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#1
08/05/2006, 12:08 AM
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what's the best kept secret in keeping tangs?
how do you prevent them from having ick? how do you get them to eat pellets? will it be better to put 3 tangs at the same time or one after the other? am setting up a 150g tank and would like a powder blue, red sea salfin and a purple tang. should i use a uv sterilizer? the tank will be a semi-reef with just mostly soft corals.
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#2
08/05/2006, 05:25 AM
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QT is the best way to prevent or cure ich. Read here on hypo-salinity. If the tank has been infected it must be kept fishless for at least 8 weeks. http://www.petsforum.com/personal/tr...osalinity.html
UV is a waste of money. They should not be fed pellets or any one food exclusively. They need algae based foods, such as nori, spirulina, etc. A 150 is too small for a RS sailfin IMO.
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Excess on occasion is exhilirating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ~W. Somerset Maugham |
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#3
08/05/2006, 05:31 AM
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how do you prevent them from having ick?
- Quarentine and minimize stress how do you get them to eat pellets? - luck. starve um. Have your LFS feed pellets before buying. Personally, a refugium will provide you with a natural food (macroalgae) for all tangs (plus tons of other benefits) will it be better to put 3 tangs at the same time or one after the other? - Go for same time. Once a tang establishes territory, its his. a 150 is big enough so they should be alright. am setting up a 150g tank and would like a powder blue, red sea salfin and a purple tang. - Make sure the body style/shape is different. If their similar (IE - yellow and sailfin tang) they WILL fight. should i use a uv sterilizer? - not necessary. They collect salt creep and require unneccesary maintenance. GO REFUGIUM! If you wanna know more about the refugium idea shoot me a pm.
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- Robb Finally realized ($1,000s later) that a large tank and a broke college student dont mix. |
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#4
08/05/2006, 05:38 AM
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Re: what's the best kept secret in keeping tangs?
Tangs require clean, well oxygenated water and do better if the aquarium is brightly lit (to aid in microalgae growth).
Feed them regularly and keep them fat. Use nori (seaweed) in a rotating diet of good foods. (No junky cheapo flake!) UV sterilizers are not a silver bullet cure, but they can effectively reduce the number of Cryptocaryon in the tomont stage. Like waterfaller posted, QT is the best way to prevent saltwater ich (Cryptocaryon). I agree that a RS Sailfin will grow to large for a 150. It can be done, but it will have that "Oscar in a 30" appearance, if you know what I mean.
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some common aquarium nuisances: Bryopsis,Derbesia(hair algae),Cyanobacteria(red slime), Diatoms(golden brown algae), Dinoflagellates(gooey air bubbles),Valonia (bubble algae) |
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#5
08/05/2006, 10:30 AM
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Also keep in mind that Hypo does kill ich, but not velvet.
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#6
08/05/2006, 12:08 PM
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Do not underestimate the oxygen requirement of a tang. Water overly warm, pump too slow, no skimmer, all these situations stress this species: they need oxygen the way a jet engine needs air.
Qt first. Be very careful of the order in which you put them in [most territorial last] and be VERY careful to assess the oxygen situation for one tang before making it two or three. The amount of aeration you have to have for these big fish is very high in the first place, and the more tangs you have, the more saturated your water ought to be. That's why everyone goes crazy when somebody says: I just put a hippo tang, a yellow tang, and an achilles in my 40 gallon---you cannot aerate that tank enough to satisfy those fish and keep them healthy as they grow, so "I plan to get a bigger tank someday" isn't a good answer. The unfortunate fish will just quietly suffocate. Good for you, Pulpol, for asking the right questions!
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Sk8r "Make haste slowly." ---Augustus. "If anything CAN go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible moment."---St. Murphy. Last edited by Sk8r; 08/05/2006 at 01:00 PM. |
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#7
08/05/2006, 02:50 PM
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I have a RS Sailfin (largest), a purple, powder blue (smallest) and a hippo (second largest) in my 175 gallon (84" x 24" wide x 20" high). I wished I could have added them all at the same time but I added them in the order I listed. All of the tangs, except the RS sailfin, were in bad shape when I got them. And all of the them, except purple, were from other reefer's tanks. I get an occassional squabble but it is quick and no harm is done.
The RS Sailfin looks too big for the tank. With its fins up, he seems almost like a 7"+ circle. Luckily, I am in the process of setting up a 450 gallon tank. All of the tangs should be happier then. From my experience and IMO, these are the keys to keeping tangs: 1. Long tank - they do swim a lot 2. Very good skimmer 3. Nori 4. Good flow - maybe not necessary but they are very happy swimming in front of the Tunzes
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Today is a good day. Tomorrow will be even better. |
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#8
08/05/2006, 03:42 PM
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my yellow tang eats anything i put in the tank...including pellets...
I feed pellet food occasionally, i like to mix up the food selections...He goes right after them, maybe he learned from the other fish |
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#9
08/05/2006, 09:58 PM
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Nori sheets are the best for tangs - they are like cows and graze all day. http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...algae100sheets or any asian market. It may take them a few days to learn to eat from lettuce clip, but after that, they will learn.
After that, frozen mysis, brine are good. Pellets and flake also. Mine all eat like pigs and eat anything that I add to tank. Put them in all at same time. UV, I ran a 125 for 5 years without and added one to my new 215 system. I think it helps, keeps water clear. Opinions on it are just like sand bed or bare bottom and all the other debate ones. Everyone has opinion. Interest thing, most people who say negative things, or that they are not worth it, probably have never used them and are going on what they hear from others or read on RC from others who never use them. Let tank run and cycle for 4+ months before you add the fish and learn how to care for your system. Add a reliable top-off system, this will keep salinity constant and reduce stress. Another good thing to do is to add 2-3 skunk cleaner shrimp - they will clean your fish. Try to find in the 2-3 inch size range if you can. As mentioned by others, PT and sailfin are same body shape, could fight Finally, run a quality skimmer to export all the seaweed and food you add to system and do weekly 10% water changes or more. Good luck.
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Craig Allegheny College 1990 Div. III National Champs - Football (I was starting Left OT) |
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#10
08/06/2006, 07:00 PM
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I agree with everything everyone has said so far, and just want to add one thing. I think tangs don't like crowded conditions. I have a neighbor who could never keep a hippo tang alive, but she has a heavy load of fish in her tank. I have a hippo and a yellow in mine with 4 other small fish, and they both thrive. Of course, I feed them a varied diet of frozen food, along with nori soaked in vitamins. But I do believe that having alot of fish in a tank with tangs stresses them out. Of course, that is just my opinion, not scientifically based or anything.
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#11
08/07/2006, 10:51 AM
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yeah everything everyone said is good info. The most important this to stress, is if possible feed them atleast twice a day. as mentioned these fish are the cows of the ocean. They swim and feed all day long. So feed atleast two or three times a day. Along with a variable diet, the constant being their greens. Again this this just my opionion
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Everyone you meet, knows something you don't. |
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#12
08/07/2006, 12:17 PM
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I also think it is very important to offer tangs a variety of hiding places. Particularly with multiple tang households. Ive had my tangs for years, and they still dart to safety behind their favorite rock when startled, and also defend it vigously. This in turn will reduce stress, and everything else everyone else has said.
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#13
08/07/2006, 05:10 PM
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clean water.....no sources of stress..ie keep water stable and clean...and dont house with species that are sources of aggression(not exlcuding other tangs)
feed well.....lots of veggie matter....use selcon and zoe to enrich foods.....lots of swimming space.....good live rock for them to graze on all day |
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#14
08/07/2006, 05:11 PM
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oh yeah and another bump for cleaner shrimp...i dont keep a tank without one
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#17
08/07/2006, 07:59 PM
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The Total Answer is:
Set a limit of fish and don't add any more after a few months. My tank has been going 7 years with no ick, fights, etc because nothing is added to cause problems. I have 9 fish in a 200 with uv/wet/dry, f/o tank. I don't even use lighting.
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