Tang Shoals

[chasekwe]

Whenever I go to the marine fish retailers and read the descriptions for tangs the general concensus seems that tangs are rated as "semi-agressive" fish who do not typically enjoy the company of other tangs. This isn't to say that they cannot be put more than one to a tank but they certainly don't elude to any sort of shoaling behavior.

Yet I've seen pictures and read posts where people mention schools of the creatures. Could somebody please explain this to me? Will all tangs shoal and under what conditions does this take place? Furthermore, if only certain specific types will shoal under the right circumstances how can I determine which those might be?

Thanks.

[bertoni]

I think you should try this question in the fish forum.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...?s=&forumid=88

[Avi]

Fish that are schooling in nature frequently adopt contrary behavior when maintained in an aquarium which to them are un-naturally close quarters. This has been well documented in fish related literature.

[reg828]

Maybe because the reef in the ocean is huge enough they have their own space, compared to the aquarium. and once tang get comfortable in the aquarium they established as their territory. space maybe i think the issue. also, in the ocean, fish in general always spawning thats why they reproduce in great numbers and become schooling fish. maybe, they school when they are juveniles, but when become older they want to have territory.

[Ira NZ]

Humans are social animals, just like schooling fish. But I can pretty much garauntee someone would be getting killed if I was locked in closet with someone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year...

[Avi]

From reading that I've done on this, the radical change in behavior isn't only a matter of being in a closed, tight space....it's also a mechanism for not having the space for the shoaling or schooling itself and so a heirarchy is unnaturally formed. So, more often than not, the tang in a reef will be more aggressive and even murderous toward cospecifics and congenators than toward wholly unrelated fish like dottybacks or clowns, for example. That being said, there are plenty of anectdotal posts here in RC about managing to keep as many as three different kinds of tangs in a larger reef...usually, 180 or 230-gallons.

[Dennis7]

Tangs are aggressive. Through my exprience if you want to keep several. I have 3 right now in a 120gal. Get them young, provide alot of structure that is separated so they can define their own territories. The 3 that I have are buddies. The yellow usually fights its reflection though.

[chasekwe]

Alright thanks guys, so the pictures you can find on these forums of tangs schooling in some of the large reef aquariums are more of a temporary behavioral situation until the fish are more familiar, or fully grown, etc.?

[bertoni]

I've never seen pictures of tangs shoaling in an aquarium, only in the wild. They cover too big a territory to be called a tank, really, thousands of gallons or more.

[Cutiewitbooty]

yeah i have never seen the shoaling behavior in aquariums either, but i have seen some cool pics of it in the wild. Here check out this pic, isn't it pretty



it's actually a pic over at webshots.com so you can download it as a wallpaper if you wanted

[reg828]

check this video clips, all about schooling surgeonfishes. its very pretty nice to watch...

http://www.oceanfootage.com/oceans/s...8373d785726255

[reg828]

more footage

http://www.oceanfootage.com/oceans/s...on+Fish+&Go=Go

[chasekwe]

Originally posted by bertoni
I've never seen pictures of tangs shoaling in an aquarium

There were a couple pictures I saw in the large reef tanks forum of small shoals of tangs, which is what sparked my interest.

[bertoni]

Hey, I'd love a pointer!