Made a huge mistake - Purple and Gem tang

[PaulieReef]

So, I apparently didn't do my research and I QTed a gem tang and a purple tang together. As you may have guessed one died, think it was the cheaper of the two? Of course not.

The day before everyone was eating and happy and fat, next morning found the gem dead.

My question is, I now have a purple tang in my main display (did I mention they were two days away from completing QT together?), but I really want a gem tang. The tank is 8ftx30x30, around 380gs, ton of hiding spots.

Is there any chance I can have both? Or its not even worth the risk?

Since gem tang is my dream fish, do I catch the purple to rehome?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Are you sure the purple took the gem out? Was there lots of damage on the gem? Tangs fight but unless they get in a lucky tail strike they don’t kill each other overnight.
Jay

 

[PaulieReef]

Are you sure the purple took the gem out? Was there lots of damage on the gem? Tangs fight but unless they get in a lucky tail strike they don’t kill each other overnight.
Jay

Not 100% sure but in the QT was a gem tang, purple tang and melenarus wrasse. I feel if there was something wrong with the water chemistry, wrasse would have died first.

I checked all the levels the night before, salinity was 1.025, copper 2.5 (copper power), undetectable ammonia.

All where eating the night before. The night before I noticed since fin damage on the purple tang and a slash in the fin of the purple. Figured normal bickering.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Not 100% sure but in the QT was a gem tang, purple tang and melenarus wrasse. I feel if there was something wrong with the water chemistry, wrasse would have died first.

I checked all the levels the night before, salinity was 1.025, copper 2.5 (copper power), undetectable ammonia.

All where eating the night before. The night before I noticed since fin damage on the purple tang and a slash in the fin of the purple. Figured normal bickering.

It could have been something specific with the gem. The supply chain for these is really long, so we see higher than expected mortality in them.
Jay

 

[PaulieReef]

It could have been something specific with the gem. The supply chain for these is really long, so we see higher than expected mortality in them.
Jay

Good to know, he was solid in there for 3.5 weeks eating and swimming normally. Got really fat too.

 

[PaulieReef]

Would explain why no one has them specially with the price.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Good to know, he was solid in there for 3.5 weeks eating and swimming normally. Got really fat too.

Oh, I would revise my opinion based on that. Mortality from shipping is almost always seen earlier - only a few cases leave damage to the fish that goes out as long as perhaps 45 days. Gaining weight during that time also points away from shipping issues. Sorry to have led you down that path, I think you need to consider either tankmate aggression (a lucky spine strike?) or some other unknown issue.

Jay

 

[OrionN]

It takes more to kill a tang than aggression overnight. If there is aggression, it will be during the day, and for days. I do not think the problem is the PT, especially if there is no huge wound or a hole in the head.
Consider hypoxemia, if you don't have an air stone or skimmer. Melanurus is very hardy and disease resistant. Of the three, it would not be the first to go but the last.

 

[PaulieReef]

It takes more to kill a tang than aggression overnight. If there is aggression, it will be during the day, and for days. I do not think the problem is the PT, especially if there is no huge wound or a hole in the head.
Consider hypoxemia, if you don't have an air stone or skimmer. Melanurus is very hardy and disease resistant. Of the three, it would not be the first to go but the last.

Appreciate the response. I had a powerhead at the surface plus an air stone. There was a ton of oxygen exchange in the system. Zero indicators of ammonia between ammonia badge and ammonia tests.

I didn’t check for any major wounds or hole in the head. Was devistated it died and threw it in the trash.

However, since the PT is in the main tank and he is picking fights with some huge fish.

 

[OrionN]

What huge fish do you have in the tank, not that they affect the Gem. Just out of interest.

 

[DanyL]

I introduced a Gem tang to a 206g system with 5 other tangs in the display, including a Powder Blue and a Purple Tang.
Both were very aggressive with the Gem, injured him within the first 5 minutes to the point where I found myself standing next to the tank for a few good hours chasing them with a net, knowing my chances to catch any of them is non-existent, but there was really nothing else I could do.
Mirrors never worked for me, and I didn't have a trap on hand nor the time to use it.

Eventually, I simply settled on spooking them away anytime I was around the tank, after a few days the attacks slowed down, the Gem Tang started eating again and within a week the tank was peaceful once again.

So to your question, is it a good idea? Probably not, but it is possible.

 

[jtf74]

IDK. I had a powder brown in QT for well over 90 days. Was doing great. Could be hand fed. When it was in 300 gallon DT, I put up a mesh screen up to let them get used to each other and was still doing well, but after a week somehow one fish got around it. They seemed to be doing ok without it with just a little aggression from the yellow, so I didn't put up the screen again. Next day I found the powder brown floating barely alive and unable to swim upright with slashes on its side, and it died after a couple hours. Later tried a cbb. One day in and I saw the yellow swim by and without warning slash the cbb. It recovered and the yellow is now rehomed. I'm 100% positive the yellow did this and it happened very quickly. Tangs are unpredictable. With just two I don't think an established purple is going to cooperate.

 

[rossco]

I wouldn’t say you made a mistake. Unlucky maybe. I added a new gem tang to my display with 5 other tangs, a 17 year old purple tang, 2 10 year old yellows, kole tang, whitetail tang, and all accepted it like it had been there the whole time from day 1.
Have seen evidence of a couple conflicts but don’t witness anything other than normal tang fin flaring here and there.
Or maybe I got lucky.

 

[bruce337]

Mata and orange shoulder been together for 3 months they bicker if someone goes by someone's cave thats about it. now I had a a PBT before who was an a-$-$ to everyone- he's gone now...different fish different individual tempers.

 

[Charles Zinn]

So, I apparently didn't do my research and I QTed a gem tang and a purple tang together. As you may have guessed one died, think it was the cheaper of the two? Of course not.

The day before everyone was eating and happy and fat, next morning found the gem dead.

My question is, I now have a purple tang in my main display (did I mention they were two days away from completing QT together?), but I really want a gem tang. The tank is 8ftx30x30, around 380gs, ton of hiding spots.

Is there any chance I can have both? Or its not even worth the risk?

Since gem tang is my dream fish, do I catch the purple to rehome?

Have you tried an acclimator tank in display tank so they can be together but can't get ti each other for atleast a week. They get used to chemical expression can see each other and get used to each other and feed frequently went you eventually put together.

 

[Charles Zinn]

Have you tried an acclimator tank in display tank so they can be together but can't get ti each other for atleast a week. They get used to chemical expression can see each other and get used to each other and feed frequently went you eventually put together.

Each fish will have its own personality. Last time I used 5 days wasn't long enough go at least 7 days. I got.mine from Marc Levinson.

 

[LPS Bum]

So, I apparently didn't do my research and I QTed a gem tang and a purple tang together. As you may have guessed one died, think it was the cheaper of the two? Of course not.

The day before everyone was eating and happy and fat, next morning found the gem dead.

My question is, I now have a purple tang in my main display (did I mention they were two days away from completing QT together?), but I really want a gem tang. The tank is 8ftx30x30, around 380gs, ton of hiding spots.

Is there any chance I can have both? Or its not even worth the risk?

Since gem tang is my dream fish, do I catch the purple to rehome?

You can definitely have both in a 380. I have both in a 240.

The issue is territory. If you can remove the Purple for a while, then add both Zebrasomas to the main display at the same time, and you have plenty of rock work for them to hide in and graze on, in theory it should work. They may fight a bit, especially at first, but that's a really big tank with a lot of room. I added mine at the same time and they fought sporadically for a while, but then calmed down. Of course every fish is different, but that worked for me. QT'ing both of them together in a small tank, at the same time, is a different story.

Are you sure the Purple actually killed the Gem? Was the Gem beaten up? I've seen plenty of Zebrasomas fight, but it normally doesn't end in death for one of them within 24 hours.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My purple and gem are the best of buddies. My purple however is a jerk occasionally with my yellows and Powder blue

In the pic, they are side by side

 

[PaulieReef]

Oh wow! All the replies.

Thank you all for the advice. I think it comes down to the fish like someone said above. Hopefully this round will go better.

 

[mdrobc13]

Right now my Purple tang rules the tank. Introduced him with two yellow tangs at the same time I got from Biota and only one made it. Smaller one didn't eat and got stressed and Sailfin also. Both died but larger of the yellow tangs (still smaller than the Purple) made it. Tonomi tang is also okay and not bothered by the Purple nor are my two Blue Hippos...both are the same size relatively and added about 3 weeks apart. Have a Powder Blue Tang and a Leutenant tang in Qt now eating and doing fine and will add them BOTH at the same time in a bout 2 weeks. Key to adding multiple tangs I've found is both timing and disposition...most aggressive MUST be added last and also it helps to add same genus at the same time. Lots also depends on size of ones tank. For multiple tangs and the most aggressive ones...100-150g is a must for more than 2-3 tangs. I have had up to 8 in a 210g and they all did fine (Powder Blue + Purple + Yellow + Tonomi + Kole +Clown tang+ Vlamingi + Hippo + Sailfiin) but it took sequencing to QT and adding them all. It can be done!