I have an 8” sohal tang in quarantine for quite some time. He is ready to go to my main 540g DT. Before I do so, I want to get your experience about mixing it with larger tangs like dussumieri & vlimingi, smaller tangs like black and Achilles, large angels, Moorish idol, and harlequin tusk. Is it a nightmare or has there been more pleasant experiences?
Sohal Tang
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Old Fritz
Valuable Member
they rarely get along with other tangs, sometimes they do if they are brought up together when they are really small but introducing and keeping them as adults is very difficult when you want to put them with other tangs
Cabinetman
Well-Known Member
It will take over and run the tank. My Experience is they will go after the next dominant fish in the tank and will chase it quite relentlessly to put it in its place. In my 560 gallon I had a 14 inch one that would chase my powder blue every few minutes into the rocks and once I got rid of it the powder blue turned into a terror whereas when the sohal Was in there it was pretty well behaved. I regret getting rid of mine now because it kind of kept the peace in one way because it kept every other fish in check. Mine chased but never hurt anyone. Here it is in a cooler getting ready to go to it’s new home. The only thing that really bugged me was such a large fish swimming so aggressively it would knock coral over all the time and splash water out of the tank. But... I miss mine and I’m getting another one
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
I've had a lerge sohal in an 800g with a larger blonde naso. He was bossy, but not THE boss. The naso acted as a 'gentle giant' that would 'swoop' in whenever the sohal(or large clown tang that was also in the tank) got too big for it's britches. There were also smaller tangs, such as a few yellows, and purples, a desjardini and a powder brown.
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It will take over and run the tank. My Experience is they will go after the next dominant fish in the tank and will chase it quite relentlessly to put it in its place. In my 560 gallon I had a 14 inch one that would chase my powder blue every few minutes into the rocks and once I got rid of it the powder blue turned into a terror whereas when the sohal Was in there it was pretty well behaved. I regret getting rid of mine now because it kind of kept the peace in one way because it kept every other fish in check. Mine chased but never hurt anyone. Here it is in a cooler getting ready to go to it’s new home. The only thing that really bugged me was such a large fish swimming so aggressively it would knock coral over all the time and splash water out of the tank. But... I miss mine and I’m getting another one
If the dominant fish isn’t a tang, let’s say it’s a larger angel, will it still go after it?
Will any of my other Tangs be a terror too?
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Should I just wait until a long long while all the fish have settled in, and then put in the sohal? The vlimingi and duss will for sure be larger than the sohal. I’m also planning to get a large naso. The Achilles is about 6”. But given time and space, it could be just as large as the sohal. Will that work?
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
IMO sohal tang aggression is exaggerated. The story above about the powder blue becoming a terror once the large sohal tank boss was removed is exactly how I would have predicted.
That said, the larger sohal tangs to get nastier and nastier. I DO recommend having a larger tang boss (or even tank boss) than the Sohal. A large Naso genus tang is great addition as they’re not typically aggressive and they are large. They can neutralize more aggressive, bossy fish. Naso tangs have two giant spines on their tails making them formidable but are largely “gentle giants” that will want to keep the peace so long as food is not scarce.
Your BEST bet is to have several tangs, and several tangs larger than the sohal. This usually means buying a 3-4 inch sohal initially because few tangs grow as fast as Sohal or reach the size.
Clown tangs can be just as nasty.
I do find that many tangs in a well-fed, large tank, where the more aggressive species are smaller is ideal. Eventually, the sohal will catch up but by that time the hope is that it has adapted well to the aquarium and other tank mates.
I still put the powder blue atop the nastiest tempered tang list, and it’s not a close race with many other tangs. Powder brown and Achilles are not too far behind. Their gold rim cousin is nasty but the thing these four closely related fish have in common is grudges— they often permanently hold grudges that they will not back down from. Most other tangs eventually get over their dislike for new tankmates but these guys can be removed for days even months and come back to badger the same fish immediately. I’ve seen this behavior on many occasions. It’s best to add 3 or so tangs at once in these instances to spread aggression and reduce the odds of an “aggressive fixation”, as these are almost always fatal.
Sorry for the tangeant I found it relevant to the tang aggression discussion. My 10 foot 405 display (500 G total) tank will feature a Sohal tang. I’ve had them before but in smaller 6 foot tanks and temporarily. IMO an 8 foot tank is a minimum for them as they can grow 2 inches per year.
Here is an article on tang aggression should anyone want to investigate further with a shbjebive assessment of the most aggressive tangs (based on the collective experience of myself and my peers).
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tang-aggression-understanding-and-combating.76/
That said, the larger sohal tangs to get nastier and nastier. I DO recommend having a larger tang boss (or even tank boss) than the Sohal. A large Naso genus tang is great addition as they’re not typically aggressive and they are large. They can neutralize more aggressive, bossy fish. Naso tangs have two giant spines on their tails making them formidable but are largely “gentle giants” that will want to keep the peace so long as food is not scarce.
Your BEST bet is to have several tangs, and several tangs larger than the sohal. This usually means buying a 3-4 inch sohal initially because few tangs grow as fast as Sohal or reach the size.
Clown tangs can be just as nasty.
I do find that many tangs in a well-fed, large tank, where the more aggressive species are smaller is ideal. Eventually, the sohal will catch up but by that time the hope is that it has adapted well to the aquarium and other tank mates.
I still put the powder blue atop the nastiest tempered tang list, and it’s not a close race with many other tangs. Powder brown and Achilles are not too far behind. Their gold rim cousin is nasty but the thing these four closely related fish have in common is grudges— they often permanently hold grudges that they will not back down from. Most other tangs eventually get over their dislike for new tankmates but these guys can be removed for days even months and come back to badger the same fish immediately. I’ve seen this behavior on many occasions. It’s best to add 3 or so tangs at once in these instances to spread aggression and reduce the odds of an “aggressive fixation”, as these are almost always fatal.
Sorry for the tangeant I found it relevant to the tang aggression discussion. My 10 foot 405 display (500 G total) tank will feature a Sohal tang. I’ve had them before but in smaller 6 foot tanks and temporarily. IMO an 8 foot tank is a minimum for them as they can grow 2 inches per year.
Here is an article on tang aggression should anyone want to investigate further with a shbjebive assessment of the most aggressive tangs (based on the collective experience of myself and my peers).
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tang-aggression-understanding-and-combating.76/
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
The biggest concern to me is the interaction between the sohal and achilles. These both have similar temperaments. But if the vlamingi, dussumeri, and naso are in first and bigger, it shouldn't be an issue.
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
That would be a good idea.
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
