Question for the tang police (1 Viewer)

[foos]

Once I get a larger tank, I’d like to have an Acanthurus tang, ideally a lavender. It’s difficult to find a consensus on what size tank is best (minimum size...) and since I will be getting a shallower tank (18-21” tall) I can’t really rely on using gallons as a good indicator. Would a 60” x 24” footprint allow enough swimming room? Do I need to have 6 feet or larger?

It will be a while before I’m ready to purchase, so any feedback is appreciated.

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I had an Achilles, powder blue, and sailfin tang in a 210 for several years. No experience with the Lavender, but 5' should be enough so long as you have good sustained flow and feed nori. If you watch them swim, they do not swim up and down, it is more side to side. The longer of a run you can give them and the more flow in that run to go against the better. The depth does not matter as much.

I had a wave power head on each side pointing directly across the top and they would alternate at 100%. I figured out the timing so that they would flip as soon as the one running got a full gyre going. The tangs seemed to like it and would alternate with the power heads when they wanted to get some swimming in.

This is the tank after they had been in there about 2 years.


Also, foxfaces like to spit.... I never had clean glass for more than a few hours.

One other thing to keep in mind, in my video you will see they like to go at eachother a bit. You need enough space for the dashes to get away, and to have rocks they can go around. If you do a shallow tank with a wall of rock on the back and no caves or ways for them to go behind and get out of sight you may have more issues with fights.

I also learned that if you have multiple tangs, when you feed nori feed in two locations and if possible make it so the fish cannot see both locations at the same time. Makes it so that one tang can't decide it is the only one to get nori.

 

[foos]

Also, regardless of the size of tank, be ready to re-home any tang. I had one tomini I had to pull out because it decided everything else needed to die. When a tang does that you have very little time to capture. I managed to get it into the sump that night and re-homed right away so the rest of the fish were fine after a good heavy feeding.

 

[steveb]

I had an Achilles, powder blue, and sailfin tang in a 210 for several years. No experience with the Lavender, but 5' should be enough so long as you have good sustained flow and feed nori. If you watch them swim, they do not swim up and down, it is more side to side. The longer of a run you can give them and the more flow in that run to go against the better. The depth does not matter as much.

I had a wave power head on each side pointing directly across the top and they would alternate at 100%. I figured out the timing so that they would flip as soon as the one running got a full gyre going. The tangs seemed to like it and would alternate with the power heads when they wanted to get some swimming in.

This is the tank after they had been in there about 2 years.


Also, foxfaces like to spit.... I never had clean glass for more than a few hours.

One other thing to keep in mind, in my video you will see they like to go at eachother a bit. You need enough space for the dashes to get away, and to have rocks they can go around. If you do a shallow tank with a wall of rock on the back and no caves or ways for them to go behind and get out of sight you may have more issues with fights.

I also learned that if you have multiple tangs, when you feed nori feed in two locations and if possible make it so the fish cannot see both locations at the same time. Makes it so that one tang can't decide it is the only one to get nori.

Looks like your main aggressor is the sailfin. I experienced way more aggression from zebrasoma than Acanthurus as well.

 

[foos]

Looks like your main aggressor is the sailfin. I experienced way more aggression from zebrasoma than Acanthurus as well.

Yeah, I moved and don't have them anymore but he was the boss. Mainly hated the foxface but they did not physically hurt eachother. I kept them fed well and they all had their own sleeping spot where they could not see eachother so the stress stayed rather low. They were not that bad most the time, just when I tried to get video. I think the sailfin just expected food and wanted to be first.

It did make me nervous though and I kept a close eye on the level of aggression to make sure it stayed manageable.

I only ever had three tangs go full homicidal on other fish. The tamini and I rehomed him. The powder blue decided the achilles needed to die but I wanted to keep both so I tried the mirror trick. The Achilles went so crazy at his reflection that I had to remove the mirror after an hour. I could hear him thudding the tank and I was afraid he would hurt himself. Powder blue gave him space after that though. Achilles had minor ptsd after and would keep that spot on the glass perfectly clean, but was not hurting himself. Not sure I recommend the mirror trick after that, but it did sorta work and I had them for around a year and a half after that without any fights.

 

[Erin]

I had an Achilles, powder blue, and sailfin tang in a 210 for several years. No experience with the Lavender, but 5' should be enough so long as you have good sustained flow and feed nori. If you watch them swim, they do not swim up and down, it is more side to side. The longer of a run you can give them and the more flow in that run to go against the better. The depth does not matter as much.

I had a wave power head on each side pointing directly across the top and they would alternate at 100%. I figured out the timing so that they would flip as soon as the one running got a full gyre going. The tangs seemed to like it and would alternate with the power heads when they wanted to get some swimming in.

This is the tank after they had been in there about 2 years.


Also, foxfaces like to spit.... I never had clean glass for more than a few hours.

One other thing to keep in mind, in my video you will see they like to go at eachother a bit. You need enough space for the dashes to get away, and to have rocks they can go around. If you do a shallow tank with a wall of rock on the back and no caves or ways for them to go behind and get out of sight you may have more issues with fights.

I also learned that if you have multiple tangs, when you feed nori feed in two locations and if possible make it so the fish cannot see both locations at the same time. Makes it so that one tang can't decide it is the only one to get nori.

Thanks! My phone won't let me see the video but I'll watch it tomorrow. I've had a foxface before and I don't remember it spitting, lol! I'll keep an eye out for that. My current tank is 24" tall, and my next one will be 18-21 depending on what brand I get. If I go custom, probably 20" tall. The next tank will also be wider- current is only 18" and I definitely want more room to spread out rock/coral and avoid a "wall". I may not end up getting a larger tang... never know what will be available for rehoming, and not going to overstock on fish.

 

[foos]

Thanks! My phone won't let me see the video but I'll watch it tomorrow. I've had a foxface before and I don't remember it spitting, lol! I'll keep an eye out for that. My current tank is 24" tall, and my next one will be 18-21 depending on what brand I get. If I go custom, probably 20" tall. The next tank will also be wider- current is only 18" and I definitely want more room to spread out rock/coral and avoid a "wall". I may not end up getting a larger tang... never know what will be available for rehoming, and not going to overstock on fish.

Keep in mind that size of fish is only part of it. In that tank I had a blue streak cleaner wrasse and a yellow eye cole tang. If you went by size you would think the tang needed the space and the wrasse did not. Once you factor in their day to day habits I would do a bristle tooth in something under a 210G no worries. They are happy to swim lazily two inches to a new spot of rock to clean. A blue streak cleaner wrasse though, I would not do one in a tank under 210G. That guy lapped that tank all day long. Being a very active and fast swimmer means he needs space. Less active slower swimmer on the other hand could be in a smaller tank so long as you have the flow for them to have a treadmill of sorts.

I should point out, the amount of flow I am talking about will make soft corals difficult if not impossible unless you get your rocks just right to cause some low flow areas. If your favorite corals are soft ones I would say you need more than 6 foot to keep anything other than a bristle tooth tang happy in that level of flow.

 

[steveb]

and of course we can't have this thread without at least one of these

https://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h55/Keinreis/TANGPOLICE.jpg

 

[Erin]

duplicate

 

[Erin]

Keep in mind that size of fish is only part of it. In that tank I had a blue streak cleaner wrasse and a yellow eye cole tang. If you went by size you would think the tang needed the space and the wrasse did not. Once you factor in their day to day habits I would do a bristle tooth in something under a 210G no worries. They are happy to swim lazily two inches to a new spot of rock to clean. A blue streak cleaner wrasse though, I would not do one in a tank under 210G. That guy lapped that tank all day long. Being a very active and fast swimmer means he needs space. Less active slower swimmer on the other hand could be in a smaller tank so long as you have the flow for them to have a treadmill of sorts.

I should point out, the amount of flow I am talking about will make soft corals difficult if not impossible unless you get your rocks just right to cause some low flow areas. If your favorite corals are soft ones I would say you need more than 6 foot to keep anything other than a bristle tooth tang happy in that level of flow.

Yeah, I get all that, but the first issue was whether or not the length of the tank I plan to get is adequate. I am not a newbie and know there are a lot of other factors to take into account... just needed clarification on gallons vs length.

 

[Reefahholic]

 

[foos]

Sir, your sand bed is neither deep enough or shallow enough. Your aptasia problem is also way out of control. I recommend tearing down your tank and doing 14 alternating acid and bleach baths.