NanoCrazed
Guest
That's what tank upgrades are for... 
Adding Tang(s)
- Thread starter svreef
- Start date
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Currently swimming in my 300
12” fowleri 12yrs
6” black 5yrs
6” chevron 13yrs
7” tenneti 4yrs
fowleri rules but the black tang is a real prick!
i’ve had these fish together for several years
12” fowleri 12yrs
6” black 5yrs
6” chevron 13yrs
7” tenneti 4yrs
fowleri rules but the black tang is a real prick!
i’ve had these fish together for several years
Coral reefer
Past President
I wonder what the black would say about you!
Flagg37
Guest
I had an Achilles, yellow, and white tailed bristletooth. I really liked the Achilles but he was definitely the “king” of the tank. I wouldn’t call him a jerk necessarily, but he definitely maintained his dominance. My yellow went carpet surfing and I replaced it with a smaller one. I had to use the mirror tactic or the Achilles would have killed it. He was pretty relentless, but after 3 days I took the mirrors off and didn’t see any further aggression. The bristletooth, on the other hand, was very passive.
In the next tank, I would definitely do the Achilles and yellow again but probably not the bristletooth. She was a fine cleaner, but no real personality.
In the next tank, I would definitely do the Achilles and yellow again but probably not the bristletooth. She was a fine cleaner, but no real personality.
ofzakaria
Guest
How often Achilles die in captivity it's almost irresponsible buying smd collecting them. That's just my opnion.
The highest mortality rate I have seen is in Achilles.
Coral reefer
Past President
I got lucky with mine. Added it last. The three yellows worked together to try to kick him out of any place he went for awhile, but eventually they have excepted him. He’s clearly faster and more agile, so always a me to escape, but now he’s at least as big and probably even a little bigger than them. I’ve seen him give them the business a few times but I think he’s mostly just standing up for himself.
Flagg37
Guest
I didn’t know they had a high mortality rate. Do you have a source for making that claim or is it just your feeling from what people say online? I only had the one and it did fine.
When you say highest mortality rate, are you talking about among tangs or all fish? I can think of quite a few other fish (not tangs) that are definitely higher.
If I had to make my own “guess” as to which tang had the highest mortality rate, I would say hippos. For three reasons, they are sold smaller so people don’t have a good understanding of how big they get, they are one of the cheaper tangs so I think there are more sold (Dory plays into their popularity too)4 is , and they are known to be more prone to ich than some of the other species of tangs. That would be my guess but I could be wrong.
When you say highest mortality rate, are you talking about among tangs or all fish? I can think of quite a few other fish (not tangs) that are definitely higher.
If I had to make my own “guess” as to which tang had the highest mortality rate, I would say hippos. For three reasons, they are sold smaller so people don’t have a good understanding of how big they get, they are one of the cheaper tangs so I think there are more sold (Dory plays into their popularity too)4 is , and they are known to be more prone to ich than some of the other species of tangs. That would be my guess but I could be wrong.
ofzakaria
Guest
It's a universal understanding in the industry how hard these fish are. Ask any LFS who is not selling, and see what they will say. LFS lose half what they buy in their stores alone..
Achilles Tang (Acanthurus achilles)
www.tropicalfishkeeping.com
Achiles Tang - Fish Laboratory
The Achilles Tang as a full adult can grow to about 10 inches. They are quite beautiful with a black background lined with orange and white around the fins as a juvenile. As an adult they grow a large teardrop shape near their tail. When agitated, they will raise their dorsal fins to give the...
www.fishlaboratory.com
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Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
the achilles swims happily with a yellow eye kole tang....in a different system
Coral reefer
Past President
They are different types so you got that going for you. I would add whatever other tang(s) you’re going to at the same time. Like maybe a kole tang too. Might be smart to put it/them in after light off to minimize immediate aggression.
Live aquaria DD has a kole and a mimic black tang at 3” and 2.5”. Would that be a good option?
The yellow eye looks cool! They have them at AC.
I got lucky and obtained mine from someone breaking down their tank. He was already eating all types of food. My swims with Powder Blue,blue,yellow,purple tangs.It's a universal understanding in the industry how hard these fish are. Ask any LFS who is not selling, and see what they will say. LFS lose half what they buy in their stores alone..
"One of the most difficult of all saltwater fish to acclimate to the home aquarium, the Achilles Tang is best left in the ocean,"Achilles Tang (Acanthurus achilles)
"Overall, the Achilles Tang has a poor survival rate in aquariums."Achiles Tang - Fish Laboratory
The Achilles Tang as a full adult can grow to about 10 inches. They are quite beautiful with a black background lined with orange and white around the fins as a juvenile. As an adult they grow a large teardrop shape near their tail. When agitated, they will raise their dorsal fins to give the...
