Whats this obsession with Tangs

[Haydn]

OK I probably going to alienate half the members of R2R now. But why are we, as a group, so obsessed with this group of fish. I have just done a straw poll of this forum's first page (OK not scientific) and 8 out of the 20 posts are about tangs.

What is it about these fish, yes some are pretty, but so are angels, anthias and just about any marine fish you can name. Most of them grow too big for the average tank, seem to be disease prone and can get aggressive with each other and your other fish. When they are settled you have to be careful what you add because they don't like new additions in the tank.

I see so many posts on here and other sites asking 'how many tangs', 'Can I put *inset tang name here* in my *inset tank size here*', 'I'm thinking of getting a baby X, how long before I need to move it on' I could go on and on. You don't see these posts about any other fish in the same quantities.

Then a bit down the line 'My tang has come out in white spots' or 'I put some fish in the tank and my tang has spots' 'I looked at the tang a bit harshly and it has white spots'

Many of them, end up as 6"-10" monsters with a character to match, even that cute little Chevron grows into a plain 8" slab. Don't get me started about Regals offered for sale as youngsters.

Then there's the aggression, I have a PB that the family named Psycho, I couldn't add anything to my tank, it hunted down and killed 10 Chromis!! Evil doesn't cover it. Powder browns, Achilles can turn into monsters. Sohal and Clown Tangs are just monsters.

So why are we obsessed with them? Why do so many new reefkeepers want one. Whats the attraction, there are so many nice fish what is it about tangs. I just don't get it.

 

[Reefer1978]

I'll throw my 5c in. Reasons why I like tangs: Unique shape, vibrant colors, personality of the fish compared to others, they stay strong after initial acclimation & treatment. But I would only get 2-3 and not go too crazy with competing co-occupants.

Some of the other fish you mentioned:

• Angels - most are not reef safe and will eat coral eventually. I keep a pair of Watanabei angels as they are reef-safe.
• Antheas - most are hard to get to eat initially, so high losses in QT. Schooling fish - so you need the numbers. I keep a school of 5 Bimacs.

 

[Jay Z]

I like the tangs for the activity, personality, and looks. They also they are excellent stray algae grazers. They are easy to find, not super pricey, and tend to be hardy.

With all my rock work ( 40% of my tank) smaller schooling fish weren't a option, but with many caves, ledges, and bridges, tangs and a couple angels were perfect.

Plus I dislike "small fish" in general, damsel size and such.

 

[dwest]

Agree with above. Plus, my purple tang is older than my son who’s a junior in college. My yellow tangs are the first fish you see when you walk into my fish room. I can’t imagine my tank without a yellow tang.

 

[Pntbll687]

It's all about preference. I have 3 tangs in a 190, a hippo, a yellow, and a sailfin. They get along pretty well, but I mainly got them because they are active and add lots of color flashes when swimming around the tank without needing a school.

I have no plans to add anymore tangs, but will fill in with some smaller fish.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I think because tangs are such colorful, beautiful fish with a personality all their own. I think size plays a factor as well. Because the same could be said for anthias and wrasse. They get some amazing colors and are very active in the aquarium, but they stay on the smaller side.

 

[Auquanut]

To a certain extent, I think popularity breeds more popularity. There IS a lot of discussion about tangs, which in itself promotes interest. Also, I'm sure a lot of reefers purchase tangs without a firm knowledge of what their getting into. That being said, I keep a Hippo, Yellow and Yellow eye Kole in my 125. They get along very well and keep my rock work spotless. I added 2 bengai cardinals long after the tangs and they never showed any aggression. The Hippo and Kole are very attentive and seem interested in everything I do. I just can't say enough good things about these fish.

 

[99Problems]

You're not alone they're the Oscars of the sw world. I could care less about them and don't get the hype. Gem tang for $800 ?? To each they're own though. Dori is not for me

 

[Hemmdog]

They eat algae. Most people don’t like algae and they eat it better than any other readily accessible fish. I’m fallow right now and literally dying until it’s over so I can get a few small tangs to eat all this sea lettuce that has sprung up.

 

[Murica]

I personally like them because they grow quite larger than a lot of reef safe fish, and they're still reef safe unlike many other larger species.

 

[User1]

OK I probably going to alienate half the members of R2R now. But why are we, as a group, so obsessed with this group of fish. I have just done a straw poll of this forum's first page (OK not scientific) and 8 out of the 20 posts are about tangs.

What is it about these fish, yes some are pretty, but so are angels, anthias and just about any marine fish you can name. Most of them grow too big for the average tank, seem to be disease prone and can get aggressive with each other and your other fish. When they are settled you have to be careful what you add because they don't like new additions in the tank.

I see so many posts on here and other sites asking 'how many tangs', 'Can I put *inset tang name here* in my *inset tank size here*', 'I'm thinking of getting a baby X, how long before I need to move it on' I could go on and on. You don't see these posts about any other fish in the same quantities.

Then a bit down the line 'My tang has come out in white spots' or 'I put some fish in the tank and my tang has spots' 'I looked at the tang a bit harshly and it has white spots'

Many of them, end up as 6"-10" monsters with a character to match, even that cute little Chevron grows into a plain 8" slab. Don't get me started about Regals offered for sale as youngsters.

Then there's the aggression, I have a PB that the family named Psycho, I couldn't add anything to my tank, it hunted down and killed 10 Chromis!! Evil doesn't cover it. Powder browns, Achilles can turn into monsters. Sohal and Clown Tangs are just monsters.

So why are we obsessed with them? Why do so many new reefkeepers want one. Whats the attraction, there are so many nice fish what is it about tangs. I just don't get it.

If you have to ask...

Why? Easy, they serve a role in the ecosystem you are building at home. It is one option. This would be no different than a wrasse, a shrimp, a snail, or algae in refugium. They offer a splash of color. They offer speed. They offer a variety of sizes. Generally reef safe. Have a purpose. Shall I go on?

Holistically nine out of time times they offer a secondary purpose other than just being a ornamental fish. That is help control algae. It is but one tool in the toolbox. Up to you what works. Your thread could also be said of anything else in this hobby be it fish, algae, or coral.

 

[artieg1]

No other big colorful fish like tangs are reef safe (you may think your angel or butterfly is reef safe, but it ain't!). Hardy.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

How can you say no to this guy?

 

[KrisReef]

I got the ones we have now to eat algae and make my wife happy. My favorite fish ever was a blue tang I got that was about the size of a quarter when I added him to the tank. He grew quickly and looked nice and was fun to watch and nothing is as blue as a blue tang. Still, the only purpose of a fish is to eat food and feed the coral. As long as a fish does this I am ok with it.
Useless fish are fish that eat coral. I have no idea why anyone would have that kind of fish except if they have mutant seabass with laser beams on their heads. Some people like those kinds of fish but those are different people, right?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I got the ones we have now to eat algae and make my wife happy. My favorite fish ever was a blue tang I got that was about the size of a quarter when I added him to the tank. He grew quickly and looked nice and was fun to watch and nothing is as blue as a blue tang. Still, the only purpose of a fish is to eat food and feed the coral. As long as a fish does this I am ok with it.
Useless fish are fish that eat coral. I have no idea why anyone would have that kind of fish except if they have mutant seabass with laser beams on their heads. Some people like those kinds of fish but those are different people, right?

 

[TheGreatWave]

I am going to say first impressions. Tangs are usually the first active, fairly large, colorful, exotic body shape fish that a lot of people seem to notice. They have that image of say the reef central logo ingrained in their head even before they know that tangs eat algae.

 

[Paul Sands]

How can you say no to this guy?

Easy: No. thanks.

 

[Haydn]

I feel that all of the above posts support my assertion that we are obsessed with tangs, the posters above are happy to overlook their failing. A couple of posters have jumped in with the 'angels will eat your corals', yet no one has refuted my claim that many are or become aggressive, how many posts on R2R have we seen recommending a mirror, how many post have you seen asking how to negate that aggression, how many posts about yellow tangs turning on one individual after they have been living together for ages.

Tangs generally get big and being herbivorous have inefficient digestive systems and therefore as they get large produce a copious amount of waste for their size, which our system has to deal with.

Again how many posts on here ask about 'spots' on their tang, how many post about them being 'ick magnets'. All the posters above are happy to ignore that to own one.

I am not a tang hater, I have owned a number over the years but I believe we are obsessed with them as a group and are prepared to ignore their shortcomings to own one. 8 out of 20 posters on the front page can't be wrong.

 

[Paul B]

I have no obsession with tangs as I find them to common and boring. If you dive you will see that tangs are very common sometimes you see thousands of them all following each other. To me, tangs have little personality compared to lets say a copperband butterfly that does not live in a school and has a mind of it's own.
Tangs are beautiful and fairly easy to keep if you understand their pension for living in a school and liking to follow other tangs.

 

[Jon Fishman]

No other big colorful fish like tangs are reef safe (you may think your angel or butterfly is reef safe, but it ain't!). Hardy.

Koi Parrotfish.....