Yellow tang vs true perc.

saltyhopefull · 05/02/2009, 11:22 AM

I have a yellow tang that has been in a QT for two weeks (due to ich in the DT), i have just introduced 2 true percs. One of the percs is 1.5-2" and the other is 1-1.5". My yellow tang is about 3" long. I put in the two new percs last night & when I woke up this morning my larger perc looked pretty beat up. Some of his scales are messed up, his dorsal fin is a cloudy peach colour, & some of his tail fin is gone with some of the same cloudiness on the end of the tail (not the fin). I'm thinking either fin rot or the tang is beating up on the perc. Any ideas? Solutions?
Thanks for your help. I tried to take pictures with my iphone, but none of them are clear enough to even post.

saltyhopefull · 05/02/2009, 11:27 AM

The QT is 20 gal with some base rock, pvc pipe, powerhead & a filter.

bucsfan34207 · 05/02/2009, 11:41 AM

Are you sure the percs were a mated pair. I had a pair of maroon clowns I tried to pair up and they went at it seconds from introducing them together.

saltyhopefull · 05/02/2009, 11:49 AM

They were each in separate tanks but were the only ones in the tank. One is about twice the size of the other. Are they aggressive toward each other if not introduced at a young age?

BAYAREA25 · 05/02/2009, 01:49 PM

I don't think it was the tang. It might of been the other clown. Mine at first tryed to beat the crap out of eachother befor they paired off. Maybe one of ur clowns was trying 2 be more dominate and turn into a female. Like mine did

saltyhopefull · 05/02/2009, 02:01 PM

Do you think that it's too soon to put the yellow tang back in the tank after 2+ weeks of ich treatment. I used Cupramine - but it is all out of the tank now.

BAYAREA25 · 05/02/2009, 02:11 PM

Well it will be better to wait since u added the clowns. But maybe wait another week or a few days to add the tang and keep the clowns in the qt.

PRDubois · 05/02/2009, 02:18 PM

Yellow tangs are aholes

L98-Z · 05/02/2009, 02:21 PM

Never trust tangs. Like PRDubois said, tangs are aholes. They can be very aggressive, and can do some nasty damage too.

BAYAREA25 · 05/02/2009, 02:31 PM

Yea. It just depends on the fish. My blue tang is somewat mean. Nd eats all the food before the otheres eat.

Just separate all the fish if u can

PRDubois · 05/02/2009, 02:59 PM

tangs can be mean - Yellow tangs are the worst

Mike31154 · 05/02/2009, 06:47 PM

Hmm, my Yellow Tang is a model citizen. In with a variety of other specimens including a mated Maroon Clown pair and never an issue. In fact, I've even observed the Yellow Tang acting as a referee defusing conflicts between some of my other fish.

Ohiomom · 05/02/2009, 06:55 PM

+1 on the my yellow tang being nice too.. it IS too soon to put the fish in the display especially if the tang was in the DT when you took him out..Was he? If so it takes about 6 weeks or so for the display to become healthy and break the life cycle of the ich.

As for the clowns I would say it is the two of them beating each other up...unless they are juvenilles when put together they may both be the same sex. The dominate one will eventually become the dominate female but they may end up killing the other. With clowns it is always better to really young ones or a mated pair..

Good luck..

saltyhopefull · 05/03/2009, 08:51 PM

Thanks for all the input. I don't think that the tang was causing any of the damage - I think he was trying to be the referee between the two. I still haven't seen any violence between the two clowns. I am starting up a 10gal QT but it will take a few weeks to cycle so until then I will be putting a divider in the tank. Is there anything that I can put on my poor big clown to help heal his scales & fins?
Thanks again for all the help.

tmz · 05/03/2009, 10:31 PM

I would not move the Zebrasomma(tang ) for several more weeks.

You may have 2 female clowns. They will fight to the death if that's the case. Once they become females they can't go back to being males. Two small juveniles will not be sexed yet and one will establish dominance becoming the female,the other the male . Maybe you can trade in one clown and get a very small one to go with the one you keep.

05/02/2009, 11:22 AM	#1
saltyhopefull Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 25	Yellow tang vs true perc. I have a yellow tang that has been in a QT for two weeks (due to ich in the DT), i have just introduced 2 true percs. One of the percs is 1.5-2" and the other is 1-1.5". My yellow tang is about 3" long. I put in the two new percs last night & when I woke up this morning my larger perc looked pretty beat up. Some of his scales are messed up, his dorsal fin is a cloudy peach colour, & some of his tail fin is gone with some of the same cloudiness on the end of the tail (not the fin). I'm thinking either fin rot or the tang is beating up on the perc. Any ideas? Solutions? Thanks for your help. I tried to take pictures with my iphone, but none of them are clear enough to even post. __________________ Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. Give a man a fish tank and he's hooked for life. Current Tank Info: 90 gal reef with 33 gal sump, Vortex skimmer, 4' 6-bulb T-5 lights, 2 - Tunze 6045 Powerheads

05/02/2009, 11:27 AM	#2
saltyhopefull Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 25	The QT is 20 gal with some base rock, pvc pipe, powerhead & a filter. __________________ Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. Give a man a fish tank and he's hooked for life. Current Tank Info: 90 gal reef with 33 gal sump, Vortex skimmer, 4' 6-bulb T-5 lights, 2 - Tunze 6045 Powerheads

05/02/2009, 11:49 AM	#4
saltyhopefull Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 25	They were each in separate tanks but were the only ones in the tank. One is about twice the size of the other. Are they aggressive toward each other if not introduced at a young age? __________________ Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. Give a man a fish tank and he's hooked for life. Current Tank Info: 90 gal reef with 33 gal sump, Vortex skimmer, 4' 6-bulb T-5 lights, 2 - Tunze 6045 Powerheads

05/02/2009, 02:01 PM	#6
saltyhopefull Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 25	Do you think that it's too soon to put the yellow tang back in the tank after 2+ weeks of ich treatment. I used Cupramine - but it is all out of the tank now. __________________ Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. Give a man a fish tank and he's hooked for life. Current Tank Info: 90 gal reef with 33 gal sump, Vortex skimmer, 4' 6-bulb T-5 lights, 2 - Tunze 6045 Powerheads

05/02/2009, 02:18 PM	#8
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	Yellow tangs are aholes __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

05/02/2009, 11:41 AM	#3
bucsfan34207 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bradenton Posts: 38	Are you sure the percs were a mated pair. I had a pair of maroon clowns I tried to pair up and they went at it seconds from introducing them together.

05/02/2009, 01:49 PM	#5
BAYAREA25 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 57	I don't think it was the tang. It might of been the other clown. Mine at first tryed to beat the crap out of eachother befor they paired off. Maybe one of ur clowns was trying 2 be more dominate and turn into a female. Like mine did

05/02/2009, 02:11 PM	#7
BAYAREA25 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 57	Well it will be better to wait since u added the clowns. But maybe wait another week or a few days to add the tang and keep the clowns in the qt.

05/02/2009, 02:21 PM	#9
L98-Z Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Warner Robins, Georgia Posts: 1,230	Never trust tangs. Like PRDubois said, tangs are aholes. They can be very aggressive, and can do some nasty damage too.

05/02/2009, 02:31 PM	#10
BAYAREA25 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 57	Yea. It just depends on the fish. My blue tang is somewat mean. Nd eats all the food before the otheres eat. Just separate all the fish if u can

05/02/2009, 02:59 PM	#11
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	tangs can be mean - Yellow tangs are the worst __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

05/02/2009, 06:47 PM	#12
Mike31154 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 1,555	Hmm, my Yellow Tang is a model citizen. In with a variety of other specimens including a mated Maroon Clown pair and never an issue. In fact, I've even observed the Yellow Tang acting as a referee defusing conflicts between some of my other fish. __________________ Mike Current Tank Info: 77g sumpless sw with rock, sand, a few critters, fishes & polyps. Lights, pumps.....

05/02/2009, 06:55 PM	#13
Ohiomom Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,586	+1 on the my yellow tang being nice too.. it IS too soon to put the fish in the display especially if the tang was in the DT when you took him out..Was he? If so it takes about 6 weeks or so for the display to become healthy and break the life cycle of the ich. As for the clowns I would say it is the two of them beating each other up...unless they are juvenilles when put together they may both be the same sex. The dominate one will eventually become the dominate female but they may end up killing the other. With clowns it is always better to really young ones or a mated pair.. Good luck.. __________________ .....Sandra “Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.” Current Tank Info: 75 galllon reef, T5HO love em!

05/03/2009, 08:51 PM	#14
saltyhopefull Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 25	Thanks for all the input. I don't think that the tang was causing any of the damage - I think he was trying to be the referee between the two. I still haven't seen any violence between the two clowns. I am starting up a 10gal QT but it will take a few weeks to cycle so until then I will be putting a divider in the tank. Is there anything that I can put on my poor big clown to help heal his scales & fins? Thanks again for all the help. __________________ Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. Give a man a fish tank and he's hooked for life. Current Tank Info: 90 gal reef with 33 gal sump, Vortex skimmer, 4' 6-bulb T-5 lights, 2 - Tunze 6045 Powerheads

05/03/2009, 10:31 PM	#15
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	I would not move the Zebrasomma(tang ) for several more weeks. You may have 2 female clowns. They will fight to the death if that's the case. Once they become females they can't go back to being males. Two small juveniles will not be sexed yet and one will establish dominance becoming the female,the other the male . Maybe you can trade in one clown and get a very small one to go with the one you keep. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.