Tomini vs yellow vs kole tang

[Davy Jones]

Hello all. As the title says im interested in ONE of these three tangs. (most likely betweent he kole and tomini for tank size reasons.)

I have a Reefer 250, with is a 3 foot display. I have already started purchasing equipment for a reefer 450 as well. (total build time is gonna be about a year) so i have an upgrade plan IF/When the fish gets too big.

I enjoy the look of all 3 tangs, The tomini being my favorite. My questions are in relation to aggressiveness and ability to keep a tank clean.

My understanding is that the yellow is the most aggressive but also the best at eating algea, followed by the kole and then the tomini.

Which one would you guys pick and why? I am going to be getting one of the three at somepoint, likely after the winter is over so i can have it shipped from Divers Den. Let me know your thoughts!!

 

[eatbreakfast]

I find that kole and tomini tangs are better at eating algae than yellows. Aggression varies fish to fish , but all three aren't bad.

 

[Davy Jones]

I find that kole and tomini tangs are better at eating algae than yellows. Aggression varies fish to fish , but all three aren't bad.

Good to know! i had always thought yellow tangs were the go to algea eaters for everyone!

 

[bruleyii]

I have a tomini and love it. Its with 2 clowns and file fish. When I introduced the tang, there was normal picking back and forth but nothing serious. Mine loves to pick at the glass but not at the rocks like Id like.

 

[Davy Jones]

I have a tomini and love it. Its with 2 clowns and file fish. When I introduced the tang, there was normal picking back and forth but nothing serious. Mine loves to pick at the glass but not at the rocks like Id like.

Thats what i had with my last kole tang, very minimal rock picking but grazed on the glass constantly (even after i scraped it off with the scraper which was strange.. lol)

If the bristle tooth tangs tend to avoid the rocks i wonder if i could get a starry/lawn mower blenny to clean the rocks and the tang to pick at the glass and be the show fish...

 

[bruleyii]

I dont know if it matters but my algae might be too long. I dont know if that really has anything to deal with it though.

 

[Davy Jones]

Interesting thought with that.. Ive heard that bristletooth tangs wont touch long algea and only graze on the new growth or the "fuzzy" stuff

But at the same time ive also read that they will devour a tank worth of algea in a days time as well! depends on the fish i suppose.

 

[Gabriel Garcia]

Thats what i had with my last kole tang, very minimal rock picking but grazed on the glass constantly (even after i scraped it off with the scraper which was strange.. lol)

If the bristle tooth tangs tend to avoid the rocks i wonder if i could get a starry/lawn mower blenny to clean the rocks and the tang to pick at the glass and be the show fish...

All fish are different but my Kole Tang grazes on the rocks all day.

 

[Crystal03JC]

Never had a yellow but we have a small Kole & small Tomini in our 200g. Both are great fish & great pickers but we like the Tomini more.

 

[Waters]

I have a Kole and an Algae Blenny in my 105 and they do a good job as a team when the kole isn't trying to chase the Blenny away from the good algae. They both consistently graze the rock as well as the glass.

 

[Davy Jones]

I really like both tangs. I had a kole in the past that was absolutely stunning under the more blue reef lighting.

But ive seen the tomini in a few tanks and the contrast with the black body and orange tipped fins as well as the white tail is quite striking as well..

I plan on getting the starry blenny, another clown and a couple firefish to go with what i currently have. Then the last fish into the tank will be either the kole or tomini.

 

[VR28man]

Bringing this thread back from three years ago:

@Davy Jones did you put any of these tangs in the RS250? Anyone else have one?

I ask because I'm getting an RS250. I'm disinclined to put one of them in there, but if people had good experiences I might reconsider it.

 

[Davy Jones]

Bringing this thread back from three years ago:

@Davy Jones did you put any of these tangs in the RS250? Anyone else have one?

I ask because I'm getting an RS250. I'm disinclined to put one of them in there, but if people had good experiences I might reconsider it.

Hey! I did do the yellow, but it wasn't happy. Tomini stays much smaller but still its probably not the best.

 

[VR28man]

Yeah a YT I think definitely would be too much. I kind of figured a Tomini would still be too much for a Red Sea 250 as well.

 

[jeff williams]

I put a tomini in my tank to eat some macro Algae and it don’t seem to pick at the long stuff it likes to pick at the rock rather than the algae like wise I put seaweed on a clip in the tank and it doesn’t touch it. Very active very pretty no aggression yet it’s a young fish but very fun to watch

 

[MrAlpha]

I’ll echo what others have said about the Tomini tangs. I have had one for several years, he’s now in my Red Sea 450. He picks at the glass and rocks all day by only the algae film not GHA or anything like that. Mine eats anything I feed including LRS, New life pellets, mysis ect. No aggression issues with him. One thing I’ll add about coloration. I picked mine out as a baby because he had great coloration, darker body with the bright orange tail and he has kept that coloration as an adult. I see a lot of Tominis with more pale and subdued colors in the LFSs now, so if you care about that then maybe wait for the right one.

 

[Mmun]

I find that kole and tomini tangs are better at eating algae than yellows. Aggression varies fish to fish , but all three aren't bad.

I would agree with this. I feel Kole tang is the best at cleaning.

 

[Jesterrace]

Tomini would be the best of that list since they stay a bit smaller and the Yellow can be more aggressive in tanks less than 5-6 feet in length.

 

[Salty Lemon]

Tomini -- 1. He fits in the tank. 2. They are the most passive. 3. Five years from now when you buy that RS750, you can add the other tangs to the tank and they will be the newbies but your Tomini will be the tang boss. 4. You said he is your favorite.

 

[AquaRaider44]

Honestly, I have a aquacultured yellow tang from biota and a aquacultured yellow eye like tang from sustainable aquatics both of which were 2 inches long when I got them and I have them both in my SCA 66 Gallon tank and they get along great and love to eat all the algae. It's so cool to see them swim side by side eating algae off the same rock all day. I work get all three of these tangs as your current tank will fit them and it will only be 6 months until the larger tank is ready. Only having one tang in a tank is horrible as it will be the boss and beat up the other fish. At least get two.