i saw gordon posting about some key info about these guys. i know its one of the fish i plan on pulling in once i get my tank switched around. im sure a lot of people have thought about trying one at some point. so i thought firing up a thread about it, and maybe getting some insight into certain requirements would be helpful. (moorish idols… also on my “gonna get one eventually” list, but thats a whole nother thread!) so post away gordy!
I’ve sometimes thought of getting one if i ever get a bigger tank. They are the same colors as my home town football team’s home uniforms, the Cleveland Browns. I bet one could find a fish to match most of the team’s dress colors.
From my memory, these are very active animals that swim right near where the waves are crashing near the shore. They spend their days grazing in very turbulent shallow areas of the reef where waves are crashing. These areas are VERY highly oxygenated and they should be kept in the same in captivity. At night they retreat to slightly deeper waters to rest among SPS corals.
From everyone I’ve talked to who has kept them for extended period of time, they say 300gallons is rather on the small size for a tank to keep them in… They need space and oxygen.
These animals have to be collected in a very specific manner or they do not do well and even if collected properly they should be kept by more advanced hobbyist with the proper set up. They should be collected from the reefs at night time while they are sleeping, so as to not stress these active animals. You can imagine this is difficult to do as they live in very turbulent areas among SPS corals and night diving in this area is not easy. Quality Marine is one of the only suppliers that purchased them from the skilled divers that know how to properly collect them.(They were the only supplier as of a year ago, but that may have changed) These animals have very poor survival rates on average.
As with all tangs their appetites are significant and a well rounded diet is important. If the tank is skinny between the mouth and where you would suspect the stomach to be then it’s not a good sign. If there is color loss to white, it is not a good sign. If the fish already has external parasites before you purchase it, this is not a good sign. Another sign of malnutrition and an animal that is not doing well is pinching above and behind the eyes.
That’s what I can remember from what I read a year and a half ago, but I’d be doing more research myself before considering them again.(IF that is if I had a proper set up which I don’t. I’ve never had a dissolved oxygen meter in my tanks or had a tank bigger then 75g) It is a good idea to take a look at a lot of images of any animal you plan to purchase so you can spot things which are out of the ordinary. If you’ve tried to keep powder blues in the past or powder browns and it didn’t go so well then purchasing one of these guys may not be the best idea. If you have a very high nutrient system and feed heavily introducing any tang is a sure fire way to introduce a strain ich to your system as they pretty much always carry it once they’ve gone through a wholesaler and a LFS. You just need to know what you’re doing before you mess with these animals.
just Ran across this beauty on DD…a little pricey - but wow , nice specimen !
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=97074
There is one at DPA for like $150
From their facebook link…
Saw this one the other day -simply gorgeous fish - I just can’t shell out that kind of cash - tank is too small and I am way too inexperienced to keep it happy and healthy
Craig, just reading about this fish has me envisioning a tank with a cascading water fall out of the wall tumbliing into a floor lagoon tank just for this lil guy… omg I’m doing it!! :BEER
If its still around in 4 weeks when I get the blueline out of the QT I will be taking a ride to Delaware…
[quote=“TimH07, post:7, topic:3213”]
Craig, just reading about this fish has me envisioning a tank with a cascading water fall out of the wall tumbliing into a floor lagoon tank just for this lil guy… omg I’m doing it!! :BEER[/quote]
Well technically I do have the water fall flowing out of the wall and crashing in to rocks - the water fall just happens to be contained within PVC piping.
BoNg
I still want one but I'm very afraid of the 2 tangs in my tank already, I'd be afraid that they bully it into not eating.Another nice specimen available at one of the LFS sponsors :
I saw that a couple days ago. Cool thing about getting a fish from Mac is he doesn’t carry much fish, but they typically know the fish they do have very well. They often times can definitively tell you if they’ve been eating or shown any odd signs. Seem to give the fish they do have a good bit of attention and you won’t often find sick fish there.
Thats a real pretty fish but if they don't eat, will be a really pretty fish in a zip lock.[quote=“Gordonious, post:3, topic:3213”]
If there is color loss to white, it is not a good sign. [/quote]
Both of these appear to have some white, is that what you’re referring to? Or more of an all-over white?
Running out the door, but more an overall. Seems that species most have that white near the front. Also dark lat line is an obvious sign of an unhealthy fish. Is always best to look at lots of images of the fish. Try youtube videos as well.
Note fat fish does not = healthy fish. Thought of this species you are not likely to ever see a fish that has been in captivity long, but I have seen many old fat tangs which have been in captivity for a while. This is often times fatty build ups that are not healthy. Hope this makes sense, running out the door.