Powder Brown tang ??

[Just2Bad]

Someone have tried to keep this fish ??? How was it ??

I'll received mine next week and I can take it right in the bag and take it home or wait that they received it and acclimatize it in their tank. what's the best take it in the bag and acclimatize it at home or should I wait and let them acclimatize it in their tank and then take it home ????

And is it ok to but one with a yellow tang ???

[Nullig]

Might be best to let them quarantine it for you, if you don't have a quarantine tank. If you do, then I'd say take it home... one less acclimatization.

Noel

[Just2Bad]

If they quarantine it for me I'll only have it in about 3-4 weeks :( and they told me it's better if I take it home right in the bag for a better survival

I hate waiting, but I know sometimes it's better to....

[Aquattro]

If you can inspect it and it appears fat and healthy, I would take it home to a quarantine tank. It will most likely develop ich.

[Just2Bad]

So nobody has ever atempted to keep this fish ?? I want to have some personnal experiences with this fish......

[Aquattro]

What kind of tang are you talking about? Powder Brown is the common name for 2 or 3 different tangs.

[Just2Bad]

I'm talking about this one Acanthurus japonicus

http://www.marinelifeweb.com/images/fish/12902whitefaced2.jpg

[Aquattro]

Here is a decent article on "powder brown" tangs. FWIW, I had an A. japonicus and it did very poorly for 2 months and died.

[Just2Bad]

Where is the article ???

[Aquattro]

Oops!!

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/GoldRimSs.htm

[naesco]

Yes, this is my favourite fish. But make sure you are getting the one with orange on it. The other one wont survive long.
I will help you Just2Bad.

[Just2Bad]

Yes, this is my favourite fish.
I will help you Just2Bad.

How long do you have this fish ??

is it a good idea to add some paraguard when aclimatizing ??

[Aquattro]

The other one wont survive long.


Please try to rephrase this. My A. nigricans has now hit a point where it has survived 4 times longer than my A. japonicus did. It is growing, eating well and showing none of the regular signs of being dead.
What you probably meant to say was that the other fish (white cheeked) has a poor history of survival and/or requires a greater amount of TLC.
These points were one of the main foci of the article I linked to.

[Just2Bad]

The article also said that " A. japonicus has a much larger white eye patch. Ranges from the Philippines to Japan and is relatively hardy."

The very similar A. japonicus is a far better aquarium fish; A. nigricans rarely lives for more than a few months in captivity.

So it should be easier to keep than a nigrican ????

[Aquattro]

Most people will tell you that the japonicus is the easier to keep. Almost all my research confirms this. My experience does not confirm this. But I can only compare 2 fish I have had, not the average. Dale D. from animal house states that neither are very easy to care for.
If you do a search on RC, you'll find lots of threads with experience keeping both of these fish. I think the secret is getting a healthy fish to begin with.
If you're planning a japonicus, I would stay with the plan. I just like to point out to some tang cops that no tang is "impossible" to keep. I have a nigricans because I was told it was the easier to keep based on Scott Michael's opinion, and so far it is doing well. I expect to report the same thing in the years to come.
Whichever you choose, make sure it is fat, healthy looking and eating well...good luck!!

[Just2Bad]

They should receive two japonicus next week a medium and a large size, so I'll check them carefully before deceiding wich one I'll take and if they look too thin I'll pass on them...

[Aquattro]

I would prefer the smaller one myself, thinking that smaller equals younger. A younger fish may be more inclined to try new foods and adjust to the confines of a tank.

[naesco]

Brad is right and Brad is lucky.
I would not consider this fish though. In any event he japonicus is much nicer looking.
I have had the fish for seven years.
Do not buy the tangs unless you know where they came from.
They need to be alert, clear eyes, spot free and plump and eating. If not pass on the fish.
Get ready for it by arranging the following.
1. Buy some garlic extract from the health food store.
2. Buy some spirulina discs and unflavoured nori.
3. Buy some selconm
4 Have your temperature at 82F
5. Salinity at 1.025
6 Provide a clear area for the tang to swim from one end to the other unencumbered by coral or rock
7. Add at lease one more powerhead about nine inches from the top of the tank. This provides current for the tang to swim into and also adds more oxygen into the tank.
8. Do water change tonight.
Let me know if you need help

[Just2Bad]

The only think I miss on your list is the garlic extract... I'll try to know tomorrow from where they're coming from.. I think it should not be philipine and/or japan ??

[Aquattro]

Garlic extract is very expensive. Here is what I did when I brought my tang home. Got fresh garlic and minced it as small as I could. Spread it on a piece of wax paper. This will make the oil puddle. Then wipe the oil up with some nori and feed. Worked like a charm. The active ingredient in garlic is suspeceted to be a compound called allicin. This breaks down quickly, and is why I choose fresh garlic. Thirty six hours after feeding, the spots were gone. I fed this for about 3 weeks.

[Skimmerking]

Hey i think that if a fish is ggoing to DIE it's going to die in the acclimation mode. :frown: It's a fact of life being caught then put into a bag for 15 -20 hours then going into a mode to get the salinity up to PAR!!!.

I think that is the way you are going to lose them,

PB TANGS are real easy to freak out ,tghey are ICK getter's like all tangs. But more so on their part DOug had one and i was up to his house and walked by the tank and the fish received ICK. And all doug used was Garlic oil from the health store. That is all I used for my yellow and purple.

Mike

[Just2Bad]

They have received one from philipines and They're going to receive 2 from Bali this week and maybe 1 from Sri Lanka also..

If they'are all looking good should I prefer a region over another ???

[naesco]

Unless the seller to them guarantees they are net caught do no tbuy the ones from Indonesia (Bali) or the Phillippines.
I have no knowledge about the cyanide issue in Sri Lanka.

[rayjay]

Tangs are my favorite in the fish catagory of reefing. I have a powder brown and powder blue, a regal, a sailfin, a naso, and an achilies. I don't know where they came from but they were purchased from an LFS here in London that I can trust with fish quality, or, were bought from hobbyists leaving the hobby, who had purchased them from this same LFS.

[stephane]

from waht I have read and my taste I prefer the Japonicus they are one of the nicest tang I have seem

I dont have the powder brown because I have not been able to find one anywere yet and now I already have tree old tang in my tank a yellow,purple,and a blue I have them for severale years so maybe a new guest will not be welcome. I never give them any garlic and I realy couldt tell if it is right or rong but I have never see any real proof it realy work but it can't hurt. Mine have caught ick a couple of time in the past when suddent change arrive or after introduce but all off them have alway recover fast with only good food and good envoronnment

There a lot of way of tinking on this but the one in my experience is best and IMO the secret of tang or most fish is buy it fat, add it at night and let the light off for at least 12 hours,dont stress, no small glass quanrantine tank,put it in a very well establish tank,feed it severale time a day for the first month of formula one,two,misys,and nori sheet roll on a pipe. Cleaner shrimp is another realy great addition with them, they realy help the fish to get rid of parasite before there imune system start to work and protect

The major cause of tang or any fish lost IMO is stress cause by manipulation, rapid temp change, water parmeter change, and unatural look environnement. parasite and infection like ick are only the symtom of a defective immune syteme and result of stress