Blue Tangs

[kareen]

stuartgiam: wow... these are great advises from experience reefers. Pounder upon it and u will progress from there.

[Ah-lim]

The secret to keeping tangs is good quarantine. You will save yourself and your tang a lot of grief if you QT the fish for at least 3 weeks with seachem cupramine, something which I have had great sucess with. Sechem recommends .5ppm but I found .3 to .4 ppm to be equally effective.

For now, just leave your tank fishless for about a month and QT all new arrivals subsequently. This will erradicate the ICH once and for all from your sytem and you will never have to deal with it again.

I am telling you this beacuse I learnt the hard way, I wished I have QT'ed all my fishes when I first started this hobby 20 years ago.

Hi,

I am very interested in your quarantine tank set up. Can you briefly tell me how is yours set up? Thanks a million.

Mine is only 1 live rock and 1 sponge filter.

However, I hav heard people saying to omit the liverock in the quarantine tank and put in other forms of stuff for the fish to hide, such as pvc pipe.

Is it because of harmful bateria that might make live rocks their home?

[blackpuma]

Hi,

I am very interested in your quarantine tank set up. Can you briefly tell me how is yours set up? Thanks a million.

Mine is only 1 live rock and 1 sponge filter.

However, I hav heard people saying to omit the liverock in the quarantine tank and put in other forms of stuff for the fish to hide, such as pvc pipe.

Is it because of harmful bateria that might make live rocks their home?

Hi there,

you do not need any live rocks for your QT tank. My tank is 2 ft filtered with a powerhead loaded with bio balls.

Use PVC pipes for the fish to hide and do not add sand, just BB. Any Calcareous material in the tank will make the copper medication less effective because Calcareous material absorbs copper.

I also use a protein skimmer to keep dissolved organics and No3 down. Make sure your tank is mature 1st B4 qt'ing any fish. That is all to it, nothing special, no secret and definitely not rocket science!

Last but not least, add cupramine to 0.3 ppm and strictly follow the instructions on the bottle. Cupramine is pygmy angel safe, I used cupramine to qt my bicolor angel and he is in my tank for almost 2 yrs already.

HTH

[stuartgiam]

Thanks to all your fedback... never knew so much is at stake and I guess thro'

trials and errors ,we learned.

Wow, if hardy tangs need so much attention,then, I wonder if I should just keep

different kinds of tangs and not have any other species.

Generally, do all Tangs feed, behave and have the same degree of care ? Are purple tangs much more prone to sickness?

[Ah-lim]

Hi there,

you do not need any live rocks for your QT tank. My tank is 2 ft filtered with a powerhead loaded with bio balls.

Use PVC pipes for the fish to hide and do not add sand, just BB. Any Calcareous material in the tank will make the copper medication less effective because Calcareous material absorbs copper.

I also use a protein skimmer to keep dissolved organics and No3 down. Make sure your tank is mature 1st B4 qt'ing any fish. That is all to it, nothing special, no secret and definitely not rocket science!

Last but not least, add cupramine to 0.3 ppm and strictly follow the instructions on the bottle. Cupramine is pygmy angel safe, I used cupramine to qt my bicolor angel and he is in my tank for almost 2 yrs already.

HTH

Hi,

Thanks for your reply, it has been a great help !

I will remove my live rock from the quarantine tank, as the sole purpose of them is a form of biological filtration, guess a simple skimmer will be a better alternative.

Regarding Cupramine, it is a copper based medication. Would prolong exposure to it has any negative effect to the fishes? For example, 1 mouth or 2 with cupramine even though there isn't any signs of ich?

According to seachem, cupramine can be easily remove through the use of carbon.

Oh, is there a test kit in the market for copper?

Btw, for those using Cupramine, various brands of amonia testkit will show a very high reading. Not to be alarm , as there is a compound which is very similar to amonia in the Cupramine, but not dangerous to fishes.

[reeftask]

Thanks for your solid advice bro reeftask

What kind of food diet you feed them with ? Mine keeps dying so I dare not keep any Tangs but wuld love to . I bought a 4 BT about three weeks ago, just to test the condition, so far only one is surviving but hides in the rocks and qite skinny.comes out only for food then goes back in again.

Also, do you think that damsels are responsible in killing them, I have about five damsels in a 4 ft. tank.

I keep blaming on the water condition but other fishes seemed to be doing ok.... it's only the tangs 

sorry, I went lost into the jungle. LOL

Glad some good reefers advised in time.

Well, after reading more on your previous experiences, I think the major factor is you didnt quarantine your tang. It happened to me 7 years ago which wiped out all my fishes in my 3 ft tank. I have some fishes which will play with my hands and eventually ich wiped them out. I never get see these these good fishes anymore.

I have successfully quarantined small tangs 20 cents size at 1.019, hang-on filter in a 2ftX1ftX1ft tank with copper raised everyday for 2 months. There is no cleaner shrimp in this tank. I just feed them mysis shrimp.

Well, when the tangs had grown too big, I always give out to my friends.

I dont think damsels can bully your small tangs. I have always noticed my 2 perculas always want to be big boss in the tank but my small tangs always will fight it out although they are much smaller. When these tangs have grown, they become the big boss. Tangs are medium aggresive and medium hard to keep. But small tangs are hard to keep during quarantine so becareful.

Now I just starting on researching quarantine with 1.008 with LRs in a 3ft tank for 3 months! I think copper is bad for the fish so I am not sing copper again. I have included in this research with 2 small cleaner shrimps and 2 small blue tangs. I just dont believe shrimps wont live in a hypo salinity condition. I think they wont survive because the water parameters and tank conditions. Now my tank had reached 1.013 and tomorrow I will drop it to 1.010.

Now what I am worrying is I have to be in outstation in November in a project for 2-3 months.

[XPeriment 626]

Were your tangs eating when you first bought them? Always insist that the LFS feed the fish in front of you, and only buy those that are feeding. Your tangs may already have been ill and on their way to a slow death.

[reeftask]

Were your tangs eating when you first bought them? Always insist that the LFS feed the fish in front of you, and only buy those that are feeding. Your tangs may already have been ill and on their way to a slow death.

too bad that small blue tang dies fast in shop and grab fast by customers. I have to go buy once shipment arrives. Usually before I pickup any fish, I will monitor them for 5-10 mins ignoring those attitude sellers. Once I selected that fish, I slowly take it out. It wont eat when just arrived for few days but usually they will eat after few days in my tank because I minimise the stress on them. Became Friend friend, LOL. Now these tangs in my quarantine tank will tell me that they want food by surfacing. I feed them only once/day full full. LOL. Usually sellers wont feed them in front of you as they want to save cost. Most sellers I noticed if you dont buy, they will talk rocks. The worse so far I see whom talk rocks is a thin lady boss in farmway. I wont say who. Since many years ago, she never change. Always see her talking rocks to customers. So how to make them feed? Even I go and buy, I make a fast turn to see if any fish target that I want. I dont want to be the next rock.

[Ah-lim]

Hi pple,

I juz wonder, how to you train a tang to take vaious type of food?

If its in the main tank, how to you let them take pellets,nori etc.

Mine only take red bamboo now, lol.

[reeftask]

The best way to train is in the quarantine time. When in the main tank, they will eat when they are starved while other fish eats the new food. But becareful when all of the fishes are too adpated to the same food and no fish starts to eat the new food, they all will starved and the food goes to the drain and filter.

I made a mistake been feeding mysis for 4 years so my fish dont eat dry food. So the auto feeder cant work in my tank. So I cant go on vacation for more than 2 days. I regretted switching to the mysis food too long.

[Ah-lim]

The best way to train is in the quarantine time. When in the main tank, they will eat when they are starved while other fish eats the new food. But becareful when all of the fishes are too adpated to the same food and no fish starts to eat the new food, they all will starved and the food goes to the drain and filter.

I made a mistake been feeding mysis for 4 years so my fish dont eat dry food. So the auto feeder cant work in my tank. So I cant go on vacation for more than 2 days. I regretted switching to the mysis food too long.

Thanks for the tip dude. I follow ya advise...

Lol, my tang eating cheato now.

Guess its best to introduce them new food during quarantine time.

[mopiko]

hi bro jakuson mentioned Julian Sprung's algae for blur tank. its dry food? where can we but it?

[reeftask]

hi bro jakuson mentioned Julian Sprung's algae for blur tank. its dry food? where can we but it?

its a seaweed brand: Julian Sprung. You can get them at marine LFS that sells seaweed.

[mopiko]

hi is marine life, reborn or jiren selling them?

[reeftask]

hi is marine life, reborn or jiren selling them?

I think ML has. You better ring up first.

You have any mopiko to giveaway? LOL

[mopiko]

me using mopiko leh. lots of mozzie here

[reeftask]

me using mopiko leh. lots of mozzie here

mopiko factory sure must support mopiko. So I ask for mopiko, no mosquito but stand-by. LOL

[Ah-lim]

Btw,

I feel that smaller Blue tang, such as those 2 inches , are harder to keep.

Any comments?

Took me a long while to get them to feed.

[mopiko]

hi bro

is the blue tank we talking here the regal tank aka dory? mine is oni bout 1.5 inches.

been reading that tang basic diet should be algae and seaweed. however, my regal tank seems to like mysis, brine shrimp, etc more (been feeding henry's gourmet feed) than seaweed.

tried seaweed (those dry square tye from market) and blanched lettuce but they seems to ignore them. the yellow and bristletooth loves the red bamboo but not the regal tank

[reeftask]

Btw,

I feel that smaller Blue tang, such as those 2 inches , are harder to keep.

Any comments?

Took me a long while to get them to feed.

the smaller the tangs, the harder to keep. Especially those tiny 1 inch type. But I always like to keep those and always success. At first, many years ago, I had wasted 30-40 tiny tangs during quarantine because they are too sensitive and stupid. Nowadays, it is OK.

blue tang is also dory, regal,.. more known as blue tang and regal tang.

It depends on individual on what algae they prefer.

I usually wont train them to eat algae. I also wont feed them special gourmet. I just feed them frozen mysis and sometimes brine shrimp. Just dont want to waste time giving special food.

BTW tangs will eat algae because this is their basic instinct. Only thing they prefer meat.

[mopiko]

ya. i read too that algae and seaweed suppose to be good for tank as it builds up their immune system agaist itch.

my blue tank just simply loves anything beside seaweed.....

is there any commercial algae in pellets form? where can i get them? dun tink the algae in my tank enough for them to glaze all day

[mopiko]

finally managed to find Julian Sprung seaweed at a LFS. not cheap wo. and the thing is my tangs still dont eat them however they are eating other food should i ignore them as long they eating of they should be eating more veggies?

[reeftask]

alage doesnt 100% build up the immune system agaist itch. Its like human, you need all source of proteins, vitamins and minerals. So different foods will cater different goodies. I will not worry there is not enough algae to graze. Algaes will grow faster rate than fishes consumption in a closed tank loop.

There is some pellets mixed with algaes but depends on individual fishes. Some ok some ignore this food. Its like other pets like dog, you feed them everyday meat, they will not eat dry food anymore and will rather starve.

You cant force them to eat what and not to eat what. You want to take them out from those LR and cane them? Then talk fish language, LOL. They will be more puzzled and some will be more stressed up with you around. You see now you waste the money on this seaweed, LOL@mopiko. Dont need to care so much on them la. Just feed them pellets and frozen mysis. Best if you can train them eat pellets, this will make your life easier. Every brands of pellets has different taste and noticed some brands are favorite and some are ignored by fishes.

[RockyBoy]

Blue/regal tang tend to eat meaty food than algae. Give him henry's food, you'll see its feeding frenzy.

[Ah-lim]

My tangs diet.

monday-pellet with garlic and seaweed

tuesday-spinach clipped on or red bamboo

Wednesday-frozen mysis cube

Try soaking the seaweed with galic guard, however, if they do not want it,

also cannot force.

Btw, the seaweed is those common one in super mkt, no need branded, heheee.