Kole tang question

[JohnD]

I went to my LFS yesterday without my Scott Michael's 500+ Marine Fishes... and saw a wonderful 1 inch kole tang swimming around. He looked very healthy and was picking at everything in the tank.

I figured I better get out of the store before I did anything crazy.

The Scott Michaels book is currently out of town, so and I wanted to get everybody's opinion.

For now, I would put him in my 37 gallon Oceanic tank with a royal gramma. The gramma has been there a couple of years.

Before the tang police attack me, I just received a 135 gallon Oceanic tank. I am waiting for the electrician to get the permits to upgrade my service and run a few lines to the tank. I expect the 135 to be up around Christmas.

When the 135 is up and running, I plan to have 1 hippo tang (13 years with me) and 1 purple tang (2 years with me) moved from their current tanks into the 135. I also expect to have a tomato clown and the gramma added to the 135.

So, am I okay to get the kole for the 37? And, what do you think about him with the other 2 tangs in the 135?

Thanks,

JohnD

 

[TheZooFarmer]

John was it an oversight that you failed to tell us what size tanks your tangs are currently being housed in? And I would not put a 1" tang with either of your tangs. A matter of fact I would not put both of them in the 135 together either. There is a very good chance that one woul dkill the other.

 

[Anonymous]

I would say the kole tang can stay a little while in a 37 with the gramma until you get the 135 set up. It is not ideal of course but I don't often see nice healthy koles (may be a regional thing) which is a shame because they are nice fish and I could see why you want to snatch him up. At one inch he should be OK with that size tank as a temporary holding set up. I think the three tangs are all pushing the limits in the 135 as far as space, so you will want to be very sure this is the last fish you add that will be large as an adult. I would also let the kole become used to the tank before you add your purple, he is the one I would expect to cause trouble with the kole.

 

[Anonymous]

We have a 180 gallon reef with a hippo tang (Parancatharus hepatus), sailfin tang (Zebrasoma desjardinii), and a kole tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) in it. The kole tang is the smallest of the bunch, and they don't bother each other. I think a tang that tiny should do well in a 37 gallon tank for a while. I would add all the tangs at once to the 135 gallon, or at least add the larger ones last.

 

[JennM]

I concur with Matt.

I often wonder how much experience the "tang police" have with multiple tangs, since it's against their religion to keep them?

Especially the one you've had for 13 years (and I commend you for that!) I'm sure he's well socialized and plays well with others. Despite whatever tank size it might be in, if it's done well for 13 years, you're obviously doing something right. Ditto with the purple tang. IMO the purple will be inclined to be the most aggressive, and should be added to a mix last.

I see no problem keeping a Kole that tiny, in a 37. I think it's proposterous to think that something so tiny would immediately have to go into a behemoth tank because in a few years it might get to be 7" long.

Jenn

 

[WRASSER]

looks good so far,


i had a hippo, sailfin and purple together for over a year (365 days + is a long time together). the purple was the aggresser, so if you put the KOLE in first and wait a couple of weeks to let it grow and set up in the 135, then put the hippo wait a couple of weeks, then the purple you should be ok. :wink:


good luck,


wrasser 8)

 

[Anonymous]

I have 3 tankgs in a 110 and they play well together. A yellow, sailfin and kole. I have had them together about a year give or take. The Kole is a nice peacful tang. I would add them all at once to the larger tank or as others have suggested the kole first, then hippo then purple.

 

[TheZooFarmer]

Jenn you could not be more wrong, but you are not the only one.

The blue tang will not and can not be well with others because it has not been with others for 13 years (as said by the poster). The same goes for the purple tang that has not been with others for 2 years.

And how can you say regardless of tank size? That is plain horrible. Like I have stated earlier it is no coincidence that the poster left out the tank size. And I hate to say it but I am willing to bet that both of these tangs have LLE.

And wrasser you say put the kole in for a couple of weeks and let it grow????????????

How much growth do you expect it to have in a couple of weeks? Will it grow large enough so it can defend itself against this blue and purple tang?

This thread is a textbook example of horrible advice.

 

[WRASSER]

zoo we are talking about new stomping ground, and instinct. the fish will reesiblish on instinct alone. the kole is not going to grow much, but it will estiblish, and hippos are one of the easiest going fish out there :!:
why is it so techinical for you to say it don't work, when you have the whole world telling you every day that it does. anything goes with salt water :!: just because it didn't work for you dosen't mean it wont for me. we live in two differnt parts of the world and that alone could make the differnce! yes, some of the stuff you say is WRITE and you have a lot of knowldge, and i do respect that. but you are tooooo argumentive to be write all the time. STRANGER things have happen and anything is POSSIBLE...

good luck



wrasser 8)

 

[Mogo]

Yes, I also think a Kole tang will be fine in your 37. IME Koles are very hardy compared to some others tangs. As you already know, tangs like alot of swimming space and he will be in heaven when your new tank is established. If he's only a 1 incher, I would say go get him.

 

[TheZooFarmer]

wrasser thank you for the kind words. But I would ask you to REALLY REALLY think about what you are saying?

How much instinct can a hippo tang have that has been in a small tank in captivity for 13 years?

How much ground can the kole establish in a couple of weeks when 2 fish are added that are much much older, much much stronger, and much much more aggressive?

You do not need to be a fish expert to know these things?

And where do you get "just because it does not work for me? 99% of the things I do work. This is because I only do things that have little to no risk. The last thing that I have done that has not worked was adding a pair of Brazilian neon gobies to my 180 with my already mated pair of blue neon gobies. The blues are still chasing the yellows around after 3 weeks. These are 1" fish in a 72" tank. Oh yeah then there was the female mandarin I tried saving from a LFS. My purple tang killed it within a day of being added.

And wrasser is it not only naive, but totally irresponsible you to use the words

" STRANGER things have happen and anything is POSSIBLE... "

when speaking of this hobby. That has to be one of the WORST statements I have ever read on a board.

 

[WRASSER]

:roll: first of all arrogance kills me. johnd never said what size tank the hippo and purple was in. it could be 100 gal tank :wink: everyone here speaks from experence, even you do, but to say what i did was wrong because you don't agree with it is foolish. i only speak of what i have done and has worked for me. take it or leave it, if the shoe fits wear it, com'on you know the sayings. you just take it tooo far and put people down instead of advising them. but then again your arrogance is advice, and where will the world be with out it!

second it sounds real nice on here that you know it all. but, you had to f%$#-up some where in your life to be so perfect :roll: not only that, no matter what you say you still kill fish,no matter what you say!!!
so like i said before you are just argumentative and thats all you look for. you thrive on it, you live for it and i wont entertain you no more.
you are write and the whole world is wrong. even when you are wrong you are write , everyone knows it, you just have to be write, no matter what. so all i have to say is" YOU ARE WRITE, IN YOUR MIND, YOU ARE WRITE!"



good luck

wrasser 8)

 

[TheZooFarmer]

wrasser ok we all know I am a jerk

I am glad we got that out of the way!

Now back to the questions I asked you

"How much instinct can a hippo tang have that has been in a small tank in captivity for 13 years?

How much ground can the kole establish in a couple of weeks when 2 fish are added that are much much older, much much stronger, and much much more aggressive?"

Now here is a lesson in reading comprehension.

"I plan to have 1 hippo tang (13 years with me) and 1 purple tang (2 years with me) moved from their current tanks"

Now notice the "tanks" not tank. This means that both of these tang are housed separately.

Now wrasser it is very naive of you to thing that this person has each one of these tangs in a 100 gallon tank. And lets say that they are. You are actually telling this person to take a 13 year old fish from its 5' tank (hypothetically), just to put it in a 6' tank with 4 other fish?

So remember I am jerk so just answer the questions!

 

[npaden]

I think there are a lot of people on both sides of the extreme. As a person that has had small (60 gallon), medium (6' - 120 gallon) and large (10' - 415 gallon) tanks I wonder if the fish realize how they are supposed to behave according to the books.

I have some large fish that were easy going and peaceful and I have had small fish that were mean and constantly pacing the tank. I currently have a mean as hell desjardni sailfin and a peaceful sweet sohal. My powder blue doesn't care anything about the other tangs in the tank but it chases my lawnmower blenny around like crazy.

I think often the tang police are being ultraconservative, but I would rather err on that side than killing a bunch of fish due to stress and overcrowding. But each situation is unique and each fish is unique. To say you can't or you shouldn't is usually not right except in extreme overstocking situations. I usually say "I wouldn't do it", or "That sounds like you would be pushing it".

Since the 3 tangs in question are all different body type and 2 of them are considered to be about the most peaceful of all the tangs I think they would do fine in a 135. You really need to be careful with the kole though if it is that small. I would wait until the 135 is setup and then get a medium sized kole and add it to the 135 before the others. The really small tangs really are easily picked on in a large tank IME. I tried to add a very small beautiful scopas tang to my tank once and my yellow tang beat the crap out of it and I had to save it and put it in my refugium until I could find someone to take it.

Oh well, just my 2 cents.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[WRASSER]

ok, we got all the mumbo jumbo out of the way. i was using 100 gal. as an example. what ever tank the other two tangs are in, they are still going to a larger tank. i do see your point. the 37gal. is not going to stop the growth of the kole too much. by christmas it will be large enough to go into the 135. if johnd wants to wait til the kole tang matures in the 135, he could do that, then put the other tangs in later, since they are alredy established, and if that was all you were looking to say you could of said that 2 hrs. ago.

good luck,


wrasser 8)

 

[TheZooFarmer]

wrasser I am truly dumbfounded by your posts???????????

now the 1" kole tang will grow large enough in less then 2 months to handle himself against a 13 year old hippo and a 2 year old purple? Keeping in mind this has been how long these fish have been kept by this poster and is not the true age of the fish.

And not only that how can you say that the fish are being put in a larger tank? These fish now have to share territory when they never had to before?

wrasser you are way way way off on this, so please stop saying anything is possible.

 

[WRASSER]

8O you are write in yor mind you are write :!: :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

John was it an oversight that you failed to tell us what size tanks your tangs are currently being housed in? And I would not put a 1" tang with either of your tangs. A matter of fact I would not put both of them in the 135 together either. There is a very good chance that one woul dkill the other.

ah-feh :roll:

go play w/naesco :lol:

i've seen more 75 gal., and smaller, tanks, with multiple tangs in them than yrs you've prolly been in this hobby-for the most part yellows/ hippos, and they get along just fine-long term

just one more narrow minded blanket statement maker spouting 'law' :lol:


btw- i currently have a baby hippo in a 20l nano-he seems to be enjoying himself greatly-growing fast, always fat,non-stressed and pals around w/my skunks and rainfords all the time-pigs out on flake, and the lr

he will be moved out when he gets larger, though

but a reminder-there are never any absolutes :wink:

and, - very well said, nathan

 

[TheZooFarmer]

well vitz you managed to do NOTHING.

you spoke of your experience?
You spoke of the experience you think I have?

And failed to answer the question that was posted

Great job buddy, keep up the great work!

Maybe we should put your post in the meaningless post section.

 

[WRASSER]

zoo,


the question was answered,you are just tooo smart to see the answer!
the size of the tank with the tangs in it has not been determined, yet.



good luck,


wrasser 8)