Tang Identification

[liebenbergb]

Hi,

I wonder, If any one can help me identify a Tang , is this a Scopus Tang ?

Thanks
Brad

 

[Zach B]

Sure looks like a scopas

 

[liebenbergb]

Sure looks like a scopas

Great thanks

 

[nereefpat]

Yep. It's difficult to get a good picture of them that captures their colors like that.

 

[Zionas]

Yes it’s a Scopas. According to a DNA study it’s possible that it and the Yellow are the same species.

 

[User1]

Hi,

I wonder, If any one can help me identify a Tang , is this a Scopus Tang ?

Thanks
Brad

Black and tan = Scopus. Looks like one anyway. But from mouth to just behind the gills and fin is tan with the latter back half and tail darker to black is a scopus. Great fish. Love the color. Great algae eaters although later a bit lazy as they eat more prepared vs foraging say compared to others. Still an under rated tang in my opinion.

I really like mine although he/she is a bit shy compared to my previous tangs (Lt. Tang and Lavender).

 

[Zionas]

You had a Lavender Tang? How did it do and how big was it? Would you say they’re hardy? Easy to find?

 

[User1]

You had a Lavender Tang? How did it do and how big was it? Would you say they’re hardy? Easy to find?

Yes, i did. Loved the darn thing. In fact everyone's favorite. Easy to find, yes. Not very expensive. Under 50 US dollars in most cases. Most will say bland color or somewhat brown but there is a lavender tint. They have a nice color tint around their fins and the front of the fish is full of dots as they mature. Very active swimmer. Didn't grow too fast or so it seemed to me. Housed in a 210 gallon (54" x 30" x 30"). Used all of it. Also hardy. I purchased it from Live Aquaria. Upon receipt I did a 15 minute fresh water dip using Mr. Fenner's Methylene Blue instructions.

I owned the fish for about 2 years. It was a good fish and mixed well with the current tank stocking list. This was:

Matted filefish
Pair of true percs
Pair of pajama cardinals
Coral Beauty
Scopas Tang
Azure damsel

I don't recall the order of fish and their addition to the tank but I believe he was the last fish added. Unfortunately I did have to return him to a local fish store because he was aggressive to any new fish I added. I introduced a small captive bred yellow assessor and it wouldn't leave it alone. Assessor finally found a decent spot in the tank and over the course of say 30 days they worked it out. Next up was a Copperband Butterfly. An already difficult fish to keep this little guy got a beating from the Lavender. Wouldn't stop. I added a mirror to try and keep it occupied thinking it would slow down. No. It kept its attention sure enough so much I thought it may hurt itself. In between mirror posturing it would find the copperband and attack it. This went on for about 5 days.

That was it. Placed a trap and the next day I caught and returned it. Bummer as my wiser and better half loved the fish so much she noticed it was gone and asked why. Anyway they are a really great tang and not as common as others in most tanks. Not sure why. Maybe they get aggressive down the road. Mine was great until the new fish I tried to add. So looking down the road I'm going to get another one but it will be the last fish I introduce.

TL; DR - affordable. Hardy. Always moving. Great eaters. Easy to acclimate. However, I did have to rehome mine as it became aggressive to new additions that are not there when I added him/her.

 

[Zionas]

That’s really good to know. What about your Scopas? How long have you had it for and how big is it? LA says they get to a whopping 12” and FishBase says 16”.

How big was the Lavender when you gave it away? I’m looking at a Mimic Tang (maybe) and worried about FishBase’s max size of almost 12”.

Tank will be 66” or 68” x 24” x 18”.