Sohal Tang - Bad Rep?

[Raf]

Thinking of getting a Sohal Tang for my 220g FOWLR. Our LFS got some 3" Sohals in, they look good and are a good price. Now, are they as aggressive as many sites make them sound? This would be the last fish adde to my tank and here are the fish already in there:

yellow tang 4"
sailfin tang 4"
naso tang 6"
niger trigger 6"
picasso trigger 3"
parrotfish 3"
bluebird wrasse 6"
maroon clown 2.5"
valentini puffer 2"
porcupine puffer 3"
queen coris wrasse 3"
queen angel 4"

am I asking for problems?

thanks in advance

 

[aquaman3680]

Yes, the sohals are possibly the most aggressive tang you can get! I would really not recommend one for your tank! JMHO

Matt

 

[BoomerD]

Perhaps the ONLY tang MORE aggressive than a sohal, is the clown tang...meaner than cat-sh*t!...Beautiful fish, and do VERY well, as long as they're the only tangs in the tank, and often, the only FISH at all in the tank...but, beautiful fish...

 

[JFK_Jr]

I tried a Sohal and ended up having to give him away. At one point he swam around with his two switchblades by his tail constantly exposed making threats at what I believe was his shadow in the glass.

The aggressiveness wasn't even the deciding factor in giving him away. Even though I fed him well... he developed a habit of picking at my Goniporas and my toadstool leathers. He would literally tear off the tentacles and spit them out! :flaming:

Left me no choice but to fish him out... which wasn't easy by the way!

 

[lcstorc]

Witfull had one a while ago and called it the serial killer. Way too nasty for me.

 

[pmac90]

Mean! just plain MEAN! I had one that made my Tusk cry like a little girl. I've also heard stories like "i put in a powder blue to calm my sohal down and it spit it's bones at me 3 days later" .... you've been warned! witty has marks on his arms for proof if you don't believe us. LOL

 

[Warnberg]

Those are jail stripes down their sides, escaped murders they are..... Yes sohal's are mean.

 

[Snelly40]

too bad, beautiful fish

 

[Raf]

hehe

ok guys, I have heard enough. I think I will pass on this beauty! :craig:

thanks

 

[Witfull]

wise choice~

 

[BoomerD]

FWIW, the one in the picture I posted above was a "model citizen" in my tank. (I think...I always did wonder what happened to that Coral Beauty...)
When I finally accepted the fact that I wasn't gonna get the 180 set up, I sold him to a friend for his 240. I warned him in advance about the reputation, (and that the guy I got him from said he terrorized his 155) but my friend still wanted this fish...
He took it home, and within a few days, the sohal beat the snot our of his purple tang and Desjardini sailfin...both nearly twice the size of the sohal...if that wasn't bad enough, he then started eating my friend's collection of rare or unusual zoanthids...so, the tang went into his 180 FOWLR tank, with a Huma-Huma and puffer...where he beat the crap outta both of them too...
My friend finally accepted that the tang was a "bad-boy" and sold him to one of the LA coral farmers, where (AFAIK) he still is today...

 

[Raf]

Great story! Life is so unfair!!!!

 

[kyrie_eleison]

dude,

Get yourself a clown tang. You'll be happy. I have one and he gets along with everyone in the tank...even with my scopas. I've never seen a more active fish.

 

[BoomerD]

Wow...the Clown Tang is considered to be the ONLY tang MORE aggressive and mean than the Sohal...How long have you had it Kyrie?

 

[kyrie_eleison]

Boomer,

I've had it for about 2 weeks now. I was surprised myself. But, there isn't a whole lot fish in the tank anyway. The tank is mainly for corals. It does swim alot and FAST. It truly is a beautiful fish, one of the reasons for me wanting him not to mention a fairly good amount of swimming room and with very few tankmates to squabble with. He doesn't fight with my saddleback since the saddleback mainly swims around my goniopora; doesn't fight w/ my domino since the domino knows he'll get killed; the watchman goby--I see him one day but will go missing for a week and boom--show up again. He could fight with my scopas but...he doesn't. They sort of do their own thing.

The scopas comes up to the tank when it sees me; knowing I'm a sap for feeding him but the clown tang will swim away when I approach.

I haven't seen any squabbling...at least not yet. Watching the clown tang swim around the tank is pretty cool!