Blue Tang!

[ClownieTang]

I have a 100 gallon 'soon to be' reef aquarium with 110 lbs live rock and 3 inches of live sand. I am going to put 2 ocellaris clownfish in there because they are less aggressive than percula. (2 or 3 months with clownfish, hopefully they will live forever :P) And I am thinking about putting a tang in there. I do not really like the appearance of a yellow tang, so I am aiming for a Blue Regal Tang. Exactly HOW prone are they to diseases like ICH? Will my Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (1) help clean him up from ICH? I am going to be patient and wait another 5 months for the Regal Tang. But, Are they more prone to ICH than other tangs? My dad told me that his Regal Tangs always got ICH in his 500g reef aquarium. but every other tang was fine. I do NOT want my Regal tangs to die of ICH, nor do i want them to infect my other fishes and coral.

If they really are THAT prone to ICH, then I may just get a Powder Blue Tang.

Just another quick question, Are Regal Tangs more prone to ICH than Powder blue tangs and NASO Tangs specifically? are Naso tangs and Powder blue Tangs prone to ICH at all? or is it rare for them

[richard2]

I believe the powder blue tang is a bigger challenge then the regal tang but both are susceptible to diseases. The general advice is to reduce stress as much as possible and feed a variety of nutritious foods. A happy strong fish will take care of itself, cleanershrimp can help a bit but are no cure for stress.

[leebca]

Thanks for posting ClownieTang. This general subject comes up now and then but few really seem interested in learning the facts. I think you know me from other posts already, but I am: Bio - Lee (a.k.a. leebca)

Tangs in general travel many miles daily in the ocean, usually consuming large quantities of macro algae. Hobbyists usually underfeed their captive Tangs because they really don't understand and know how much they consume in the wild! The young ones don't travel these great distances and hide about the rocks eating what micro and small plants and animals (like pods) they can. For this reason, as the Tang gets older it needs a long tank (6 feet min) to swim in. The minimum size recommended is the 125 gallon standard, although I prefer Tangs in a 180. Don't forget that in the wild the Tang is a food fish to many 'locals.' Some Tangs get amazingly large and when fed properly in captivity, can and do grow very quickly. Rabbitfishes are very similar like this.

You may have heard of the 'mucous coating' that marine fishes have. The job of the coating is the first defense against parasite attack and against infections. Different fishes have different qualities and quantities of this coating. Well the mucous coating of the Tang is particularly thin and not very good at doing its job. This makes most Tangs more susceptible to parasites and infections, however this isn't much of a problem in the wild. Why? Because the fish swims so far and wide. Most parasites that might infect them, never get to huge numbers in the wild. But in the confines of captivity, the parasite has a 'buffet' of Tang and shows up quickly and often kills the Tang quickly.

The hobbyist faces the differences between the wild and captive life for these and many other fishes. No amount of good nutrition can take the place of their thin mucous coating. No amount of removing stress can compensate for what Nature didn't provide them with. So to have the greatest amount of success with Tangs, you want to make sure you get only healthy ones to begin with, quarantine them before you put them into your system to make sure they are parasite and disease free, and keep them in the best captive environment. In general, don't let the parasites into your display system.

Here are some posts to give you greater details on the above mentioned processes:
Choosing a healthy fish to start with:
Is The Fish Healthy?
Regarding tank size you want to read through these posts:
Fish Stocking Limit - for FO and FOWLR
and
What Size Tank is Right for That Fish?
Regarding quarantine:
A Fish Quarantine Process
Regarding foods and feeding, you want to read these two, if you haven't already:
Fish Health through Proper Nutrition
and
How To Feed Macro Alage to Marine Fishes

There are many myths about Marine Ich and many of the other marine parasites. One is that cleaner fishes and cleaner shrimp can help the fish. These marine life forms don't eat nor rid the fish of Marine Ich and many of the other parasites our ornamental marine fishes have in the captive environment. The reasons are quite simple. . .You can get more on Marine Ich by starting with this link and reading the Myth link and other links given in this post:
Curing Fish of Marine Ich
If you don't let Marine Ich into your display system, then the fishes in there won't get infected. That is the key.

If you have done your own search and verified the above and what the above links have to say on the subjects, you'll come to realize it doesn't really make any difference as to which of the Tangs you choose with regards to parasites. They will all have this thin mucous coating. No Tang species is particularly 'better' than the other when facing parasites in the captive environment. Some Tang are easier to keep and maintain than others, but even then, within the species, you may find a Tang exceptionally shy, prone to sickness, or just not taking well to captivity. In general, Tangs are best kept in high quality water. Since the older ones in particular eat so much algae, they will also create a lot of wastes and thus, keeping high quality water can be a challenge.
What is Water Quality

The Tangs have a very wide range of 'attitudes.' Many are shy when young, but others are shy no matter what their size is. Others can be very belligerent and tend to rule the Tank. Even though a particular species is thought to be shy or aggressive, you can usually find one individual that doesn't fit the norm. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw. However, the Yellow Tang, Clown Tang, and Sohol are usually the more belligerent. The Regal, Powder Blue & Brown, and Convict are in the shy class (in that order -- Regal most shy to Convict, the less shy). These are just generalities though, and any Tang (even a suposedly shy one) in a tank long enough, could become a terror to any new fish coming onto the scene.

I hope the above helps. Good luck with your hobby!