Question about a Powder Blue tang I have

[newbeemike]

I bought a gorgeous powder blue tang about a week ago. He seems to be eating off the rocks occationally. But not as much as my yellow tang that I have had for about a year. My yellow tang will eat off the rocks. Will eat brine shrimp, will eat the dry seaweed stuff on a clip you buy and even will eat flake food the the powder blue won't. I see him pick the rock and glass occationally but not as much as I think he should. Am I getting worried over nothing. any advice or other food to try.He is still active but I am worried he won't last. any signs of distress to look for.

 

[Piggy]

Is it in the 75? If so he's probably stressing. I think a 75 is two small for two tangs. What else is in the tank?

 

[dustin_P74]

piggy is right too many tangs in a small space. and it may still be getting used to its new crib.

 

[newbeemike]

the powder tang. A yellow tang, tomato clown, firefish , green cromis, bicolor angle (pigmy). 130 lbs of live rock and about 8 various corals

 

[newbeemike]

The yellow tang mostly feeds on the clip food and flake. I dont think he is clearing the rocks so much

 

[dustin_P74]

dont take my word for it but that tank might be a little crowded.

 

[Piggy]

How big are they? When I got my tangs got two in my 125 it took them awhile to eat the sheet from a clip. I had to drop a small piece into the water and let it float around. Once they got liking the taste of it they started eating from a clip. Tell you tangs are hogs.

 

[newbeemike]

i'd say about 3 inches. Iam going to try the let it float method you were talking about. See if that works. I plan on upgrading to a 150 in the near future.

 

[Piggy]

If that doesn't work take a piece of sheet and rubber band it to a rock. Try and place it where you see it picking at the rock the most. Also soaking it in garlic may help. Also do you feed any frozen? Because my tangs love it.

 

[newbeemike]

I didn't think 5 fish in a 75 gallon was too much. What would you recommend. I didn't plan on putting anything else in. My levels are almost perfect. (kind of anal about that, i guess). Is there a good rule of thumb to follow

 

[Piggy]

If I remember right it's one inch to every 5 gallons.

 

[newbeemike]

I feed frozen krill

 

[Piggy]

Next time you go buy frozen food pick up some Emerald Entree the tangs will love it.

 

[dustin_P74]

i was also thinking it may be crowed for swimming room if there is 130 lbs of live rock in a 75 gallon tank. but piggy is right one inch of the full grown fish per gallon

 

[Doc]

they love emerald entree as well as frozen plankton. It is not uncommon for a fish to take a week before eating. It is a great sign that the powder blue tang is nipping at the rocks. They are aggressive eaters. They are also bullies. they are in the top three of aggressive tangs. He will likely kick the snot out of the yellow tang in the not to distant future. Acanthrus tangs are notorious for being super aggressive. Good luck.

BTW, you will want to upgrade tanks to keep both tangs for their full life. they need a lot of swimming room. Oh, one more thing. PB tangs are found in the crashing surf and love current. If they don't get enough current in their tanks, they can get stressed out and start darting around the tank like they are lost or something. Don't be afraid to put in another powerhead

-Doc

 

[Bifferwine]

I agree with what everyone else has said, give the fish some more time to adjust. It can take new fish a while to come around. One of my tangs was finicky at first, and that trick that Piggy mentioned (rubberbanding the seaweed to a piece of rock rubble) helped immensely. It wouldn't eat off the clip on the glass, but as soon as it saw the seaweed attached to the rock it went for it. Emerald Entree is a great frozen food for tangs. They seem to love it.

 

[yote]

I didn't think 5 fish in a 75 gallon was too much. What would you recommend. I didn't plan on putting anything else in. My levels are almost perfect. (kind of anal about that, i guess). Is there a good rule of thumb to follow

That all depends on the kind of fish they are.2 tangs in a 75 makes it pretty crowded.You dont want any more than 1 inch of adult sized fish per 5 gallons.