90g Setup Completed. Powder Blue Tang *Crossing Fingers*

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TheChad

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
568
Location
Warrensburg, IL
Hey all,

Well The 90 Gal tank is up, running, and leveled out. I finally got my temp under controll, sits at 78.4 at night, and goes up to 81.2 by the end of the daylight cycle with the 2x 150w MH's burning.

I have some fans on order that will hopefully close that gap on the temp swing.

My Parameters are all where they should be. Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 0, PH -8.2, Calcium - 420.

My corals, are all doing wonderfully, and My fish/shrimp are all doing great! I only lost 1 thing in the transfer from the 55g, and that is my sand sifting starfish. I believe he got stuck under one of the rocks, which caused him to die...

All in all, I am very pleased how the transfer went, I was scared I was going to loose alot more.


I was at the LFS yesterday, and I have been eyeing Powder Blue Tang's for months, but knew I could never keep on in my 55g, Now that my 90g is up and going they had 20% off fish, and had a small PBT, I could not pass him up.

He's been in the tank since last night at about 8pm, after a 2 hour drip acclimation. He's been crusing around the tank checking everything out, he's still a little shy when anyone walks by the tank, but otherwise doesn't seem to have any problems with anything else in the tank.

He's already eating algae on the rocks, and ate mysis shrimp with the rest of the gang this morning. I have green algae strips to fee also, but I have to go pick up a algae clip today.

Does the color algae make a difference? Green, Brown, Red?

How does everyone else do their algae clip? Float it at the top? I've tried sticking the suction cup to the wall, but it always just falls off into the sand, I've tried putting it down in the sand, but the crabs usually come over and make a mess of it.

I'm crossing my fingers that everything goes ok, and that I don't get any ich outbreak. Do most with tangs usually have a UV light filter?

I do have a Fire Shrimp, but I can't say he's real active as a parasite cleaner. I use to have a Cleaner Shrimp that was real active on cleaning new fish, but usually scared the crap out of the new guy. But my Flame hawk fish ate him for lunch (Ouch).

-TheChad
 
I rubber band my algea clip to a piece of rubble. I use the green. I tried the purple and the fish ate it, but it almost desintegrates when it gets really soaked. Gets pretty messy.

Good luck with the PBT. I personally would never put a tang, especially a powder blue, in my display without at least 2 weeks of qt. just to watch it.

I don't use a UV, and don't expect a UV or any type of cleaners to be able to control an ich outbreak should one come up.
 
The UV will kill the parasite but only those that swim into the UV chamber. I use one and think they are very beneficial but it`s not like you can herd all the ick into the UV if you get my drift. I clean a spot on my glass so the clip will stick. Powder blue`s are more suseptible to ick so keep an eye out. Just make sure he keeps eating esp. the greens.
 
...Good luck with the PBT. I personally would never put a tang, especially a powder blue, in my display without at least 2 weeks of qt. just to watch it.

I don't use a UV, and don't expect a UV or any type of cleaners to be able to control an ich outbreak should one come up.



I know most here believe in the QT process. I have tried it, and every time I have QT'd a fish, they are doing great in QT, I acclimate them to my main tank, and once in the main tank, they die in a few days.



**Update**

I got an algae clip today, I put some green algae on the clip, but the PBT was not interested at first. He eats the Mysis shrimp with no problems, and he eats the Ocean Nutrition Formula Two Flakes.

At first I had the algae clip up at the top of the tank, after 20 minutes, I moved it about 1/2 way down the glass hoping he would see it. He swims by it, but wasn't picking at it. But he is still activly picking at the rocks/glass.

After a couple of hours, he started to pick at the algae on the clip. So I think it just took him some time to realize what it was. So far soo good, No problems eating, No Ich Spots.

-TheChad
 
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I would also consider Spirilina flakes as this has plenty of vegetable matter in it.
 
I would also consider Spirilina flakes as this has plenty of vegetable matter in it.


You got a picture of it? My selection among LFS's is pretty limited. I got those forumla two flakes because they said they have veggies in it and are for tangs.

Any advice on keeping the algae on the clip? The fish pick at it a few time, and it just tares off the clip and goes floating around the tank. I'm sure 90% of it ends up in the Skimmer!

-TheChad
 
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** Update **

I am happy to report, that it's been 5 days, and my powder blue tang is eating well, he eats any and everything I have offered him, and picks at the rocks.

He is looking a little more full now, not soo skinny, and no signs of ich!

-TheChad
 
Excellent!! Usually if a fish is happy and doesn't get stressed out in the tank the Ich issue wont come up but that isn't always the case. If your PBT is eating and is doing well then you are in good shape for now but still keep an eye on things.

As for the clip I have the same issue of keeping it in place. What I do is I tied a string to the clip, it is long enough that if the clip comes off I will be able to retrieve it without sticking my hand into the tank. I have a canopy that I can't remove easily and I can't reach the bottom without removing it so the string was a great solution for me.

I use green algae only. My tangs dont care for the purple/red or browns.
 
Good news indeed. I second the OSO spirulina flake Mike suggested. It is the only flake I feed in my tank and is a great veggie suppliment at feeding time.
 
As for keeping the nori in the clip, I use a half-sheet at a time. I then fold that in half, then form a triangle folding it corner to corner, then make a smaller triangle by folding it half using the other corners. I then clip it at the open end of the last fold, leaving the unbound edges free. The fish can then tear off a piece from any one of several sheets.

It holds up much better this way, though the tang or FoxFace will tear off a large piece on occasion. That usually leads to the other one grabbing the opposite end of the torn piece and watching a tug of war between the two. Lot's of fun to watch. Some smaller pieces do end up as floaters and the coral beauty or blue tang (still a juvenile) go chasing after if one of the bigger guys doesn't. Still some always makes it to the overflow where it get stuck and the snails then take over and finish it off.

There is a definite pecking order here with the Sailfin Tang and Foxface Lo as co-equals at the top, followed by the blue tang (now) and then the coral beauty.

I've heard of taking a piece and rolling it up tightly, then rubber banding that to a piece of rock.

Either method makes the fish work a bit to get their share.
 
I'm sure it's just my explanaiton. I'll try to remeber to take photos the next time I feed them (like later today after my pwc).
 
A 1/2 sheet I think would be quite a bit too much for 1 PBT and 1 Coral Beauty though....

I usually take a 1-2" Wide by 2-3" Long piece fold it in 1/2 then clip it. The problem is after a couple of hours it gets real soft, and one peck at it after that and its floating..

-TheChad
 
I tried the rolling into a tube, and it works better than just hanging a piece loose, but still not soo great.

Next I tried the Nori Finger Football, only in a version 1/4 sheet, and that works the best at holding together.


P.S. Are all heaters tempature controlled, or do some work on a timer basis? The reason I ask is because The 300w heater I am using, I can see running when the tank is at 80 degrees (While the MH's are on), Yet when the MH's are shut off the tank maintains 78.6. So I'm wondering if this heater works on a timer to maintain heat vs temp controlled!?

-TheChad
 
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