Do you have problems with Achilles tangs?

[Armon_p]

I am thinking about getting an Achilles tang, and I would like to find out if anyone has specific trouble with them. I hear a lot about how they are very hard to keep, what's the reason for that.

Is it a matter of the fish just dying if it's not perfect or it will just have white spot? What is so hard about these fish?

 

[hatfielj]

They are very easily prone to ich and in my experience once they get it, they will die. They need lots of live rock and excellent water flow to thrive. Once established they are as hardy and easy to keep as any other fish. If you don't have a large tank, don't even consider them. They really deserve a lot of swimming space.

 

[Armon_p]

By prone so you mean that one little thing can get them, isn't very tang like that?

 

[Armon_p]

Is there a trick to keeping them or is it just luck?

 

[mguili1947]

The odds of losing him if you have another tang in the tank are 90/10

 

[Armon_p]

How about if you add that tang in first

 

[hatfielj]

In my experience, they get ich very easily, especially if you add other fish to the tank without proper quarantine. I would add one last to a large tank and would make sure that all of your other fish are extremely healthy and have NO ich. Once you have a healthy one, don't add any more fish to your tank. If you want to keep an achilles, you must have a proper quarantine set up and quarantine everything you add to your tank.
Are you a beginner? This is not a fish that beginners should keep. You really need to get some experience with all of this first before attempting a fish like that.

 

[Armon_p]

I've been keeping tangs for years, powder blue, hippo and purple. I am in the middle of a tank upgrade.

I have existing fish that have no ick, so adding them in after shouldn't be a problem right?

 

[Armon_p]

And if that tang gets acclimated and has its territory I don't think there is a problem with other tangs, if it's done first?

 

[TJ's Reef]

Personally feel that they are more prone to MI because of their ultra high strung/territorial nature. I honestly believe and from some first hand knowledge that somewhere in the 90% range die in captivity initially. This alone makes me greatly wish they were totally off limits as for collection. There are some beautiful yet rare healthy specimens within our R2R community just wish no one would show or encourage their captivity. If you were to see these Fish on the Reef most all conscious minded hobbyist would not condone their capture or keeping in anything under 1000 gallons. I to am a huge fan of these fish just not within our little glass boxes. PLEASE, do not add to their demise............

Cheers, Todd

 

[mguili1947]

I have a Purple,Sailfin,Powder Brown,and a Bristle
tooth tang together in my 150.I put them in all at once they go at each other all the time but so far so good.I have tried 5 times with the Achilles and a friend of mine who never learns must have had at least 10 times. all got ick and died.When I set up my 150 I put one in by himself for 2 months.I then introduced a Majestic Angel who the Achilles started to attack as soon as he was introduced to the tank two days latter both were covered in ich. I lost the Achilles but was able to catch and treat the Angel who survived

 

[Rob&Gab]

I have a Achilles tang for a few months now in my 60DB SHALLOW 48*24*12. He's a fat pig and not aggressive very friendly he's in the tank with a mated pIr of clowns black ice and wyioming white and start blenny and 6line cleaner shrimp too.


Never had any problems with ich, I do no QT fish and if they have ich yes away very fast. Only a select few of our fish had ich and it went away very very fast.


He's a awesome fish. To my knowledge I think there gonna stop importing them soon. As someone told me so I'm just repeating what I heard.

But over all never had any troubles so far.

 

[mguili1947]

Put another fish in their that looks like him Rob and I guarantee he will get ich in a day or to.I love the fish but he is a problem

 

[Armon_p]

That stupid fish doesn't deserve to look beautiful!!!

 

[Rob&Gab]

Put another fish in their that looks like him Rob and I guarantee he will get ich in a day or to.I love the fish but he is a problem

I'll pass on that lol. Looking to get another fish soon too. Just added a pistol shrimp goby pair. Small, six line going nuts right now lol. She's always calm but sh s like freekingoutlike she's not gonna be fed anymore lol.

Achilles looked at hem then moved on.

 

[Kworker]

Most people have issues with them because they don't cater to somewhat specific needs of the fish. They really are prone to ich, establishing an ich free environment is the best way to do it. If you have other aggressive tangs already established than I would avoid an Achilles.

 

[Armon_p]

How about adding in the Achilles tang in first, maybe even bigger?

 

[jen2828]

My Achilles had to be last added, will kill any fish we try to add. Only other tang with him is a purple that was in the tank 3 years before him. Achilles was added 4 years ago and is now 8" of fury ;-)

 

[Armon_p]

Because my blue hippos won't be a problem, my purple and future yellow tang could be. What about adding those three relatively at the same time?

 

[o2manyfish]

In the past couple of decades I have kept Achilles several times. They definitely don't like being captured and moving to captivity. But if you have a good home and they start to eat then they can do really well. My experience with both Achilles and Powder blue tangs is that they are prone to breaking out in spots - Whether that is ich, (white or black spots) or something else.

The spots come and go. The fish can look perfect for weeks, then is covered in spots, and then looks perfect again 24 hours later. I can't relate anything as to why or when the spots appear.

I have had no problem keeping Achilles with lots of other tangs. My best success has been starting with them medium sized when the orange spot is more of a sliver, and then letting them grow into the tank.

My Achilles was the last tang to be added (prior one before a major system crash, and new replacement at the beginning of last year). My current tang list is 9 yellows, 1 purple, 1 Chevron, 2 Hippos and the Achilles. We did have an Atlantic Blue tang that gave the young Achilles a run when first added. We rehomed the Atlantic Blue and the Achilles has done great ever since.

I do run a 2 story 26 gal surge tank, so the tank has plenty of flow for the Achilles.

I've only kept them in 300 and 400g tanks - So that may have helped with some of my success.

Dave B