Adding a Powder Blue

[aherre07]

What would be the opinion on adding a Powder Blue to a 240 gallon with a resident Lieutenant tang? The Lieutenant tang has been with me for about 3-4 years and is just peaceful as can be but being another acanthurus tang wondering what anyone with experience mixing these 2 can add here?? There are other tangs in the tank: purple, yellow, vlamingi and a blue hippo.

The plan would be to add a powder blue, copperband butterfly and maybe a Naso all at the same time to help disperse any and all aggression amongst new the newbies. Would also be capable of using acclimation box and such. My thought process is that the PBT will be the Boss of the tang gang eventually. Thoughts?

 

[i cant think]

What would be the opinion on adding a Powder Blue to a 240 gallon with a resident Lieutenant tang? The Lieutenant tang has been with me for about 3-4 years and is just peaceful as can be but being another acanthurus tang wondering what anyone with experience mixing these 2 can add here?? There are other tangs in the tank: purple, yellow, vlamingi and a blue hippo.

The plan would be to add a powder blue, copperband butterfly and maybe a Naso all at the same time to help disperse any and all aggression amongst new the newbies. Would also be capable of using acclimation box and such. My thought process is that the PBT will be the Boss of the tang gang eventually. Thoughts?

I wouldn’t add any other Acanthurus tang, the Naso and CBB should be fine but a PBT if you want to add more fish after it’s established, I don’t recommend it. It’s hell trying to establish new fish with already established PBTs or any tang from that complex except Goldrims.

 

[aherre07]

Thank you for the reply. Those last 2 tangs would be the last of the tang gang. Only fish that would be added after would be some wrasses as I am able to locate and acquire of few of the wrasses I'd like at one time so as to add more than one at a time.

Not truly worried about stocking after the PB has established as i wont be adding problematic fish (at least fish i dont see having issues with tangs) after. just curious how the lieutenant would respond to to the PB.

 

[i cant think]

Thank you for the reply. Those last 2 tangs would be the last of the tang gang. Only fish that would be added after would be some wrasses as I am able to locate and acquire of few of the wrasses I'd like at one time so as to add more than one at a time.

Not truly worried about stocking after the PB has established as i wont be adding problematic fish (at least fish i dont see having issues with tangs) after. just curious how the lieutenant would respond to to the PB.

It’s 50/50 on how the Lieutanant would react.
Personally I wouldn’t add an aggressive tang. My reason why:
You never know what fish may hit you when you go to your LFS next, it could be a fish you never knew you wanted.
I planned to just leave my stock as it was (10 fish) but when to my LFS and found the one fish I never knew I needed, a flashing tilefish. I brought it home after a week of research and questions and still have it today (almost 2 months later).

 

[aherre07]

That's a great piece of advice. Thanks

 

[ApoIsland]

What would be the opinion on adding a Powder Blue to a 240 gallon with a resident Lieutenant tang? The Lieutenant tang has been with me for about 3-4 years and is just peaceful as can be but being another acanthurus tang wondering what anyone with experience mixing these 2 can add here?? There are other tangs in the tank: purple, yellow, vlamingi and a blue hippo.

The plan would be to add a powder blue, copperband butterfly and maybe a Naso all at the same time to help disperse any and all aggression amongst new the newbies. Would also be capable of using acclimation box and such. My thought process is that the PBT will be the Boss of the tang gang eventually. Thoughts?

Do it. If one of those tangs ever starts acting up later down the line just put em in the acclimation box for a few days.

Tangs are some of the easiest to catch once in a tank as they are such aggressive eaters. Can easily be trapped.

 

[i cant think]

Do it. If one of those tangs ever starts acting up later down the line just put em in the acclimation box for a few days.

Tangs are some of the easiest to catch once in a tank as they are such aggressive eaters. Can easily be trapped.

They aren’t actually easy to fish out. I have had to try fish my C. binotatus out and he wasn’t having it. No matter how much food went in, he swam away. It’s just not worth it, and these guys will easily become bully’s in a matter of time.

 

[ApoIsland]

They aren’t actually easy to fish out. I have had to try fish my C. binotatus out and he wasn’t having it. No matter how much food went in, he swam away. It’s just not worth it, and these guys will easily become bully’s in a matter of time.

Sounds like you may be fairly new to reefing. I have moved my tangs between tanks many many times over the years and they can all be caught easily with the exception of a rogue kole that never ate prepared food. If they eat they can be caught.

A trap helps but also sectioning off the tank with some pieces of egg crate or acrylic also work if you don’t want to buy a trap.

 

[i cant think]

Sounds like you may be fairly new to reefing. I have moved my tangs between tanks many many times over the years and they can all be caught easily with the exception of a rogue kole that never ate prepared food. If they eat they can be caught.

A trap helps but also sectioning off the tank with some pieces of egg crate or acrylic also work if you don’t want to buy a trap.

But still, would you rather get a fish you know will be aggressive just to add a peaceful fish in after it and have the new fish get stressed out and bullied to death?

 

[ApoIsland]

I would much rather get the fish I want and deal with a small inconvenience of a little extra effort to temporarily move it around later down the road if the situation arises.

A successful reefer routinely navigates much more complex and difficult issues. This is a simple one.

 

[i cant think]

I would much rather get the fish I want and deal with a small inconvenience of a little extra effort to temporarily move it around later down the road if the situation arises.

A successful reefer routinely navigates much more complex and difficult issues. This is a simple one.

However, it’s not a simple issue. You then have to re-home the tang, nurse the new fish back to health and then check to see if any other fish in the tank is stressed or harmed. At that point I would rather have just avoided that fish altogether, I had this issue with a Scopas tang in a 8’ tank in the past. That tang wasn’t peaceful and killed ANY new fish or even inverts. I have also had a similar experience with a PBT in a 10’ tank. Even the Sohal that was in that tank wasn’t as aggressive as the Powder Blue.

 

[i cant think]

Sounds like you may be fairly new to reefing

I will say, I have been in this hobby for 9-10 years. I have also worked in a fish store and heard others’ experiences with tangs, most of them being how it killed a new fish within a day. I have combatted my own issues with this hobby (Yes I have avoided ich and velvet issues somehow, but I just think that’s luck and properly caring for these animals).

 

[ApoIsland]

I will say, I have been in this hobby for 9-10 years. I have also worked in a fish store and heard others’ experiences with tangs, most of them being how it killed a new fish within a day. I have combatted my own issues with this hobby (Yes I have avoided ich and velvet issues somehow, but I just think that’s luck and properly caring for these animals).

10 years is more than enough experience if you have been maintaining tanks not in a fish store for at least a few years. Surprised you are not more successful with tangs. They are not nearly as difficult for everyone I know.

 

[i cant think]

10 years is more than enough experience if you have been maintaining tanks not in a fish store for at least a few years. Surprised you are not more successful with tangs. They are not nearly as difficult for everyone I know.

It’s strange but yes, tangs are still highly aggressive and the biggest reason I avoid them. I hate dealing with most of their aggression, Goldrims I can handle but PB’s I hate.

 

[vpierce3]

Just do what I do: dose a little Xanax. Its amazing how nice a tang can be.

 

[Dbichler]

My powder brown is the least aggressive tang I have but he was added last

 

[Coral Reef]

I only add a bigger size fish later.

 

[Whisperer]

IME, new fish will always be harassed by the established residents. For me, as long as the new fish is bigger or at least the same size as the most aggressive fish it will be fine. Initial scuffles will always occur and fins will likely get torn from that. After a couple of days, things will calm down and fins start to heal . Occasional chasings will still occur but nothing serious. I recently added a powder blue in a tank with two purple tangs and a blue hippo. The PBT is as big as the purple tangs. The smaller purple tang was the terror and chased the PBT relentlessly. Now, they act like they knew each other since birth (or hatch) and fins have healed. Be sure to QT the PBT. They are notoriously ich magnets.

 

[i cant think]

IME, new fish will always be harassed by the established residents. For me, as long as the new fish is bigger or at least the same size as the most aggressive fish it will be fine. Initial scuffles will always occur and fins will likely get torn from that. After a couple of days, things will calm down and fins start to heal . Occasional chasings will still occur but nothing serious. I recently added a powder blue in a tank with two purple tangs and a blue hippo. The PBT is as big as the purple tangs. The smaller purple tang was the terror and chased the PBT relentlessly. Now, they act like they knew each other since birth (or hatch) and fins have healed. Be sure to QT the PBT. They are notoriously ich magnets.

IMHO, chasing can resort to deaths from stress so it’s best to avoid that. Try keep it as peaceful as possible when introduced and be prepared to pull one out at any stage. Fish don’t always cohabitate the way we want.

 

[Whisperer]

10 years is more than enough experience if you have been maintaining tanks not in a fish store for at least a few years. Surprised you are not more successful with tangs. They are not nearly as difficult for everyone I know.

I concur.