Which Tang

Breed · 10-20-2006, 05:23 PM

Hey Guys,

This is my first post on this site and I have read your forums and they are a really great help!

I have a 135 Gallon tank and I have been running it for 5-6 years. It is very stable and full of corals and fish. The only problem I have is that I only have a lemonpeel and a hippo tang that are vegetarians and both are relatively small (3-4 inches each). There is a heap of algae growth around, on the rocks and glass and I was looking for another great tang to throw in there to help with the problem.

What tangs do you guys think are options for the tank. I was thinking along the lines of a Kole or Bristletooth Tomini Tang. Help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Breed

Tangster · 10-20-2006, 06:37 PM

A Kole will do fine they are very laid back and a great algae eater also a Fox face is a different way to go also a great algae eater and 1st cousins to the tangs. Just get one along the same size as you now have. Now a Kole is a very shy at first tang and not all that easy to settle in if its tweaked and or stressed to much. But if you have lots of rock work then you will have no or little problems and the same all most with a Fox face or aka rabbit fish.. I always liked the old kole or yellow eye tangs.

Jason McKenzie · 10-20-2006, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tangster

A Kole will do fine they are very laid back and a great algae eater also a Fox face is a different way to go also a great algae eater and 1st cousins to the tangs. Just get one along the same size as you now have. Now a Kole is a very shy at first tang and not all that easy to settle in if its tweaked and or stressed to much. But if you have lots of rock work then you will have no or little problems and the same all most with a Fox face or aka rabbit fish.. I always liked the old kole or yellow eye tangs.

I agree 100% It was actually a FoxFace that showed my Tangs what algae was good to eat

J

Breed · 10-20-2006, 06:42 PM

Okay, I think ill go with a Kole Tang. There is something about them that just appeals to me. Thanks for the help guys!!

coral reefer · 10-20-2006, 07:09 PM

Welcome to 3reef!!!!
I have a Bristlemouth and he does a good job of cleaning the live rock, more so than my Yellow Tang! Becareful with the Tangs and what kind or how many you put in a tank...They are very territorial especially towards same shape/species. Unless you get them at the same time, and usually as a juvenille and/or have a large tank, you run the risk of fighting and aggressive behavior between Tangs as well as possible ICH(disease) due to stress!!!!
They are awesome lively fish with a personality all to themselves...
Enjoy and best of luck with the tank and the Tang dilemna!

jtReef · 10-20-2006, 08:41 PM

Be carefull of the fox face.
I have seen them over agressive compared to most other tangs.
But that is just my experience

Breed · 10-23-2006, 12:24 AM

Hey guys, I was down at the local dealer and saw that they had a nice convict tang that was about 4 inches. He looked in good shape and was quite a cute little fish. Has anyone ever kept these fish? In further research I read that they can be kept in groups and are not aggressive?

Its in a different family to the Blue tang, being Pararcantharus and Arcantharus but are very similar, so Im just wondering if they may fight?

Thanks for all your previous help everyone!! It is must appreciated and at this stage, the kole tang is looking to be number 1!!

amcarrig · 10-23-2006, 05:26 AM

I love convict tangs. Not too flashy but its coloration makes up for that. As for wether or not it will fight with your blue tang, it's pretty much a crap shoot. I, however, would have no qualms about putting it in the tank with a hippo tang. Is the convict that you saw bigger, smaller or the same size as your hippo?

Breed · 10-23-2006, 05:36 AM

yer... umm maybe a tad bit bigger, like .5 inches bigger. He looked good thou!!

amcarrig · 10-23-2006, 05:42 AM

I would give it a try. Worst that can happen is the fish don't get along and you have to remove one. I doubt you'll have to go that far though as hippos aren't known for being overly aggressive. Not sure about convicts though. A good idea to reduce initial aggression is to turn the tank lights off and feed the fish while you're releasing the new tang into the tank. To reduce further aggression, you could try to rearrange a few pieces of rock in the tank in order to make the hippo feel the need to re-establish a territory.