[Frank Castle]

If I can keep parameters good and keep coral grow, what is something else I have to look for to keep an Achilles Tang? I hear they are hard to keep..

 

[Regalblue41]

If you have a strong current in your tank,and a lot of swimming room,and feed it a wide variety of food mainly algae ,lettuce,zuccini,,,,,I would highly recommend a small group of chromis fish with him,it will keep an eye on them if they act funny or hide it will do the same,it is a comfort or safety thing,they normally hangs out in a group or school.....For treat food give it fish roe [eggs],It will also eat another fishes waste,might sound crazy,but it is easier for it to have another fish to break down complex proteins,and require less energy for it to do so,half the job is done....

 

[Frank Castle]

I have 4 anthias and 4 other tangs in a 265 gal tank...

 

[Regalblue41]

The problem would be the other species of tangs,It is a shy species,If I was going to put him in with other tangs,it would be put in first,the other would be smaller and later

 

[Frank Castle]

Yeah I have a yellow, Atlantic blue, purple and blonde naso..

 

[Regalblue41]

I did a tang tank years ago,for a friend of mine,Now any tang does best in a well established aquarium,Me personally I would not put an Achilles in a tank under a year old,and I would highly recommend food being readly available for it,It likes to graze or eat a lot not at a set time,That tang and a liniatus are like underwater migs

 

[Regalblue41]

A yellow ,purple,and atlantic..Would stomp him like a narc at a bikers rally......

 

[Garbonzo]

I agree with Regal to a point on the Naso since they are conspecifics; in addition, the other tangs may take some getting used to him with a little bullying. IMHO it really depends on the specific temperament of your tangs. Since you don't have any other Acanthurus you may be alright. Lots of individual hiding spots go a long way to keep fish peaceful as well as introducing them during lights out.

 

[poolshark8961]

And you can always rearrange your tank LR to change up territories of the tang species when you add a new specimen. This puts all of your fish on equal ground and everyone has to worry more about re-establishing their own space rather than picking on the new guy.

 

[Frank Castle]

I love all the info now the hard part is finding one that's not super expensive...

 

[Regalblue41]

Be careful,You buy cheap,You pay expensive.......Please don`t play Russian roulette with your tank.....Especially when you are playing with a semi-auto rather than a revolver....

 

[Frank Castle]

No I plan to rehome the Atlantic blue or yellow before/if I buy a Achilles...the purple and naso are my favorites...

 

[Regalblue41]

Good choice,Have you seen how big an Atlantic Blue can get in an aquarium ,And a Yellow is neat,it is more like a weird uncle,Neat to have around,, you never know how he is going to do something until it is to late...

 

[Frank Castle]

Yeah I love them all...not sure if I will get an Achilles it was just a thought.

 

[Garbonzo]

Well if it's not a matter of patience, you can always watch liveaquaria and they will toss them on sale for 129-159, but it's a waiting game.

 

[cablueeyes]

An atlantic blue is an acantharus species and can be a bully so if they are the same species he may be a problem. I heard it was also best to add more then one tang at a time so they don't single one out.

 

[poolshark8961]

I heard it was also best to add more then one tang at a time so they don't single one out.

That's definitely true! Especially if you have only a single tang in the tank or are trying to establish a population of several tangs in a tank with zero in it to start. Odd numbers help as well.

 

[Frank Castle]

Awesome...thanks everyone

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I would say for any fish that are notoriously "difficult to keep" (including copperbands, leopard wrasses, potter's and regal angels, etc), the MOST IMPORTANT thing is getting the fish from a good source. It's not cheaper if the fish ends up dead. I stopped shopping around for fish a long time ago... I know who I trust, and I get fish through them.

Check out these threads on RC that will help:

Achilles Tang Primer - Reef Central Online Community

Best QT option for Achilles tang - Reef Central Online Community

It is a beautiful fish, and will be one of two tangs in my tank when I upgrade in a few years.

 

[Frank Castle]

Definitely gna look into it more..