Choosing a Powder Blue Tang

[HKfshkpr1]

I 'd like to acquire a medium PBT about 4 inch long. Such tangs at the fish stores often look different: some are very colorful while some are quite drab. I read that brightly colored specimens "could have been" exposed to cyanide.
So which should I choose? Is it risky to pick a pretty one? Will those that look drab still become colorful when they get bigger?
Thanks for your advice!

 

[Coronus]

Tough fish to choose. This fish is prone to ick and most likely will have it. A QT for a minimum of 4 weeks with profalactic copper treatment is a must IMO even if its not visible. I have seen ick not show its face in QT for 3 weeks.
As far as color, I have never heard that. But good color is important. QT the fish no matter what and get it healthy and really eating well and you should be good.

 

[Jesterrace]

I would say that I agree with the post above. I can't imagine a fish having brighter colors after being poisoned/stunned by cyanide. Brighter Colors generally means a healthier fish. Personally I would go with the prettier looking fish and QT it for well over a month to ensure it is ich, velvet, etc. free. Also be aware that the Powder Blues tend to be more delicate and more aggressive than other Tangs.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I think finding a powder blue with decent body weight would be the priority over color

 

[HKfshkpr1]

Thank you very much! Should I treat with Cuppermine even if it shows no signs of ich, etc?

 

[Tft12]

Thank you very much! Should I treat with Cuppermine even if it shows no signs of ich, etc?

I always do. I have found Powder Blue Tangs to be pretty sensitive to copper levels though. Hanna Checker for copper is great. I've been using one for a few years and it has changed my success rate for "copper sensitive" fish by quite a bit. It took me awhile to figure out that I was overdosing the Cupramine (use whatever copper product you prefer), though I was using the product in their suggested concentration range, this was too much for Powder Blue Tangs in my QT system.

 

[Tft12]

Thank you very much! Should I treat with Cuppermine even if it shows no signs of ich, etc?

Also, if you're not too familiar with quarantining fish, there's a great sticky for QT by @Humblefish.

 

[tiggs]

This is my absolute favorite fish and the centerpiece of any large system I've ever had. Like the others have said, you want to prioritize health and body weight, plus an extremely thorough QT period is an absolute necessity. It's something you always want to do regardless of fish, but for this particular species (really any acanthurus tang), it's incredibly vital.

Another thing I always used to look for was country of origin. I've always preferred PBTs from Australia, since they tend to have the brighter blue and just seemed healthier overall. Granted, I'm not sure if the slight variation of color was regional or if it was just because the collection methods in Australia were typically much healthier than Indo (lots of cyanide and dynamite fishing back in the day). Disclaimer - I've haven't purchased a PBT in at least a decade, so the Indo vs Aussie bit may not be true anymore, but figured it was worth mentioning.

 

[HKfshkpr1]

Has anyone tried hyposlainty on a Powder Blue? Do they take it well? Someone highly recommend it...........

By the way, my 2 LFS did not have any PBT at all but I was able to get a nice 5 in. Emperor Angel at a good price. Best thing is he would eat "anything" including flakes and pellets, within minutes!( prob has been in the fish store for a while).
Quarantine tank is only 10 gal. He's "not shy at all" and very

docile( his tankmate is a much smaller 2.5 in ocellaris clown).

 

[HKfshkpr1]

Surprisingly docile( for now, lol!)

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Checking for personality is very important on a PBT, I would not get one that is a hider, shy, scratching, when you look at it and it shy's away but comes right back at you, is a good choose. They like to eat so don't starve them. If the fish as been in the LFS for a while that is a big plus.