TOTALLY BAD IDEA? - Mixing Regal Tang and Powder Blue Tang

Seek828 · #1 03-25-2009, 09:37 AM

Hi all,

Just came back from my LFS today and found that they have gotten some Powder Blue Tangs. They rarely get them.
They are slightly less than 3 inches long.

I was just getting ready to get my next fish for my 90G FOWLR and initially was thinking the Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus).

They also have one at around 3 inches long.

I really like both. But I know that with the similar color and body shape, there is a high possiblitiy that they will fight.

Anyone think there is any chance in the world that they will tolerate each other in a 90G? Anyone tried keeping them at the same time before?
What if I add them together at the same time?

Thanks for reading!

digital-audiophile · #2 03-25-2009, 12:18 PM

I've a regal and a powder brown (along with a purple tang) in my 90.

The purple has always been a jerk.. to what ever fish I add.. but the regal and the powder got along just fine from day one.

It may be different fish to fish but in my experience it went just fine

mark · #3 03-25-2009, 01:44 PM

Always wanted a Powder Blue but after having one on hold at a LFS only to die then reading further, seems their survival rate not the best.

parkinsn · #4 03-25-2009, 02:34 PM

I have a Blue with my PBT and they get along fine, it more my purple that i worry about. I put my blue and purple in on the same day so there was no problem there. I got a PBT from the LFS that they held for me for a month or so, he then went into my 20g QT for a month so i could get him fat before i threw him in with the other tangs, the blue never touched him but i thought my purple was going to kill him, but its been 3 months now no issues they all swim together. This is in a 120g 4'x2'. I would add them at the same time, that should keep the aggression down and they will hopefully establish a "pecking order" without too much fighting.

christyf5 · #5 03-25-2009, 03:08 PM

I have a regal and PBT as well. The regal is king of the tank and I would have thought there would be some aggression upon adding the PBT, however it wasn't from the regal. My scopas (thougth was the most mellow fish ever!) was checking out the PBT and bugged him for about 2 weeks. I have lots of hidey holes and spot fed the PBT (fed the fish at one end of the tank and the PBT at the other). They're all fine now, sometimes there is some tail flashing back and forth between the two but other than that no problems.

As for their survival rate, no its not the best. I think they're ich magnets. Knock on wood I've never had any ich on mine, but I did have a neon goby in the tank at all times and he did a great job of keeping them all clean. Best you can do is get a healthy looking one that is eating at the LFS. I was pretty leery of trying one of these fish but happily I've had him for almost 2 years now

naesco · #6 03-25-2009, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seek828

Hi all,

Just came back from my LFS today and found that they have gotten some Powder Blue Tangs. They rarely get them.
They are slightly less than 3 inches long.

I was just getting ready to get my next fish for my 90G FOWLR and initially was thinking the Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus).

They also have one at around 3 inches long.

I really like both. But I know that with the similar color and body shape, there is a high possiblitiy that they will fight.

Anyone think there is any chance in the world that they will tolerate each other in a 90G? Anyone tried keeping them at the same time before?
What if I add them together at the same time?

Thanks for reading!

The powder blue tang is a very difficult fish to keep. Typically it does well for a while than gets sick and dies for no apparent reason often taken a few of the other fish with them.
He is a link about the powder blue
http://wetwebmedia.com/powdbluetg.htm

The regal tang is an ich magnet and gets to the size of a pie plate and IMO is too large a fish for a 90.

If you are set a getting a tang consider the kole or yellow for a 90 however you have a trigger already so you may have problems with adding any tangs in a 90

digital-audiophile · #7 03-25-2009, 06:51 PM

Agreed that regals get to be very large over the long term but although they seem to grow fast in the first year, it seems to slow down from there. After I lost mine to a nasty jumping incident I brought one home from a fellow canreefer and he is still pretty small about 3 inches and he is at least two years old.

christyf5 · #8 03-25-2009, 07:00 PM

I got my regal at about 5 inches or so. I'd say she's about 7 inches now and I've had her for 4 years.

dkcrx · #9 03-25-2009, 10:03 PM

I have had my regal for 8 years, got him at 6inch and is around 8inch now. seems to be the amount of food we supply is less then they would get in the wild due to us all wanting pristine water quality, maby a reason for the trend in slow growth. Not that i under feed, I go by belly size, if they start looking a bit on the thin side they get a large feeding for a few days then it's water change time.

Seek828 · #10 03-25-2009, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naesco

The powder blue tang is a very difficult fish to keep. Typically it does well for a while than gets sick and dies for no apparent reason often taken a few of the other fish with them.
He is a link about the powder blue
http://wetwebmedia.com/powdbluetg.htm

The regal tang is an ich magnet and gets to the size of a pie plate and IMO is too large a fish for a 90.

If you are set a getting a tang consider the kole or yellow for a 90 however you have a trigger already so you may have problems with adding any tangs in a 90

Yes I know of the diffculty level of both fish and also their sizes. I have kept Regal before with some success in the long past but never tried PBT.
I do know that eventually they will outgrow my tank and I will need an upgrade in the future to house both of them.
I was, more or less, putting the whole issue about disease and size aside for now and was just thinking if their coexistent is even possible to begin with before I go into the disease and size issues.
But hey, thanks so much for the warning!