Powder Tangs

[DJ_drew]

Does anyone have the perfect recipe for keeping powder tangs specifically the powder blue??

and yes i know these fish are complete ich magnets but the gf is adament about getting one, we had one in the past and it completely wiped out my 90 gallon so i dont want to risk it again with a 300 full of fish and corals!

thanks guys!!
Drew

[christyf5]

IMO, find the fattest healthiest one you can at the store, make sure he's active and see what they are feeding it and if it is actually eating what they feed. In your tank at home, have plenty to pick at on the rock, various algaes and such. Be prepared to feed your tank more than normal and possibly muck it up for the next couple of weeks if you can't get him to feed right away. Have lots of nooks and crannies for him to hide in if you have other fish that take offense to his presence.

Feed the tank often, especially if you don't see him eat any of it. I fed at least 3x a day when I first got mine and for the most part he wasn't really all that interested in eating and later on even when he was, one of the other fish wasn't interested in having him come out and eat. I would feed one end of the tank and while the majority of the fish were busy I would spot feed him in whatever corner he was hiding in. One benefit of feeding so often was that it created algae for him to eat as well

Eventually they begin to feel more comfortable in their surroundings and the other fish will accept him but it can be touch and go for the first part (depending on what kind of fish you have, for me it was a scopas tang being a jerk).

If you get one that has that waffly gut looking thing you need to pump as much food as you can into him to fill him out. I tried to keep mine "full" looking as much as possible and he would supplement that with whatever tasty goodness he could find on the rock.

As for the ick, I would recommend having a cleaner goby (neon goby) in the tank, they are invaluable for keeping ick in check and a more natural way of dealing with it. Mine had a few spots but it never became a problem.

Good luck!

[andestang]

Water condition is also a top priority. If your water quality is not up to par you will see it in their coloring, they make a great tank water indicator .

[naesco]

The reality is that there is no magic bullet in keeping powder blue tangs. The best reefkeepers with the best conditions fail.

Have your girlfriend read this my post.

Your lover is a true reefkeeper. He wants the optimum conditions for the animals in his care. After all, they are living creatures.
That is why you see him spending a little money here and there in important things that improve the conditions for his fishand coral and that is why he will from time to time add new fish and coral to make it more comfortable for them. And, that is why, now and than, you will see him checking the inhabitants of his tank for a few minutes.

He knows you dearly love a powder blue tang. However, being an experienced reef keeper, he knows the great difficulties in keeping a powder blue. He has tried once and failed despite his best efforts. Not only did he suffer the loss of the tang, he suffered the loss of many of the other fish that also succumbed to the tangs illness. For a reefer this is pain.

But I think he would really like you to spend some time with him looking through the hundreds of really beautiful fish available in fish books and than, your choosing the one or ones you love and going to the LFS with him and having him buying one or a few for you. If the ones you love are not in the store the LFS will be happy to order you the beautiful fish you have chosen along with a few coral to compliment the fish colouring.

You see, the powder blue tang has a reputation as a very difficult fish to keep. It most often does well for a while and for no apparent reason, gets sick and dies often taking a few of the other fish along with it.
Wayne