FAQs about the Powder Brown and White Cheek
Tangs Compatibility
Related Articles: Powder
Brown Surgeonfishes, Genus
Acanthurus, Naso,
Related FAQs: Powder Brown Tangs 1, Powder Brown Tangs 2, & FAQs on:
Powder Brown Tangs Identification,
Powder Brown Tangs Behavior,
Powder Brown Tangs Selection,
Powder Brown Tangs Systems,
Powder Brown Tangs Feeding,
Powder Brown Tangs Disease,
Powder Brown Tangs Reproduction,
& Acanthurus, Acanthurus Tangs 2, Acanthurus Tangs
3, Acanthurus ID, Acanthurus Behavior, Acanthurus Compatibility, Acanthurus Selection, Acanthurus Systems, Acanthurus Feeding, Acanthurus Disease, Acanthurus Reproduction, Surgeons In General, Tang
ID, Tang
Behavior, Compatibility, Systems, Feeding, Disease,
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Surgeonfishes: Tangs for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available
here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available
here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner |
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Z. flavescens and A. japonicus comp. Was Re: Nitrate Reactor
producing ammonia 11/11/11
Hi Bob
<Ger>
I really value your advice. Bought your book, The Contentious Marine
Aquarist and found it brilliant, hence contacting you in the first
place.
<Ahh>
One more question which I guess you've been asked a thousand times,
is there any other tang I could keep with a yellow?
<Mmm, yes... as long as there is room, there is good chance that a
member of another genus would go here>
Was looking at a White Cheek as I have heard they are quite hardy.
<Okay>
I have an Aqua Medic Percula 120, 440 litres. The yellow is about 4
inches. I obviously wouldn't do anything until the tank water was
absolutely right.
Thanks, Gerry
<I give you good odds of them getting along swimmingly. Cheers,
BobF>
Re: Nitrate Reactor producing ammonia 11/12/11
Thanks Bob, will start to look for one
<Real good. B>
Acanthuroid comp., beh. -- 08/04/09
I have a powder brown tang along with the Foxface that inhabit my 75
gallon. Are the two compatible?
<About half the time>
I put them together thinking they were. Also, my tang keeps on
scratching on the sand surface and hasn't shown any ich outbreak.
Why is he doing this?
<Most fish (species, individuals) do scratch a bit, Surgeonfishes
more than most. BobF>
Acanthurus japonicus/Compatibility 7/23/09
Dear WWM Crew,
<Angela>
You guys and gals are the best! I love the website and know that years
and years of work have gone into it. Thanks!
<Glad you enjoy.>
The word "reef-safe" is thrown around a lot and I was curious
to know your opinion regarding it and Acanthurus japonicus. I LOVE this
species and have researched it's needs extensively. I would like to
add one to my 110 gallon mixed reef. The only other fishes are 4 Blue
Chromis. My research has led
me to believe that most Tangs truly are "reef-safe", at least
in medium to large sized systems but some species like Sohals and Clown
Tangs may very well not be safe with inverts. I was browsing Live
Aquaria today and noticed that Acanthurus japonicus is labeled
"Reef-safe, with caution". No other source I've seen has
stated this and this concerns me because Live Aquaria (IMO) is usually
pretty accurate with their species information. In your experience, is
this species capable of sampling corals?
<They do not actually eat corals, problems can develop when algae is
allowed to grow on or near corals, and as grazer's, the fish will
try and consume it. Keeping well fed with an algae diet should curb any
potential problems.
You may want to read compatibility FAQ's here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/powbrntgcomp.htm>
Thank you!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Angela
Re: Tang Compatibility 1/17/09 Thank you very much
James for the response to my questions. <You're welcome,
Gordon.> I will pass on the Japonicus. <Good move. A larger tank
than yours is also beneficial for long term success with this fish.
Something to think about down the road.> My Kole Tang is a character
and a professional beggar when I enter the room. He is currently 5
inches long. <Sounds good.> I will have the wife refer to your
response to my coral question. Coral compatibility is a big concern as
was my lighting. Thanks for saving me heartache and money!!! <Glad
to be of service as I've been down that road a few times and lost
plenty of jing. If I were to attempt to keep a Powder Brown/Blue, I
personally, would use nothing smaller than a 180 gallon tank. James
(Salty Dog)> Gordon
Japonicus tang, trouble maker Dear Bob, Our japonicus-Goldrim
tang keeps nipping at our Goniopora, will it be the same with all other
japonicus as we are thinking of exchange him for a smaller one? (if I
manage to catch him) any tips on how to catch a large tank in this reef
system? I've sent you pic of our tank, have we placed many things
in the wrong spot? thanks for all your precious help. <You might
have luck training all your tangs to come to the surface to a
"veggie clip" of irresistible human-intended dried algae
(like a strip of Nori)... leaving a plastic covered net in place all
the while... till they ignored its presence (over a few days time
usually)... catching the offendi, by driving it with another net,
uplifting the "permanent one" under it> My favorite little
fishy hiding in the Acropora, he is really small and was extremely thin
when we got him, but with several daily feedings with a syringe,
he's just as healthy looking as the others and already very
territorial. I have never quarantined any of my fish and I'm amazed
that all tangs get on so well, though the "Goldrim and Achilles
seem to enjoy the usual catch tail-in a circle-dance every now and
then. We've had the Achilles for a record breaking 6 months, it
must be due to our new large set up. We did lose a couple in our
smaller system, ARGHHH when ich attacks! ALL THE BEST! Stef. <Thank
you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
PB Tang ... just don't call him "late for
dinner" Hello Bob? <Hello> Could you
please answer an important question for me? <Will try> I
just purchased a true powder brown tang (Acanthurus japonicus)
<Mmm, actually... A. nigricans is "the" powder
brown... please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/GoldRimSs.htm>
and he is in my 65g FOWLR with 65lbs of live rock, a dwarf angel,
percula clown, 2 Chromis, fairy wrasse and a bunch of hermit
crabs and few snails. My powder brown is almost 5
inches and is VERY healthy with good coloring. He
constantly changes colors. Meaning, his body which is
sometimes deep chocolate brown, changes to real light, almost
sheer brown, is this normal? <Yes... to some extent... should
be darker most of the time however> What is the
reason for this happening. <Perhaps adaptive coloration
(Mullerian mimicry), camouflage... maybe a form of communication
("stay away from me, I'm upset, sick as in not good to
eat")...> I just put the tang in my tank four days ago,
so he is still getting acclimated. Is my tank big
enough for him? <Not really... should be much larger, at least
twice this size> I would like to know ASAP if I
should remove him from my tank and give him back to the pet store
so I don't harm this animal and he doesn't get too
stressed. Thank you so much!!! Mike <Do you have
plans for a larger tank... soon? This is a good to better species
of surgeonfish for aquarium use... but does need larger quarters.
Bob Fenner>
White Cheek Tang II Hello, I
have a question for you regarding a powder brown tang (Acanthurus
japonicus). I have a fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus
solorensis) who has been in my tank for three months and the
powder brown tang I just put in two days ago constantly chases
him and beats him up. Do you know what the reason
could be for this, considering that the tang has NO established
territory and was put in the tank way after the
wrasse? Everywhere I have researched before I
purchased this tang mentioned nothing about it being aggressive
if being the last fish introduced to the tank. <Hmmm,
that's not entirely true. Virtually all of the
Acanthurus spp. surgeonfish can be aggressive to other like
bodied fish. It is very odd that it's choosing to
pester the fairy wrasse though. How big is your
tank?> de to add another fish in the tank, is he going to be
aggressive with them? <Probably. Sometimes a
territorial fight will just settle down after a few days/week,
sometimes not, sometimes they get worse.> The
wrasse is the only fish out of 7 that the tang
bothers. Also, on your WetWebMedia web site, you state
that the (Chaetodon Collare) butterfly fish is a tough
fish......"in general." Does the "in
general" mean that some live and some don't? <I'm
not personally very familiar with this fish, but this is the
general consensus, yes.> Or does it mean that most
live in captivity and they're easy to keep? I
would just like to have your brief opinion on this before I spend
the money for it? Thanks a lot, Brett <Hope this helps,
Matt>
White Cheek Tang III Thank you Matt. My tank
is 65g FOWLR with 70 lbs. of live rock. Is my tank big
enough to accommodate this tang (Acanthurus japonicus)? <Not
really> If not, what is the maximum size this fish can grow
until I have to move him to a larger tank? <Is
psychologically stressed at any size> He is also changing
color VERY often, he's lighter brown far more than he is
darker brown? <Not a good thing> Could this be happening
because my tank isn't big enough (keeping in mind he's
only been in my tank for four days so far)? <Yes, a
contributing factor> What color is this tang's natural
color, the darker brown or the lighter brown? <Darker>
Thanks so much, Brett <Bob Fenner>
Ongoing A. japonicus review Thank you
Matt. My tank is 65g FOWLR with 70 lbs. of live
rock. Is my tank big enough to accommodate this tang
(Acanthurus japonicus)? <Not in my opinion, at least not when
full grown. This would also explain the aggression
between the tang and the wrasse.> If not, what is
the maximum size this fish can grow until I have to move him to a
larger tank? <Hmmm, good question. I would err on
the side of caution here. But it sounds like he (or
the wrasse) might need to be moved soon if things don't
change.> He is also changing color VERY often, he's
lighter brown far more than he is darker brown? Could
this be happening because my tank isn't big enough (keeping
in mind he's only been in my tank for four days so
far)? What color is this tang's natural color, the
darker brown or the lighter brown? <Surgeonfish (and lots of
others) will change colors in response to light, mood, feeding,
all sorts of things. It's hard to say why it's
doing it. Your best bet to see the 'natural'
color is to look at some online pics, or you could attach us a
pic if you can.> Thanks so much, Brett <No
prob! Glad to help, Matt.>
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White- faced tang attacks Hi everyone, I have a quick
question regarding my white- faced tang, Acanthurus japonicus. I have
had my 72 gal tank setup for well over a year now. I have about 90 lbs.
of Tonga branch rock, a remora pro skimmer, a HOB refugium, and all
water param.s test fine. Up until about a week ago, the only inhabitant
of the tank was a bird wrasse. She/he was doing fine. I initially
bought the wrasse as a she, blackbird, and it seems that she is
attempting to turn into a male specimen. Now she is about half the
color of a female with blue and green fins. <Neat> Some days she
is more blue than others. She has been like this for about 3 or 4
months. Last week I received two additional fish to add to my tank, a
Lemonpeel Angel and a Powder Brown Tang Acanthurus japonicus.
Everything was going fine when I initially put the fish in. I noticed
that the tang had a slight scratch on his side a few days later, which
I assumed was from accidentally running into a rock while exploring my
tank. When I woke up this morning I found the tang following my Bird
Wrasse around, which I thought was cute. I was wrong. I quickly noticed
that the tang would get along side the wrasse and attack him/her with
his spurs. After a few times of doing this the wrasse would nip back,
which accounts for the scratches on the tang. The tang is acting very
aggressive to my wrasse, chasing him/her all around. I have not read
about this sort of behavior, considering that the wrasse has been in
the tank for over a year and is twice the size of the tang. The tang is
about 3-4 inches and the wrasse is about 7-8 inches. Do you have any
suggestions as to what is going on with these two inhabitants?
<Testing each other out> The Lemonpeel angel is doing fine,
neither fish is bothering him. <Too small, fast to dive into the
rock work> Do you have any solutions to this problem? I would like
to curb this aggression as soon as possible. Thank you for all the help
your site has given me. <The easiest (wait till you try and catch
it...) approach is to separate the tang... in a floating plastic
colander (pasta strainer) for a few to several days in the tank... this
will likely "calm it down". Adding other fishes will also
serve to distribute/dissipate aggression. Bob Fenner>
Adding More Fish...Yikes
11/14/07 I have a 72 bow front. I have a Blue Tang, Powder
Brown Tang, and a Maroon Clown in there right now. What other
fish would you suggest to put in there? <None, I don't
know how large the tangs are, but both of these fish will require
a larger system than you have, especially the Powder Brown
Tang.> All three of them are doing very well. They never fight
and they always swim together. They have been together for about
8 months. <Good to hear the Powder Brown has been around that
long. Not an easy fish to keep.> I'm trying my luck at
polyps. I want to add one more fish that will not eat the polyps
and get along with my Powder Brown. I had a Yellow Tang in my
other tank, which I tried to put in my 72. The Powder Brown
attacked him <Normal behavior for this fish.> so I put the
yellow back in my 46g. <Too small a tank for this fish.>
This is what my system has. One hundred pounds of live rock,
protein skimmer, 220w VHO (switching to 4x54w T5),150g wet/dry,
18w UV light. I check my tank every week and all levels are good.
I also have 15 hermit crabs, 2 green crabs, and 4 sand snails.
<Bill, I would not add anymore fish, especially with the Blue
Tang and Powder Brown in there. You need to seriously think of
going to a larger tank the maintain the luck you now have with
the Powder Brown Tang. Do read here and linked files above for
more information. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/GoldRimSs.htm James
(Salty Dog)>
Mail... sys. 11/14/07 Bob, <James>
I answered a query regarding adding more fish. I directed the
querier to this link. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/GoldRimSs.htm In
reading this, under "Display", you said a minimum of a
50 gallon tank is required. Kind of small for one of these guys,
isn't it? Maybe it should be worded as to the size of the
tang going into the 50. Regards, James <Will post your note.
Much of WWM is "olde"... this piece likely more than 15
years. Cheers, BobF>
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Fish Compatibility/Choices 'Bully
Gold-Rim Tang -- 01/03/08 Hello, <<Howdy>> I
wrote around 4 months ago and got some great advice.
<<I'm glad you are pleased>> I need your help
again. <<Okay>> I copied our last correspondence to
get you caught up (see below): <<Great! Thank you for
this>> ============================================== Long
term with this Butterfly fish which species makes sense to
introduce next: Trigger, Angel (love the Regal, but my LFS says
absolutely NO), Puffer, Hawkfish, Wrasse, Tang (love the Powder
Blue but hear it is hard to keep). Suggestions? <<Hmm, were
this me maybe a Christmas Wrasse (Halichoeres ornatissimus or
another Halichoeres species assuming a suitably deep and fine
substrate is available), a Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites
typus), a Gold-Rimmed Tang (Acanthurus japonicus)? and not to be
confused with the much less aquarium hardy Acanthurus nigricans),
and finally, a Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus, or
one of the other Rhinecanthus species)? introduced in the order
listed and leaving the Angel and the Puffer to a larger system
elsewhere>> Thank you again for your continued advice,
Scott B. <<Happy to share. Eric Russell>>
================================================ <<Ah
yes 'I do recall this exchange>> I still have the
Auriga butterfly (very healthy thank you!), Gold-Rimmed tang and
Picasso. All are doing good. I tried introducing a Christmas
Wrasse into the tank (120 Gal), but he was bullied by the tang to
the point of near death (my LFS was happy to take him back and
nurse him back to health). <<Mmm, strange'¦
Ideally the wrasse would have been introduced first, but even so,
I am surprised the tang would show so much interest towards the
wrasse'¦ Another example of the 'individuality'
of fishes I suppose>> The three fish are living together
well, but I still want other fish. Do you have any suggestions of
another family of fish to add? <<A small group of Anthiines
would provide some color/interest and 'shouldn't'
incur the wrath of the tang'¦ One of the hardier species
preferably 'Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias
bartlettorum) or the Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias
squamipinnis). I'm thinking a group of five of the smaller
Bartlett or three of the larger Lyretail. You might also consider
one of the 'dwarf' angels (Centropyge spp.). My all-time
fave is C. loricula, the Flame Angel. But rather than me trying
to guess what you might like 'have a look around at what
you think you might want 'research their compatibility,
environmental requirements, etc'¦.and write back to me
with your shortlist of choices and we'll go from there if you
like>> Thanks in advance, Scott B. <<Happy to share.
EricR>>
Re: Fish Compatibility/Choices 'Bully
Gold-Rim Tang ? 01/04/08 Eric, <<Hello Scott>>
Thanks again for your guidance. <<Always welcome>> I
was happy to see you recommend C. loricula, the Flame Angel!
<<A gorgeous and hardly little fish>> I initially
wanted an angel of some sort in my mix, however, did not think
the dwarfs were a good choice. <<Under the right
circumstances, many are excellent aquarium inhabitants>>
For some reason I thought they had a high mortality rate.
<<There are some that are more sensitive/delicate than
others (e.g. -- C. bicolor), but most will fare well if they make
it through the stress of capture and transport'¦and will
feed>> The Flame will fit right into the feed style of the
tank (Mysid, Brine, Glass worms, & algae clips). <<Ah
yes 'and ample live rock on which to
'browse'>> I do like the color of the
Bartlett's Anthias as well; I also like the Bicolor as well.
As long as the Bartlett's do not get unduly hassled they are
nearly bulletproof 'the Bicolor is another matter as
mentioned 'and not a good choice to mix with the
Flame>> However, after researching a bit, I think the next
logical choice is the Flame Angel. <<Excellent>> The
Bartlett worries me because my Pocket Expert Guide (Scott
Michael) states this fish will acclimate well to captivity so
long as there are no aggressive or highly competitive fishes.
<<Agreed, on the 'aggressive' part if the
aggression manifests as chasing/continuous
harassment 'but as far as the 'competitive'
issue is concerned, the little fishes can scrap for food with the
best of them. I have five tangs and two always hungry Rabbitfish
in my 375, and my Bartlett's always manage to get their
'fair share'> At this point, I consider my Gold-Rimmed
Tang (aka Charlie the brute) aggressive so maybe not a good
choice. <<Like I eluded before'¦ Unless this tang
is displaying abnormal social aggression, it should hardly
'notice' the Anthiines>> If my next fish is the
Flame, are there any acclimation tips/tricks, considering the
potential hostile environment? <<I am still a fan of the
old 'float 'em' technique. Though no guarantee, if the
tang is pre-disposed to harassing the angel it should show
interest at the site of it in the bag>> I heard I could
keep the Gold-Rimmed busy with a picture of his likeness on the
tank. <<Or a mirror>> I also heard that introducing
two fish at the same time would minimize the hostility.
<<If the tang is this much of a problem with any species
introduced 'I would get rid of/replace the tang
(yeah'¦easier said than done)>> Thanks again,
Scott B. <<Cheers mate! EricR>>
|
Surgeonfishes: Tangs for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available
here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available
here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner |
|
|
|