Thoughts on Tangs

[Nasabeau]

So, I would say I've gotten my feet a little wet at this point. been a month and a half with my first salt water tank(75g, 4 foot) my fish seem happy, my parameters are relatively stable my inverts are thriving. no coral or anemone yet, but that will come in when I'm more confident that the params are more stable. I currently have a royal gramma, a Coral Beauty Angelfish, 2 Ocellaris clowns, and a yellow tail blue damsel (plus 8 assorted snails and a hermit crab). I am thinking about adding one of the bristle tooth tangs to my tank, specifically the Flame Fin tang. I know these ones stay smaller, and would fit in my tank. I'm vaguely worried about the CBA and Tang not getting along, but I was reading that the Flame Fin is usually peaceful to anything but other tangs. any thoughts or suggestions on adding a tang to an otherwise mostly peaceful tank?

 

[WVNed]

I think it would be fine. I have a two spot in a 75 with eels, lions and a CBB. He does occasionally chase the CBB.

I have 5 tangs in a big tank and 2 large and 1 pygmy angel and they get along.

 

[Nasabeau]

I think it would be fine. I have a two spot in a 75 with eels, lions and a CBB. He does occasionally chase the CBB.

I have 5 tangs in a big tank and 2 large and 1 pygmy angel and they get along.

What scares me about them is the scalpel. like, most fish get aggressive, there's some nipping and chasing and time to remove them. a tang slaps with its fin and slices the other guy open. (or maybe I think that is way worse than it is?)

Edit: basically, I am concerned the tang is going to decide he doesn't like one of my other fish and will just basically instantly kill them. especially since he will probably be the largest fish in the tank

 

[Nasabeau]

I think it would be fine. I have a two spot in a 75 with eels, lions and a CBB. He does occasionally chase the CBB.

I have 5 tangs in a big tank and 2 large and 1 pygmy angel and they get along.

side note, you have 2 angels and a pygmy all in one tank? are you fish jesus?? all the advice I got about angels was "pick the one you like cause that's the only one you get XD"

 

[WVNed]

LOL No, I am not. I have an emperor, koran and bicolor in together.

With sailfin, yellow, clown, tomini and kole tangs. I have seen a few wounds on my fish but they have healed without issue.

 

[Nasabeau]

You have a flame fin! that's exactly what I was looking at getting! do you think a 75 is really big enough for him if he's the only tang? I LOVE your tank! a Koran is on my list for my dream tank, when I'm really settled down and can get a 2-3 hundred gallon. I've got big plans XD

Edit: maybe I should Clarify, what I am calling a flame fin is a tomini. I see the terms used interchangeably, so maybe I need some clarification on whether those are in fact the same thing.

 

[WVNed]

My flame fin (Tomini) is the smallest of them all. He is also the oldest. He would do fine in a 75. I have considered swapping him into mine and putting the two spot in the big tank. I dont want to put them and me through what it would take to catch them though.

 

[nereefpat]

do you think a 75 is really big enough for him if he's the only tang?

Tomini will be fine in a 75 as the only tang. More than likely will be fine with the dwarf angel as well. The only trouble I've ever seen from any Ctenochaetus tang is with other tangs or lawnmower-type blennies.

 

[Nasabeau]

My flame fin (Tomini) is the smallest of them all. He is also the oldest. He would do fine in a 75. I have considered swapping him into mine and putting the two spot in the big tank. I dont want to put them and me through what it would take to catch them though.

I was definitely aiming for a smaller tang, because I am well aware that while by outdated metrics the larger tangs would "fit", I don't feel like they would have enough space to really be happy. I know there are several camps on that debate, that's just kind of where I am at. I cannot get over how beautiful your tank is! thank you for the input. I am going to the LFS today to see if they can order one for me (they're really great about sourcing fish). hopefully I might be able to get him in there before Christmas XD

Edit: so to clarify on timeline, my store usually takes a couple weeks to get a fish in, then I pay and they have QT tanks there that they rent out for pretty cheap, so I will probably get him into the store and let them QT for a couple weeks. so far its been about 2 weeks to get a fish in the tank but so far they've had everything I wanted in stock. they do not stock tangs though, and so I'm going off my experience with them in my freshwater tanks, it takes probably 2 or so weeks to actually get them in custom order

 

[Nasabeau]

Tomini will be fine in a 75 as the only tang. More than likely will be fine with the dwarf angel as well. The only trouble I've ever seen from any Ctenochaetus tang is with other tangs or lawnmower-type blennies.

good to know blennies are not on the safe list. I had enough trouble with the carnivorous snails to try any kind of sand sifter fish though XD

 

[nereefpat]

good to know blennies are not on the safe list.

Only lawnmower type blennies, Salarius genus. I have a lawnmower with a flame (tomini) in my 125. The six foot tank is *just* enough room for the blenny to escape.

 

[Nasabeau]

Only lawnmower type blennies, Salarius genus. I have a lawnmower with a flame (tomini) in my 125. The six foot tank is *just* enough room for the blenny to escape.

yeah, right now for me gobies and blennies are out entirely. My worry is the angel never lets food get to the substrate. for weeks I had to target feed my Nassarius snails and crab, and still wound up loosing 2 snails and a cleaner shrimp to what I'm guessing is starvation. I will keep in mind with the tang that lawnmower blennies are a no-no though. Thank you both so much, this community is so great for new comers thanks to people like you!

Edit, and when I say no food gets to the sunbstrate, I mean 0 food, no matter how much I feed, the angel makes absolutely certain he gets the lions share and he is not about to let a single morsel go to waste. I guess that's good in some respects though, because I have absolutely 0 detritus

 

[Krully]

I also have a Tomini in a 75g (Reefer 350), he's been here for a few months now and is a MODEL citizen, eats like a pig, always picking at rock, never bothering anyone and the other fish enjoy his company as they often swim near him. Definitely recommend!

 

[Nasabeau]

I also have a Tomini in a 75g (Reefer 350), he's been here for a few months now and is a MODEL citizen, eats like a pig, always picking at rock, never bothering anyone and the other fish enjoy his company as they often swim near him. Definitely recommend!

so glad to hear it. I love how they look, and was really hoping I would get positive feedback on this choice! so glad I did! my wife thinks they look kind of plain compared to the others, but something about that smooth matte grey really makes me like them

 

[WVNed]

When they were all babies and lived in the 75.

 

[Nasabeau]

When they were all babies and lived in the 75.

SO. PRETTY!
that tomini doesn't look too young though, don't they change to that colour when they're older?

 

[WVNed]

SO. PRETTY!
that tomini doesn't look too young though, don't they change to that colour when they're older?

That is how mine has always looked. It is the same fish

 

[Nasabeau]

That is how mine has always looked. It is the same fish

Interesting. I had been reading that they are tan as juveniles. I just got off the phone with my LFS and they have one on the list for order that's "medium"... no idea how old that is. my wallets not about to be happy, but I am XD

Edit: side note that is a massive clown!

 

[jaxteller007]

I've got a flame tang along with a CBA in my 6' 180 tank and I've never seen the flame chase the CBA. We also have a Lt tang, Vlaminigi tang, 2 yellows, and a blue hippo and none of them have ever tried to bully the CBA.

 

[Nasabeau]

I've got a flame tang along with a CBA in my 6' 180 tank and I've never seen the flame chase the CBA. We also have a Lt tang, Vlaminigi tang, 2 yellows, and a blue hippo and none of them have ever tried to bully the CBA.

to be honest a tad more worried about the CBA bullying the Flame and the flame not taking his crap XD. he's been a model citizen with all my other fish after the first day or two, but he does seem to think its necessary to establish pecking order