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Yellow attacking Purple Tang


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  1. #1
    Tom Toro - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Milford Michigan
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    First Name
    Tom

    Default Yellow attacking Purple Tang

    I'm hoping for some ideas on how to stop this attack. Purple tang into an established tank with a lot of fish, mostly tangs. Yellow won't leave him alone enough to eat. Any ideas?

    My buddy had good luck with three yellow tangs and one purple. They schooled together. Any advice if I should get a couple more yellows?

    Here's the fish list:
    2x Regal Tangs
    Timini Tang
    Blonde Naso
    Bellus angel
    Foxface
    yellow tail damsel
    10x occys
    Yellow watchman
    Blue eye tang
    Yellow Tang
    2x anthias
    firefish
    Melanthuras Wrasse
    Christmas wrasse
    Blue Face Wrasse
    blue/yellow diadema
    Red Striped gobi
    240g Great Lakes Glass! ETSS1400/panworld250,LED 120wX4 AJM, LED,2x sunbrite ,Tunzex4/,200gal sump/mixed reef/Biopellets. Hammerhead return. UV 57w. Chiller.

    135g down and given to a buddy. New pic after the wall is repaired.

  2. #2
    CR Member
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    Sep 2009
    Location
    Swartz Creek MI
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    821
    First Name
    Mike

    Default

    Personally, I would pull that yellow from the tank. Trade him in, get 3 new ones.

    Yellow tangs are so easy to get, Purples on the other hand have gone from a $99 fish to a $300 fish in 5 years.
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  3. #3
    binford4000 - Reefkeeper
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    farmington hills mi
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    2,214
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    Old man
    Awards Tank of the Month - May 2012 Tank of the Month

    Default

    I would not suggest more yellows!! The yellow and Brown tang are well known for aggressively attacking other long nose tangs regardless of colors. The best practice of doing this is to get them all very young and At the same time. Another method is to install a clear wall and let boredom take its course. I have five tangs and they are all diffrent species of tangs which is intentional so that none of them feel threatened by way of competition. I find it very strange how captive tangs become so aggressive to their own. It can be very frustrating since when I dive areas that have tangs you see huge schools in the hundreds??Name:  image.jpg
Views: 320
Size:  52.3 KBgood luck
    Last edited by binford4000; 11-22-2014 at 08:41 PM.
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  4. #4
    fishtal - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Waterford, MI
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    561
    First Name
    Tal
    Awards Fishbowl Drawing Winner

    Default

    How long have you had the purple? I've had a yellow and a purple since 2006 and they got along fine, for the most part. A couple months ago I cleaned the glass one day and the yellow went nutz and started harassing the purple. I gave them a few days with the lights out except for feeding times to see if that would chill them out... It didn't. So, as a last resort I attempted to net the yellow, nearly impossible in a reef tank, but that was enough to freak him out and stop the aggression. Not sure if it would work for you but it works in my case. Good luck!
    Save a fish, Breed your own!
    www.fishtalpropagations.com

  5. #5
    Tom Toro - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Milford Michigan
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    Tom

    Default

    I've had both tangs for at least a year, but in different tanks. Only been together now for a couple of weeks. I'll try the chasing him around thing. If I get him, I'll put him in the sump til I can give him away. Thanks for the suggestion.

    They are both fighting all the time and the purple holds his own, but the yellow keeps him in the right quadrant of the tank all the time. If he stays there, yellow stays away. I tried the aquascape change without luck.

    Thanks for the replies, Folks!


    Quote Originally Posted by fishtal View Post
    How long have you had the purple? I've had a yellow and a purple since 2006 and they got along fine, for the most part. A couple months ago I cleaned the glass one day and the yellow went nutz and started harassing the purple. I gave them a few days with the lights out except for feeding times to see if that would chill them out... It didn't. So, as a last resort I attempted to net the yellow, nearly impossible in a reef tank, but that was enough to freak him out and stop the aggression. Not sure if it would work for you but it works in my case. Good luck!
    240g Great Lakes Glass! ETSS1400/panworld250,LED 120wX4 AJM, LED,2x sunbrite ,Tunzex4/,200gal sump/mixed reef/Biopellets. Hammerhead return. UV 57w. Chiller.

    135g down and given to a buddy. New pic after the wall is repaired.

  6. #6
    CR Member
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    Dec 2013
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    Blue Ash Ohio
    Posts
    8

    Default

    I have had best luck adding 3 or more tangs at once to not let one fish get all the picking on. Two things I have not tried yet are putting a morror against the tank seeing if the yellow goes after his reflection. Or a small plastic tank inside your display till the new fish is ignored. Good luck
    Likes Tom Toro liked this post

  7. #7
    Tom Toro - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Sep 2009
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    Milford Michigan
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    Tom

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 550jim View Post
    I have had best luck adding 3 or more tangs at once to not let one fish get all the picking on. Two things I have not tried yet are putting a morror against the tank seeing if the yellow goes after his reflection. Or a small plastic tank inside your display till the new fish is ignored. Good luck
    Well, I just put a mirror against the glass and he's all flared out and swimming sideways. Maybe this can help. He's so far leaving the purple alone while he checks out the new yellow in the tank. Thanks for the suggestion!
    240g Great Lakes Glass! ETSS1400/panworld250,LED 120wX4 AJM, LED,2x sunbrite ,Tunzex4/,200gal sump/mixed reef/Biopellets. Hammerhead return. UV 57w. Chiller.

    135g down and given to a buddy. New pic after the wall is repaired.

  8. #8
    CR Member
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    Dec 2013
    Location
    Blue Ash Ohio
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    Default

    Hope that works out for them, tangs are by far my favorite having 19 of them.
    Likes Tom Toro liked this post

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