Tangs

[z28pwr]

I'm setting up my reef and want to move my purple tang into the reef once it's setup but I would also like to have a yellow tang in there aswell.

I know you're not supposed to have 2 of the same body type in the same tank, but could I get away with 3 maybe a purple tang, yellow tang and a sailfin tang if they were all introduced at the same time and all were about the same size ? :roll:

The tank is a 150 gallon.


Thanks.

[Henry]

Right now I have a yellow tang, clown tang and a regal tang all in a 65 gallon breeder. No problem so far, but a few scuffles. They were all introduced at different times and are all about the same size. And yes I've heard the tang police knocking at my door a couple of time. :o


Henry

[Chris]

Henry... please step out of the car... we're heading downtown. :police:

FWIW... The purple would tear the yellow tang up. They're more aggressive so if you do attempt it... start off with a larger yellow and a smaller purple. Couldn't say how well they would all do in the long run... but that 150G you have should provide adequate hiding spaces.

[Tim Marvin]

I have a purple, yellow, red sea sailfin, and hippo tang all in a 120gallon DAS. They get along fine and have for years now. I have only had problems when putting two of the same type and color in, but there is always an exception. I have seen two yellows get along perfectly fine. In fact I beleive Ed (Hammer) bought a tank with two yellows in it.

[Isis]

I had a yellow and a purple in a 72-gallon for over a year, and they were always going at it, sort of. They had their own sides of the tank, but as soon as one crossed the line they were trying to tear each others tails with their barbs. Every so often, one or both would have their tail's split, which would heal shortly after, but I wasn't comfortable with the stress levels between them. IMO I would never do that again, even if I had a larger tank. A 150-gallon, might be acceptable for two different shaped tangs, but pick between either the purple, yellow, or sail fin instead of getting greedy. Remember, your charges are supposed to happy and comfortable because they are no longer in a home that has millions of gallons to swim in. Tangs need a lot of swimming room depending on the species, and since sail fins get larger than the yellow and purple, eventually one will become the dominant one. You can't always assume that just because they are introduced at the same time, they will always be "friends". And not ALL good cases are a sign that it can work for others. Most of the time tang incompatibility will force you to remove one eventually, assuming one doesn't die from stress or battle wounds first. A yellow and a regal should have no problems getting along, even though it seems like the clown tang is out of place since those get pretty large compared to the other two. A 65-gallon seems too small for three tangs.

[Hammer]

Add them at the same time, and make sure they are young. Young ones like to school, and any 'debates' are usually very minor. For a while I had two regal tangs in an 80 gallon with great success. They never picked on each other, but I let them go to a larger tank when they started to get bigger.
As for yellows, there are always exceptions, but small ones from the start, and plenty of hiding space will pretty much give them plenty of space in your tank. They actually LIKE to school with the purple tangs, and sometimes with the sailfins. (just observations on the sailfin).

I would not however attempt this many different ones that were not small or added at the same time.