I have a 65gal tank that is getting established and I was wondering wich one you guys would recommend a powder blue or purple. This going to be a generall reef tank with corals and inverts.

65 might be a tad small for most tangs when they get larger. IMHO a smaller one will be ok for a while, but you may need to find it a new home at some point. The thing you need to weigh is that Purples can be aggressive and Powder Blues can be difficult to keep. If this is a very new tank I would pass on both for now until the tank is mature.

I agree that both would outgrow the tank. maybe a kole tang the spotted ones are quite beautiful.

i agree, i have a purple, but he is not the dominant Tang, they are known to be quite aggressive though. th epowder blues are a pretty difficult fish to keep as stated above, and i also think that they would both be a poor choice for a tank that size. tangs need a large tank to thrive, IMHO.

Depending on your tank dimensions, you might be able to get away with a small purple.... at least for now. (longer tanks are generally better for tangs) But in about a year, you will definitely need to upgrade. I would say no on the Powder Blue IMO (at least not on a 65)

I have read what you guys said above, but i have some questions.

If you are setting up a new tank, now long would u wait to put in a purple or powder blue tang??
Would a 92 corner bow be big enough for a purple AND a powder blue??

nope, a 92 corner would not be big enough for even one tang. tangs do MUCH better in a 6' tank. they cover many many many miles every day in the ocean. IMHO, even a 6' tank is not big enough for a lot of tangs, the smaller ones ...yes, but the bigger ones would be a lot better off in at least an 8' tank or longer.

I must say I have a purple tang in my 55 and he is doing quite well. Been in there for 5 years. He is also not the dominant(aggresive) fish, I would almost recon him to the peace keeper. When the others start to tussel he steps in and its all over. Nuetral corners.

cool thanks

I must say I have a purple tang in my 55 and he is doing quite well. Been in there for 5 years. He is also not the dominant(aggresive) fish, I would almost recon him to the peace keeper. When the others start to tussel he steps in and its all over. Nuetral corners.



The issue is the natural tendency for Tangs to be open water swimmers. They need to flex a little more to be healthy. You can get away with it if water quality and diet are well looked after, but, it is not ideal.

If you really need to have a tang in a tank that is under 110 gallons and is not 72" in length, stick to the smaller varities like Kole or Chevron as mentioned. You can also look at a Tomini tang. These all stay on the smaller size for tangs.