yellow and kole tang

[sHistA]

i have a 44 gal tang with a damsel a tomato clown and a yellow tang. i no the tank is not big enough for the tang but i realle really wanted to get a kole tang that would be the last of my stocklist will they live togather??? at least for a year??

 

[sHistA]

bump

 

[Brenden]

You know a yellow tang requires a larger tank. A kole tang needs a larger tank than a yellow. Just one tang in that size tank will cause it stress. 2 in the tank is asking for disaster. They will probably fight non-stop. Bottom line it is your money do what you want but if you are wanting approval to do it from someone in this forum I feel comfortable saying it will not happen. Put the tang on hold and save up for a bigger tank that you can stock with tangs.

 

[melosu58]

Brian is right they wont make it in a 44 gallon tank. But if you get a bigger tank thay will be OK. I have three different tangs in my 125. of which two are a yellow and kole

 

[Hara]

will they live togather??? at least for a year??

no

 

[macman7010]

Well considering a Yellow Tang requires at least a 75 gallon tank and a Kole tang around a 100 gallon conventional wisdom would say no. Although a Yellow Tang is of the Genus Zebrasoma and a Kole Tang is of the Genus Ctenochaetus. Tangs of the same Genus or that are similar in apperance will often fight, typically violently. Although these two tangs are of different Genus classifications and look totally different as well.

The question you need to ask is how large are the fish. If your Yellow Tang is one of the 1.5-2 inch juveniles I often see for sale and the Kole Tang you are looking at is one of the 2 inch juveniles than you might be ok. Tangs grow at alarmingly slow growth rates and at young ages and small sizes dont require near the room that they do when they are adults.

Just remember that eventually you will either need to upgrade to a larger tank (100 gallons +) or get rid of the Tangs. As for them living together in a 44 I think it would go for a year considering they grow very slowly. Again if your Yellow Tang is a large sub-adult (3 inches plus) or the Kole is large than it is a major no-no. If both tangs are very young and small and you do get them than I would recommend supplementing thier diet daily with Green Marine Algae soaked in a Multi-Vitamin formula since if HLLE develops at that age it is nearly always fatal.

 

[Phyl]

How long is the 44? Tangs thrive on lengthwise swimming (unlike clowns who seem perfectly content swimming up and down in a line). If you had a good 4' of swim space I'd say maybe but anything less than that for either tang just isn't fair. Could you move your bedroom to the space under the stairs? Surely, but it isn't a very nice place to call home, eh?

 

[steve r]

this plan is not in the best interest to the health of the fish. if they did not fight i am sure the would "live" but it would be not the most repsonsible thing to do

just as a side note, i have not seen that kole tangs need 100 gallons. i purchased one for my 75 and i did a lot of research before the purchase. they are actually one of the smaller tangs. smaller than the yellow tang in general.

steve r

 

[StripesTheEel]

Wouldnt risk it...save your money for a larger tank...and you will be fine..

 

[Fluff]

Mixing tangs in general can be risky, and only suggested in appropiately sized systems. Adding two in such tight quarters is a very bad idea.

 

[afilter]

Mixing them can be done, but definately not is a 44g. I had three tangs in a 75g and opted to get rid of two of them when I upgraded to a 90g because I knew long term it was the best thing to do for the fish.

Here is a similar thread with a pic of the three tangs swimming happily together:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=65886&highlight=

Save your money do some more research and do what everyone does and get a larger tank when you can afford to.