I tell you what is in my 210, and ALL added at different times, you will not believe.

All over 4-5"

Sailfin

Purple

BLACK -- the last one added

Naso

Powder Blue

 

Every once and I while when I come home the black tang shows a few signs of a butt whipping, but that is simply due to murphy's law.....

 

John

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Like Johnny, mine have been added at different times as well. I've got a 300 gallon tank and I have, in approximate order of being added:

 

- Acanthurus dussumieri x 2 (Dussimier's Tang) - ~8-10"

- Paracanthurus hepatus x 1 (Pacific or Regal Blue) - ~4-5"

- Naso unicornis x 1 (Unicorn Tang) - ~8-10"

- Zebrasoma flavescens x 2 (Yellow Tang) - ~3-4"

- Zebrasoma xanthurum x 1 (Purple Tang) - ~3-4"

- Acanthurus leucosternon x 1 (Powder Blue Tang) - ~3-4"

 

I used to have a couple more yellows, but they were lost in the Great Flood (aka toilet incident) and also initially had experimented with a group of 5 Pacific Blues but they were kept in QT too long and started leaping out to their doom. My plan is to also add a Naso (Naso litaratus), some more Yellows, and possibly a couple more Powder Blues (I originally had 2 but when I had them in isolation one died). I am also considering at some point in the future adding either an Acanthurus lineatus (Clown Tang) or an Acanthurus sohal (Sohal Tang) or possibly an Acanthurus achilles (Achilles Tang).

 

Obviously, this is quite an array of tangs, but I think that based on the personalities of these fish, this would work out in my tank. By far the most aggressive fish in my tank right now are the Pacific Blue and the Powder Blue tangs. The others are not that bad as far as aggression and I find that the Purple Tang (a rescue fish that was donated to school but simply could not recover in one of the tanks there so I ended up tossing it into my display to see if it will ever recover enough to go into school) is a wimp and the three large tangs are also wimps.

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Just to add a note regarding a smaller tank, I have a 90 and added the following at different times:

 

1st Blue Eye Kole (Ctenochaetus truncatus)

2nd Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus hepatus)

3rd Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

 

All have lived peacefully together for about a year and a half now.

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