Tangs
- Thread starter Vague
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Any tang that is properly housed and cared for should not get ICH. Ich is more a symptom of a problem than the actual problem. STRESS is the biggest cause of ICH so keep the fish unstressed and you shouldn't have to deal with ICH.
Sniperhank
Giant Clam Addict
It is all about a large tank, stable parameters, and places to hide. Outside of the kole, bristletooth, and a couple others, tangs require a 6 ft long tank minimum. These are open water swimmers that cover huge areas of open water. The best this is simulated the better.
Animal-Chin
Aquarium Advice Addict
That being said........Purple,Naso, Blue, Powder Brown & Powder Blue seem to stress the easiest while it appears Yellow and Sailfin seem to be easier to acclimate to a tank to avoid ich.
If I had to pick a Tang to try first I'd go Yellow or Sailfin.
Just my opinion.
Also ask at the store how long they've had it. I wouldn't buy a Tang that hasn't been in the store for at least a month. I'd also try to avoid the really small ones. They are cute but the babies seem harder to keep alive. I have 3 tangs in my 125 6 foot tank and I paid extra for big fat adult ones instead of the cheaper minis that always seemed to die on me...
If I had to pick a Tang to try first I'd go Yellow or Sailfin.
Just my opinion.
Also ask at the store how long they've had it. I wouldn't buy a Tang that hasn't been in the store for at least a month. I'd also try to avoid the really small ones. They are cute but the babies seem harder to keep alive. I have 3 tangs in my 125 6 foot tank and I paid extra for big fat adult ones instead of the cheaper minis that always seemed to die on me...
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
But keep in mind that these 2 types are also the most aggressive and hardest to add new fish into a tank after they have established themselves. Make these the last fish you put in instead of the first.
Gregcoyote
Aquarium Advice Addict
Andy is right. It's all about stress and a understanding about the various habitats surgeonfish inhabit. Some tangs, like yellows, cover large areas of the reef in flocks, like birds. Some, like the clown tang work surge zone areas that are highly oxygenated and needs a fish that is full of energy to cope in that environment, one reason they are bad choices for most reef tanks. (I have one, he is a jerk)
Kole tangs, for instance, tend to be more solitary and restrict their browsing area to a smaller portion of reef, so they tend to adapt to aquarium life better.
The tank itself can prevent stress. My tangs are 10-20 years old. Never any ick. There is a lot of common sense and thinking like a fish (yes, really) that goes into a tang friendly tank.
Kole tangs, for instance, tend to be more solitary and restrict their browsing area to a smaller portion of reef, so they tend to adapt to aquarium life better.
The tank itself can prevent stress. My tangs are 10-20 years old. Never any ick. There is a lot of common sense and thinking like a fish (yes, really) that goes into a tang friendly tank.
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