Tangs: Replace With Same Or Different?

[SHINYSuccubus]

*Right now I’m s l o w l y having a new tank built, and my fish are hostages at my LFS*

So, I had a pair of tank raised Yellow Tangs who were never more than an inch apart. While they were being held hostage, one stressed out and died. My question to the forum is: should I replace the deceased Tang with another Yellow, or a different sort. If the two Yellows haven’t been raised together, won’t they be aggressive toward each other? I have an 8.5” Regal Tang, the remaining Yellow, who’s about 4” and I plan to add a Blonde Naso.

The tank is 180g and 5’ long. I’d like to know if ppl (hopefully w more experience lol) think I would be ok w another Yellow OR should I add a different sort of Tang completely? If so, suggestions as to which Tang are welcome!

 

[MaxTremors]

I think you’ll have trouble trying to pair another yellow tang with the one you have. I would get a different tang from a different genus. You could try another Zebrasoma, but the aggression would likely be the same. Personally, I think a 5’ tank isn’t quite big enough for a Naso (same with the Regal), both fish will have 4-5 body lengths to swim once full grown, IMO you need a 6-8 foot tank to ethically house them once full grown (in general, I think anything less than 6 body lengths at full grown size at the bare minimum is too small). Beyond the ethical/health issues with keeping large active fish in (relative to fish size) smaller tanks, aesthetically a fish that big in a tank that size just looks out of place, it ruins the scale of it and ruins the suspension of disbelief (ie it no longer looks like a reef, the massive fish pulls all the focus and ruins the harmony of the tank). I know some people will disagree, and it’s your tank, but personally I would rethink the naso, maybe rehome the regal, and look for a different genus smaller tang to replace the yellow.

 

[i cant think]

*Right now I’m s l o w l y having a new tank built, and my fish are hostages at my LFS*

So, I had a pair of tank raised Yellow Tangs who were never more than an inch apart. While they were being held hostage, one stressed out and died. My question to the forum is: should I replace the deceased Tang with another Yellow, or a different sort. If the two Yellows haven’t been raised together, won’t they be aggressive toward each other? I have an 8.5” Regal Tang, the remaining Yellow, who’s about 4” and I plan to add a Blonde Naso.

The tank is 180g and 5’ long. I’d like to know if ppl (hopefully w more experience lol) think I would be ok w another Yellow OR should I add a different sort of Tang completely? If so, suggestions as to which Tang are welcome!

I don’t think the yellow stressed out for no reason and was killed by his fellow “mate”. These tangs really should be kept in large or odd numbers to spread out aggression. Some have groups of 15+ and the weaker ones get killed off.

I think you’ll have trouble trying to pair another yellow tang with the one you have. I would get a different tang from a different genus. You could try another Zebrasoma, but the aggression would likely be the same. Personally, I think a 5’ tank isn’t quite big enough for a Naso (same with the Regal), both fish will have 4-5 body lengths to swim once full grown, IMO you need a 6-8 foot tank to ethically house them once full grown (in general, I think anything less than 6 body lengths at full grown size at the bare minimum is too small). Beyond the ethical/health issues with keeping large active fish in (relative to fish size) smaller tanks, aesthetically a fish that big in a tank that size just looks out of place, it ruins the scale of it and ruins the suspension of disbelief (ie it no longer looks like a reef, the massive fish pulls all the focus and ruins the harmony of the tank). I know some people will disagree, and it’s your tank, but personally I would rethink the naso, maybe rehome the regal, and look for a different genus smaller tang to replace the yellow.

+1 on rehoming the regal and rethinking the Naso. I have seen tangs that look out of place such as vlamingiis and I can tell you it is not an enjoyable thing to watch.

As for what I’d replace the Yellow with, I’d try find a White Tail Bristletooth or Blue Eye “Kole” (Twin Spot Bristletooth). I’d go for a Ctenochaetus species for sure though, I personally find them to be one of the best genera for Clean Up with Zebrasoma and Acanthurus. If you need a tang to replace the Hippo, look into the smaller Acanthurus although even they can be quite pacy and big. They can get rather aggressive too whereas Ctenochaetus remain calm unlike Zebrasoma and Acanthurus.

 

[SHINYSuccubus]

I think you’ll have trouble trying to pair another yellow tang with the one you have. I would get a different tang from a different genus. You could try another Zebrasoma, but the aggression would likely be the same. Personally, I think a 5’ tank isn’t quite big enough for a Naso (same with the Regal), both fish will have 4-5 body lengths to swim once full grown, IMO you need a 6-8 foot tank to ethically house them once full grown (in general, I think anything less than 6 body lengths at full grown size at the bare minimum is too small). Beyond the ethical/health issues with keeping large active fish in (relative to fish size) smaller tanks, aesthetically a fish that big in a tank that size just looks out of place, it ruins the scale of it and ruins the suspension of disbelief (ie it no longer looks like a reef, the massive fish pulls all the focus and ruins the harmony of the tank). I know some people will disagree, and it’s your tank, but personally I would rethink the naso, maybe rehome the regal, and look for a different genus smaller tang to replace the yellow.

i appreciate your input, i’d already decided to rehome the regal when he outgrew his surroundings. my old tank was a 150gT, so not much swimming room, the regal was my first fish and i was massively uninformed when i got him. he’s almost 13 now, though, and i’m really attached. i have a friend w a 600g (! i know) who will take him, i just have to make the decision. i know naso’s get large, but i picked that one for its disposition and looks, with the intention to rehome when appropriate. you’ve given me some good thinking points, thank you!

 

[SHINYSuccubus]

I don’t think the yellow stressed out for no reason and was killed by his fellow “mate”. These tangs really should be kept in large or odd numbers to spread out aggression. Some have groups of 15+ and the weaker ones get killed off.

+1 on rehoming the regal and rethinking the Naso. I have seen tangs that look out of place such as vlamingiis and I can tell you it is not an enjoyable thing to watch.

As for what I’d replace the Yellow with, I’d try find a White Tail Bristletooth or Blue Eye “Kole” (Twin Spot Bristletooth). I’d go for a Ctenochaetus species for sure though, I personally find them to be one of the best genera for Clean Up with Zebrasoma and Acanthurus. If you need a tang to replace the Hippo, look into the smaller Acanthurus although even they can be quite pacy and big. They can get rather aggressive too whereas Ctenochaetus remain calm unlike Zebrasoma and Acanthurus.

the pair of yellows (i don’t mean they were mates, they had just been tank raised together) did fine while they were in my old 150gT, but they got moved to a 29g by themselves in my lfs *supposedly* for a couple weeks. that was december 2021! bc of all kinds of hooforah, my new tank build has just started gaining steam again. the yellow tang died two weeks ago, whether from aggression or stress i dunno, i wasn’t there. bc i’m handicapped, i don’t have as much control as i would like over how this build is happening. thanks so much for the tang suggestions, i guess i’ll have to go back to the drawing board! i have to say though, it’ll be really hard to let go of my 13yr old regal. i’m really fond of him. sigh.

 

[MaxTremors]

i appreciate your input, i’d already decided to rehome the regal when he outgrew his surroundings. my old tank was a 150gT, so not much swimming room, the regal was my first fish and i was massively uninformed when i got him. he’s almost 13 now, though, and i’m really attached. i have a friend w a 600g (! i know) who will take him, i just have to make the decision. i know naso’s get large, but i picked that one for its disposition and looks, with the intention to rehome when appropriate. you’ve given me some good thinking points, thank you!

If you’ve got a definite place that you can rehome them, then I’d think you’d be fine to keep a juvenile until it outgrows the tank. To be clear, it’s not a situation where you’re wanting to put a naso in a nano tank, a juvenile would be perfectly fine in a tank that size for several years.