Discussion: Tangs/Surgeonfishes (1 Viewer)

[jlanger]

TCMAS Weekly Discussion​

We would like to get more reef related discussions going on the forum. We will post a weekly topic to get the discussion started then let you all take it from there. The rules are simple, keep on topic and keep it positive.

This weeks topic: Tangs/Surgeonfishes

What species of tang(s) is your favorite?

With the recent release of Pixar's "Finding Dory", there has been a lot of interest directed towards tangs; specifically the Blue Regal Tang.
I've included a poll with the some of the more commonly available species of tangs for you to vote for your favorite; poll limit of 15.
Please discuss any personal history and experiences with these beautiful fish.
Which species do you currently keep?
Which species do you recommend?
Which species would you like to keep if you had the system for them?
There are a lot of species of tangs/surgeonfishes available (and plenty more that are less so), so let's spend this week discussing these mainstays of the open reef.

This discussion thread is meant for open and honest discussion of this group of fish.
Please refrain from any negative and/or condemning comments towards other comments that are made. I don't believe that our club really has a "Tang Police" presence and don't expect it to be a problem, but I do want to keep the discussion honest and civil. I'm sure all of us at some point has purchased an animal that wasn't appropriately suited for the aquarium.

 

[Jonty]

No black,Gem, Zebra, white tail

 

[jlanger]

No black,Gem, Zebra, white tail

If the poll limit was unlimited, by all means they would've been listed.
I did include an "other" candidate for those lesser common species.

I had all four of those amazing species on my handwritten list before I needed to make cuts; if that's any consolation.
My apologies, Jon. :bow:

Maybe in place "Other", I should've listed "Jonty's Tangs".

 

[cathorn]

I have a Yellow Belly Regal Blue Tang, it just looks nice swimming all over the tank.

 

[jlanger]

There is one tang that I will always keep; the Yellow Eye Kole Tang.
I purchased my first Kole Tang way back in '94 for my first attempted reef tank. I think it was the bright yellow eye on the darker body that caught my attention first. Their body color is subtle, but when looked at closely you can see the two shades of purple make a fine-lined pattern that blends to the flame colored edges on the fins; not to mention the bold yellow coloring of the eye.
But over time I learned that it was the constant grazing and clean up duties (detrivore) that made me appreciate these fish so much. When I added a 100gal FOWLR to my collection, I picked up another Kole Tang so I had two of them. When I got back into the hobby in '09, I couldn't wait to have a tank large enough to get another. I found a very small specimen through LA-DD and jumped on it right away. That fish has done very well over the years and continues to be a work horse in keeping my display tank free of nuisance algae.

My other "must have" tang is the Lemonpeel Mimic Tang.
This fish makes the list for a couple of reasons; color and size. These fish start out as a mimic of the Lemonpeel Angelfish, so they're all yellow. But as they age, they change to a golden body color edged in a rich brown with accents of orange and bright yellow. It's not a guarantee that all fish will achieve this bold color, but I think they're striking none the less. What I really like about these fish is that they're on the smaller side for Acanthurus spp. tangs. I don't have a very large tank, so I'm limited to which species I can comfortably keep. My Mimic Tang has done well in my four foot tank; not aggressive at all! In fact, out of the four primarily herbivorous fish in my tank, this one is the least boisterous.

As far as other tangs I have owned...
I have had the Yellow, Scopas, Sailfin and Purple Tang from the Zebrasoma genus. The purple Tang is my favorite from this group. Although, I do really like the looks of the Red Sea Sailfin.

Incredibly, I have never owned a Blue Regal Tang. I'm not sure as to why. Maybe since I know they grow quickly and seem so common, they haven't really grabbed my attention.

I do like a lot of the Acanthurus spp. tangs. The Blonde Naso Tang is a fish I would like to have someday. I really like the looks of the Powder Blue and Achilles Tangs, but their temperaments and susceptibility to ich leave me looking to better alternatives.
And if I had a much, much larger aquarium, I could see myself having a Maculiceps, Dussumieri, Fowleri, Tenneti or Bariene Tang. Those fish are magnificent, yet so huge!

My favorite group is the bristletooth tangs. I could see myself owning any of those fish; White-tail, Two-Spot, Square Tail, Chevron, Tomini...
Not only for their grazing behavior, but I like the way they tend to "bounce" along the reef using their pectoral fins to bob and weave among the rocks looking for algae. Just imagine a large reef system with a small harem of various bristletooths!

 

[marty9876]

Any one that I don't have.

 

[Kyle T.]

It's hard for me to pick a favorite tang because there are so many to choose from. Within the realm of realistic aquarium sizes (not quite as large of a tank as Marty by any means), I would like to some day have a powder blue, achilles, white cheek, a hybrid of two of those species, tenneti, lavender, or mimic lemonpeel tang. I'm a huge fan of the Acanthurus genus and haven't quite had the draw to any other genus, but that may change some day. Now if I had the opportunity to set up a system large enough I would thoroughly enjoy having a fowleri, maculiceps, or sohal tang. The sohal may need a tank of its own from what I've heard about their aggression when they mature.

 

[Leicester56]

My only tang experience is with a Yellow tang in my 120 reef tank. It makes a great center piece fish for this sized tank IMO. It has been a model citizen thus far and spends most of the day nibbling off the rock work or the nori algae I place in the tank daily. I would love another tang, but don't want to risk disrupting the currently peaceful environment.

If I ever have a bigger tank (not likely unless I decide to reinforce my 1st floor to be able to accommodate the weight), I would love to own a powder blue tang as they are the most visually attractive to me. Interestingly, I just saw two of them at the Petco in Roseville, if anyone is looking for one! I didn't even dare inquire about eating/health status for fear that I might crumble and purchase one. . The smaller one did look active and healthy though.

 

[marty9876]

Acanthurus and Naso are what floats my boat. I'd still like a Gems, pattern is cool in my book.

 

[lynn52]

I love the basic yellow for the great splash of color. I also have a yellow belly blue that I got when it was the size of a dime. She's now close to a quarter 5 months later. I love the personality of the Nasos.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cypho]

Acanthurus and Naso are what floats my boat. I'd still like a Gems, pattern is cool in my book.

You should get a unicorn naso tang.

 

[tundracub1]

Desjardini will always rank right up there for me. Mine was a birthday present from my husband. Got to love that enablement! Eats like a pig and is not shy at all.

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

[jlanger]

A couple of times in this thread, the comments of having a bigger tank for certain species has come up. We should all know by now that tangs need a lot of open space for swimming. But I want to bring up another side topic on tang size; actual growth rate/size in an aquarium.
For those people that have had tangs living long lives in their aquariums, what experiences have you had with tangs as they grow in your tanks?

Like I stated in my post, I have always kept a Kole Tang in my reef/FOWLR tanks. All of them were purchased as smaller individuals of 3" or less. But depending on which tank they lived in, they grew up to different "maximum" sizes. This seems dependent on tank length more than tank volume. My largest Kole Tang was one that I kept for seven years (until I sold my aquariums) in a 6ft long 100 gallon tank. Those that I kept in a 50gal (3ft long) or 120gal (4ft long) stopped growing at a smaller size.
My current Kole Tang has been with me for four years and hasn't grown too much over the past couple of years. The fish was just over 2" in length at the time of purchase and has grown to only 4" in length. Whereas the fish I kept in the six foot long tank grew to almost six inches. I know that Kole Tangs (and most bristletooth tangs) don't grow as long as the other tangs and have different swimming habits, but I think tank size has something to do with a tang's final growth size.
My Mimic Tang has also "maxed" out at a smaller size than most that I have seen. Even though the fish has adult coloration, the fish is still only about half the size of most adult Mimic Tangs that I have seen; still under 4" in length.

Other factors that I consider regarding maximum growth size are diet and community.
My fish are fed very well. They get fed a variety of frozen food blends every day during the course of time I am home. I feed small sheets of nori to supplement the diets of the tangs, rabbitfish, angelfish, clowns, wrasse (Okay... they almost all eat it!). The fish look healthy (not fat, not thin) and are very active.
As far as community, I think with having another fish that is dominant (my angelfish) plays a role in how much the submissive fish will grow. I can clearly see how this plays out with my five anthias. The male is larger and more active than all of the females. And even among the female anthias, they are all different sizes and the level of dominance follows the progression of largest to smallest. When it comes to the hierarchy of all of the fish in the tank I think that since the angelfish is the largest and the dominant fish in the tank, it has set a limit as to how much the other fish grow.

I know that there are other species of tang's where any of this may not factor into the fish's final size. Those large open water species (the Acanthurus group that can exceed 12" in length) that grow much too fast for a shorter tank to achieve adulthood will outgrow a tank in no time. But what about the smaller Acanthurus? The Zebrasoma? The Paracanthurus? The Naso?

These are just my thoughts and observations with tang growth related to tank size/environment.
Does anyone else have any experiences as to their tang's growth over time in respect to the tank's size and environment?
Do any of you have tangs that have seemed to stop growing at a smaller size than listed?
Have any of you had any tangs that have outgrown their tank regardless of tank size and environment?

I would like these discussion topics to involve more than just a "My favorite is the ..."
Although, I still like to know which fish is your favorite!

 

[ChristopherKriens]

I don't think that my Powder Blue has grown much over the years, but people that come over after awhile do say that it's bigger. I've definitely kept P. hepatus that have grown too big for the tank but I don't have a too long of history in the hobby so the number of tangs I've kept over the long term is pretty low.

I share the (popular) opinions about the yellow and powder blue. I'm surprised that more people don't keep Powder Browns, which is a favorite of mine. I suppose most people are limited to one Acanthurus and it's not the coolest so it's less popular. This discussion is good timing, as I'm shopping for a frag tank tang currently.

 

[marty9876]

Blue tang grew like a weed for me, from tiny postage stamp size to full adult in sub two years

Naso was linear growth, got as small juvi to full adult in 4 years

Purple and des haven't grown much from what I can tell, got as more of less adults

Achilles wasn't growing much, put in a slightly larger power blue and they started having growth competition (powder blue won)

The mimic was an adult when I got him, has grown some in the year I've had him

Chevron was pretty rapid grower for me, under 3 years (2 I think) from tiny juvi to full adult

White tail likely the best frag tank tang I can think of, stays small ~5" or so with a mouth for cleaning everything

Shoal has been a linear growth like the naso.

 

[jlanger]

This discussion is good timing, as I'm shopping for a frag tank tang currently.

Have you considered a rabbitfish?
If you're worried about nuisance algae, my One Spot Foxface and Scribbled Rabbitfish are great at eating those.

But this is a tang thread...

 

[marty9876]

I hate the body shape of rabbit fish, just doesn't do it for me

 

[Leicester56]

I hate the body shape of rabbit fish, just doesn't do it for me

Body shamer!!!!

 

[jlanger]

Please check out and vote on the other "Marine Fish Discussion" threads.

• Wrasses - Reef Safe
• Tangs/Surgeonfishes
• Dwarf Angelfishes
• Blennies
• Lionfishes
• Hawkfishes

 

[LowersMyBP]

I love me some tang!

Currently have 12 in the system. 10 in the 300 gallon (5 yellows, 2 hippos, a sailfin, a blond naso and a yellow eye kole), 2 in the 180 (convict and a purple). I think the last ones in were the yellows or the naso and that had to have been almost a year ago. I forget.


I have been tempted to try the powder blue/brown and the Achilles but have never owned either. Tried a Caribbean blue once. In the process of getting ready to move him to a bigger tank, he seemed to get stressed out and have a heart attack or something. Probably won't try those again. Not a fan of mimics. Have never tried a Sohal or Clown tang either. If not for my wife's interest in the convict tangs, I probably would never own any from the acanthurus family, they seem to be the angriest bunch in my experience. The convicts I have owned have grown up to be the biggest jack@$$es ever. The one I currently have is in with some brutish angels, so he can't cause too much trouble. I also moved the copperband out of his tank as they REALLY don't like copperbands, in my experience.

Chevrons look cool when young, but fish grow too quickly in my system and the end result is blah.

The Gem's and blacks etc are just too expensive for me to bother with.


I don't know if I could keep a tank if I couldn't have tangs and angels etc. I don't have many small fish anymore. A clown pair here, a mandarin pair there, but I think it is hard to beat the activity and motion you get from a pack of big tangs/angels/butterflies. (see marty's tank, no corals, but still awesome)