Yellow Tang

[Harry Gross]

We went to the LFS over this past weekend...becuse we were gonna be of the mountain anyways (+) I wanted to question the owner about lighting/corals/etc.
While there we went ahead and bought a yellow Tang...somewhat hastily.(I have'nt done any previous research on these guys...and all-of-a-sudden I have one.)
So heres a few Q's for anybody who'd care to share:
Do they eat the same type of diet as my Damsels?Chromis?clownfish? etc.??(frozen mystis shrimp/blood worms etc)
Is there a way to determine male or female ??
Are they a schooling breed??

 

[CaptainAhab]

meaty foods that must be supplemented with seaweed and/or algae. Do not school, will not get along with others of it's kind unless you add them at the same time and get lucky. Let's see how others get along with him, not the other way around

 

[melosu58]

They are herbivores and need plenty of seaweed and vegatable matter. I feed my tank every other day and on the off days I feed dried seaweed selects. I also feed live grape calerpa.

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Yellow Tang - Hawaii

 

[Harry Gross]

So far everybody excep the goby (of course) seem somewhat afraid of him/her.He/she forced the larger chromis outta its sleeping spot and completely took over that little section of the tank.
I've been making a brine shrimp-or bloodworm/Spirulina coctail in the a.m. to feed the whole tank.This a.m. the Tang seemed content to pick through all the floaties like everybody else.
Also yesturday the Tang WAS picking at some formula one marine pellets that I'd offered...becuse I'd noticed the Tang "taste-ing" the dead coralrocks @ the bottom.(becuse the pellets drop directly to the bottom...I put a couple over by its new house).
The Tang has been w/us since Saturday...basically hiding.This a.m. It seems to be more adventurous/curious and out and about.

 

[lando]

Oh the impulse buy at the LFS. I am guilty of it as well. In the wild yellow tangs are herbavours as Mike mentioned and they do school in very large groups. In the home aquarium, however, things change a bit. Schooling is out of the question due to limited realestate and most captive fish become omnivours based on the need. The important thing with tangs is diet. As mentioned, they are grazers, nori should be placed in the tank on a daily basis. I like San Fransisco Bay's Sallys Seaweed Salad because it tends to stay intact for a longer period of time. Aside from that, a good frozen food blend of protein and algae should be thawed and rinsed, then soaked in a garlic solution and a vit. suppliment such as Selcon before adding it to the tank. I feed nori daily and a much mixture every other day and my three tangs are fat and happy.

 

[austinsdad]

Any plans for additional fish to add? Sometimes the yellow tang can be agressive towards newcomers - especially new tangs or anything with a similar body shape.

 

[lando]

great point Ray.

 

[Harry Gross]

No plans for new additions to date.(the Tang was'nt eeeeeven 'a-plan') If anything new comes home it'll be a cleanershrimp.
This is a rebuild project.Its next "PLANNED" stage is "lighting and coral installation"....THAT I "HAVE" been doing my homework about....and first and foremost have learned its gonna take alot more money than is currently available.(plan to buy corals w/ matching lights all in one fell swoop)
At a local Freshwater fishstore we purchased some seaweed sheets w/clip and put 1/2 a sheet in( day-before-yesturday.)..Nightmare city !! The next day the sheet ended up breaking off...drifting into one of the pumps...and exploding into a zillion little flakes completely saturating the tank w/little green floaties !!(Jeeeeeze!!) "BUT" !! since the explosion we HAVE noticed the Tang picking at the bottom and along the corals...at the floaties so...
Also at feeding time (for everybody else) Tang does (passive-aggressively)have a nibble here and there.(frozen brine/spirulina).3 1/2 days in....so far so good.How does one tell what sex these little guyz are ?????