 Mike Savage wrote:
Will is probably real busy due to it being tax time. |
Too True, but since you asked and I need a break...
I bought my Powder Blue Tang, the day after the reef tour in 2004. I got it for Marine Aquatics. I purchased that particular one because it looked like he was in very good health, and they showed me that it was eating. When it first went in my tank it did have a little bit of ick on it. For the first several weeks it was in my tank that ick came and went and for a while was pretty bad. At the December WMAS meeting that year I won a large 40 watt UV sterilizer. When I added that to my tank that ick was gone within just a few days. After several months, I removed the UV sterilizer and did not have too much problem with ick, though once in a while I could see several spots of ick on him. Since that time, I have had anywhere between one and four neon gobies in my tank that do a very good job of cleaning all of my Tangs. The Powder Blue Tang availed himself of their services regularly.
It may be interesting to note that the Powder Blue Tang was the third Tang I put in my tank. I have 180 gallon tank with about 300 pounds or more of live rock. At the time the Powder Blue Tang went into the tank I only had a few fish. One of the first fish I put in was a Yellow Tang. I followed that several months later with a Purple Tang. The poor Purple Tang was harassed nearly to death by the Yellow Tang, and even over the course of four months would hardly ever come out of hiding. Almost immediately after I put the Powder Blue Tang in the Yellow Tang's aggression stopped and the three of them became pals and swam all around the tank together. I have since added a Blue Tang, a Tomini Tang, a Sail Fin Tang and just a week ago added a Naso Tang all of them get along very well after the initial two or three days of the Powder Blue, making sure the new fish knows who's boss of the tank. They all eat together well, with no aggression. I feed them on one nori clip, and they all take turns at it.
My guess is that the aggression issue with the Powder Blue Tang is kept in check by the fact that there are so many others in the tank as well.
I recently put the UV sterilizer back on the tank because several of my fish were showing signs of Ick and my one Neon Goby that is left just can't keep up with it. Since adding the UV sterilizer again, I see no signs of ick on any of my fish.
Since the Powder Blue Tang is my all time favorite reef fish. I'm glad he's done so well over the past 2 1/2 years.
I believe that my success with the Powder Blue Tang is due to the fact that I selected a healthy specimen to begin with. I believe this is 90% of the battle with these fish.
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