Caring For a Powder Blue Tang

I am thinking about purchasing a 3-4" Powder Blue Tang but I'm a little concerned about how delicate they are. I am thinking of purchasing from either Live Aquaria or Blue Zoo Aquatics. The nice thing about Live Aquaria is that they have a 14-day guarantee whereas Blue Zoo can only guarantee the Powder Blue Tang to arrive alive. Live Aquaria charges $79.99 and Blue Zoo charges $64.95, I suppose you pay a little extra for the guarantee. I know from looking at Powder Blue Tangs in pet stores that they are very ich prone due to shipping stresses but how long will they live in an established reef set up? I use a 30-gallon trashcan as my quarantine tank and will QT my new addition for 6 weeks. I have Cupramine for any signs of ich and will lower the salinity to 1.009 if any parasites show up. Also how aggressive is the Powder Blue Tang? My other option is to buy a Yellow Belly Hippo Tang but I like the look of the Powder Blue Tang more. Plus most people unfamiliar with saltwater fish will mistaken the Yellow Belly for an ordinary Blue Hippo Tang. My 120 gallon tank is a year old this month with plenty of micro organisms living in the live rock.

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Powder blues can be as aggressive as any other tang. The trick to keeping a Powder Blue is to have pristine water and to get a fish that actually eats. Getting them to eat is really one of the hardest parts to keeping this fish. We currently have one in a well established 180 gallon and although he ate everything that we fed him during the first few weeks, he has recently gotten more picky so feeding has become harder. As a result, he's gotten real skinny real fast so even though he's been in the tank for almost a month, he might become a problem if he doesn't start eating regularly again.

 

I know some fish are captive bred - like some clowns. How about tangs? And, if so, would captive-bred vs. wild make a difference in their eating habits and, perhaps, with their aggression?

 

I've also read tank bred vs wild tangs do better in reef settings

 

I am having some doubt with adding another tang. What do would anyone recommend I add? 3 or 4 Lyretail Anthias (One Male, Two or Three Females)? I also like the Rosy Scales Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis), Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica), Purple Queen Anthias, Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus), Bartlett Anthias but I don't like the price tag for 3 or 4 of them ($120+), Sunburst or Fathead Anthias.

If a lot of experienced reefers recommend I not purchase a PBT I would like to know what would be best to add from the above list.

I wanted to add the PBT to add some blue to the tank. The PBT and the Regal Tang are the only two blue fish I would like in my tank.

If I don't buy the PBT I think I will get 3 Bartlett Anthias and a Firefish. I like the colors the Lyretail Anthias would add the the tank but I don't want a school of 5" fish. I think they'll get too big.

I currently have
1 Purple Tang
4 Green Chromis
1 Desjardini Sailfin Tang
1 Male McCosker's Wrasse
1 Spotted Kole Tang
1 Female Spotted Mandarin

Total of 34 adult inches

2 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Fire Shrimp
2 Peppermint Shrimp


I have a 120 gallon tank with 190 lbs. live rock, 80lbs. live sand and a 30 gallon refugium with 20 lbs. Miracle Mud.

 

Live Aquaria has a sale on 3-4" Powder Blue Tangs for $59.99! (Reg. $79.99) I think I'll purchase from there since they offer a 14 day guarantee. Has anyone purchased a PBT from Saltwaterfish.com? They have really good sales. I've bought a 2.5" Purple Tang for $19.99, 4" Desjardini Sailfin for $39.99 and a 3.5" Spotted Kole Tang for $49.99 and all have been in my 120 for a year now. They sell the PBT for $59.99 but it's from the Indo Pacific whereas LA receives theirs from the Maldives.

 

I see some issues with the Purple tangs but they will work it out somehow hell they can't leave home can they
Purples can be as mean as any two other tangs But with time they will get used to one another maybe some tail slapping and a fast chase ..