How many tangs can I have at once?

[Miami Reef]

I have a 300 gallon tank with a yellow tang. I added a sailfin tang a year ago and it was accepted. I’ve tried adding small blue tangs, but they always disappeared. A few months ago I tried adding a powder and I whitnessed both tangs kill him.

The yellow tang is over 10 years old and looks like he’s going to pass soon. I really like tangs, but which type will not get killed by the sailfin

 

[James M]

Have you been using a acclimation box ?

 

[408Dartfish]

I would try the acclimation box or a mirror. Dustin

 

[dwest]

I would try the acclimation box or a mirror. Dustin

Agree. I would do both.

 

[4FordFamily]

Adding tangs to a large tank with few tangs that have been able to be very territorial (less competition so defending turf is easy and doable) is dangerous. You’d need to add several simultaneously and there’s no guarantee the Sailfin wouldn’t kill one or two.

I would remove the sailfin (sump it), and add 4 or 5 tangs and then add it back after they’ve settled a few weeks to a month. You have a worst case scenario right now for adding tangs.

My tanks are full of tangs and there’s no hope in defending from tang intruders — simply too many so they don’t really try.

Tangs can defend a large patch of reef from others in the wild. Being accustomed to few competitors is a bit like “only child syndrome” for an unruly, territorial, aggressive animal, to use an analogy.

 

[Miami Reef]

I never tried acclimation box. Honestly just dumped them in the same day, I will try that next.

So I need to get more than one? Is there a tang that they are more likely to accept?

 

[RazorD]

I've been going through this myself. 4FordFamily has an amazing sticky thread here about tangs. It's so helpful!!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tang-aggression-understanding-and-combating.215698/

 

[Miami Reef]

Thank you guys. I will try these tips!

What tangs are more likely to get along with my sailfin and yellow? I know tangs don’t like the same genus as themselves, and I need some suggestions because I don’t know much about tang genus’

 

[Miami Reef]

I just bought a blue tang and a Naso tang. They are both smaller and are in an acclimation box so they can adjust, and the other tangs can get used to them.

Do you think adding 2 more is enough, or should I get 1 or 2 more on top of the 2 I bought yesterday to better my odds?

 

[jim_fitz]

Hi i think the trick with tangs (and others too) is to try to add ones that look different

i currently have at least 8 that i can think of with little trouble

 

[mps026]

I have a yellow,sailfin,purple, and powder blue in a 125. They were all added at diff times and they all get along.

I used an acclimation box n kept them in there for a few hours. When the lights go off i let them out. Wake up next day and all is good.

 

[Billldg]

My fun starts tomorrow, put my purple tang back into my 120 2 weeks ago and tomorrow I will add a Tomini tang and a LT tang, should be interesting.

 

[Miami Reef]

Good news! I added tangs!

I added 5 in total, but there was a little mistake. The LFS said the tang was a Naso tang, but it was really a powder brown. I purchased it with a baby blue tang. I didn’t know that it was a powder brown until after the next day.

The next day I bought 3 more from a different LFS (I wanted the highest chance of them not fighting) so I bought a Convict tang, scopas tang...and another powder brown tang thinking I didn’t have a powder tang.

The only difference of the powders is the size.

At first, the sailfin chased to large powder tang, but it stopped and they haven’t fought since. Then after a few hours, the big powder tang was chasing the small powder tang, but they also haven’t fought for a few hours.

I’m thinking of giving away one of the powder tangs, but they haven’t fought for a while now, should I still give it away, or should I keep them both?

 

[WetPets]

I never tried acclimation box. Honestly just dumped them in the same day, I will try that next.

So I need to get more than one? Is there a tang that they are more likely to accept?

I have also divided the tank with eggcrate to let them get used to each other

 

[Gerry1563]

Great thread guys. A lot if good information and ideas. I have a sailfin who even flashes at me some nights...lol. He is the boss of his corner of the reef for sure. Was concerned about adding a yellow, but now have some knowledge on how to go about it. Thanks everyone for sharing.

 

[Erwan E]

I first introduced a small clown tang with a kole and yellow. They were all about sm-med size. Since I knew that the clown was aggressive and the boss of the tank, my next tang was a large Atlantic blue. The clown tried to show dominance but quickly realized that he was no match for the fight. After a few months I added 3 more yellows. I selected 3 that were large about the same size of the Atlantic blue. By adding 3, I defused the agression of the clown. The Atlantic blue is very peaceful so I wasn’t worried about it. It worked perfectly. I now have 7 tangs in 200 gallons that are all peaceful

 

[Erwan E]

I first introduced a small clown tang with a kole and yellow. They were all about sm-med size. Since I knew that the clown was aggressive and the boss of the tank, my next tang was a large Atlantic blue. The clown tried to show dominance but quickly realized that he was no match for the fight. After a few months I added 3 more yellows. I selected 3 that were large about the same size of the Atlantic blue. By adding 3, I defused the agression of the clown. The Atlantic blue is very peaceful so I wasn’t worried about it. It worked perfectly. I now have 7 tangs in 200 gallons that are all peaceful

 

[Erwan E]

I first introduced a small clown tang with a kole and yellow. They were all about sm-med size. Since I knew that the clown was aggressive and the boss of the tank, my next tang was a large Atlantic blue. The clown tried to show dominance but quickly realized that he was no match for the fight. After a few months I added 3 more yellows. I selected 3 that were large about the same size of the Atlantic blue. By adding 3, I defused the agression of the clown. The Atlantic blue is very peaceful so I wasn’t worried about it. It worked perfectly. I now have 7 tangs in 200 gallons that are all peaceful

 

[Susan Bates]

I have a 300 gallon tank with a yellow tang. I added a sailfin tang a year ago and it was accepted. I’ve tried adding small blue tangs, but they always disappeared. A few months ago I tried adding a powder and I whitnessed both tangs kill him.

The yellow tang is over 10 years old and looks like he’s going to pass soon. I really like tangs, but which type will not get killed by the sailfin

I have had luck with a mirror

 

[jsvand5]

Good news! I added tangs!

I added 5 in total, but there was a little mistake. The LFS said the tang was a Naso tang, but it was really a powder brown. I purchased it with a baby blue tang. I didn’t know that it was a powder brown until after the next day.

The next day I bought 3 more from a different LFS (I wanted the highest chance of them not fighting) so I bought a Convict tang, scopas tang...and another powder brown tang thinking I didn’t have a powder tang.

The only difference of the powders is the size.

At first, the sailfin chased to large powder tang, but it stopped and they haven’t fought since. Then after a few hours, the big powder tang was chasing the small powder tang, but they also haven’t fought for a few hours.

I’m thinking of giving away one of the powder tangs, but they haven’t fought for a while now, should I still give it away, or should I keep them both?

I wish you luck, but if you are adding all of these tangs without quarantining I think you are in for problems. They are in a high stress environment until they settle into their place in the tank. It makes already disease prone fish even more disease prone.