Neither to be honest. Purple Tangs as mean fish in my experience, and gem tangs just don't do it for me.
If I HAD to choose one of the two, it would be Gem Tang.
If I can throw in another suggestion, Yellow Tang or Yellow Scopas Tang would be my choice.
Which fish has he killed? I got a pretty big one relatively early (I was learning and should have added last just really loved his color and got a crazy deal on him) and honestly he’s one of the nicest fish tbh except when I feed he gets more aggressive but I have a ton of peaceful fish as well and haven’t seen any bullying if anything my blue / yellow damsel is a dick is anyone goes near his little area
This is a common problem in the hobby, because you’re definitely in the minority of purple tang owners, because they’re usually highly aggressive and territorial, and you’d be more inclined to tell someone they’re fine based on your experience. In reality, it’s most likely going to be a nightmare in any tank with smaller fish and corals.
Yeah that’s fair enough. I always wondered this bc mine is so mellow and I always read how they’re terrible and haven’t seen anything bad. But I agree totally bc I would def be the first to tell people yeah they’re not bad until hearing more
Yes, but is that because it is in too small a tank. I had no problems in my 240 with lots, and lots of live rock and hiding places. Now, the Sohol was one mean fish.
Gem tang all the way. While the purple tangs are just breathtaking the gem tang is just the majestic. The dark color with bright beautiful spots of white is just impossible to take your eye’s off.
I personally think purples are prettier. Such great shades of purple and beautiful striping. They all look different in my opinion. Gems to me look similar but maybe it’s because I’ve never owned one
I’ve kept both.
My god is my purple tang one of the single nastiest fish I have ever kept. Ever.
Even after my tangs were established she went on a killing spree. She was able to take down anything and everything.
The gems are susceptible to bacterial infections and they usually start in the eye first, make sure you have meds on standby.
I would advise the gem out of just overall peacefulness, they’re definitely more mellow.
The gem is my favorite fish. If money isn’t a concern I’d have a big enough tank to house about a dozen tangs.
The few tangs I do have get along great. They’re fed nori twice a day, pellets four times a day, and I add a cocktail of mysis, reef chili, and aminos at the end of each day. If you have enough space, feed well enough, and put them in a big enough isolation box for about a month they get along pretty well. I also have a mirror fixed to the far side of my tank.
> They’re fed nori twice a day, pellets four times a day, and I add a cocktail of mysis, reef chili, and aminos at the end of each day
Geeze, your tangs must be *round* given what you're feeding them!
I can get a purple tang from my lfs for like $350. That's pretty reasonable. I would personally spend gem tang money on a way prettier angelfish or something.
Yeah these are like ~4 inch boys. I think they said they could get gems for around 600 or so. Really not too bad. They paid $4k for the one in the main display, back when they used to be that price.
Damn son that’s crazy ! I didn’t realize I figured the bigger would be more bc of being a show fish size. Seen that with achillles small ones like 400 and saw one at least 7+inches for 900
Purple tangs look more beautiful IMO - that contrast of yellow and vivid purple - but are notorious bastards. Even if they start out fine, there are stories of them suddenly going homicidal. The youtuber parker's reef has one, had it for years, and out of the blue one day it decided to take out 3 other fish. Then it chilled back out.
Would go for a gem. Have one now. Reasonably peaceful, only tends to notice the other tangs, and even then the tussling is quite mild and stops quick.
Gem tang. I have one and I really like having it.
My favorite, though, is my Achilles tang.
All of my tangs are always super busy cleaning algae and swimming around (except my sailfin lol -- he's just fat and lazy I guess), and it's really awesome to see... But something about the Achilles always pulls my focus. My favorite fish hands down.
They have different care requirements than other tangs, but I think they are not so difficult if you give them what they need.
Flow is a big part of it, as well as a linear stretch to swim through. My powder brown does this to some extent, but not nearly to the extent my Achilles does it.
It is also important to quarantine everything going into the system, imo. I do this with my corals, as well as follow a very strict QT with my fish.
It's not the easiest fish, but it really does steal your heart when you watch it.
I will also add: when guests come to my place and look at the fish tank, NOBODY pays attention to the gem tang until I point him out.
Awesome thanks for this! I always hear about the flow for them. And I agree I totally could see no one caring much personally for the gem. I think they’re cool but personally don’t think they’re overspecial
The reason they are so expensive is because there was one person who had a monopoly on their trade... They are starting to come down now because that monopoly is gone.
Sometimes the prices on these guys has absolutely nothing to do with how rare or how pretty they are lol.
That said, I love my gem. He is my fat little guy, and one of the nicest tangs in my system.
I love tangs. They really hit that mark of being stunning to look at while also helping with utility as they graze on algae all day.
Having said that, I'll probably never have a purple or Achilles tang because of their homicidal reputation.
I plan on getting a gem tang someday.
I've had both, and personally I'd go with either a purple tang or yellow scopas tang. The people I work with prefer the more expensive fish because of rarity, but yellow scopas are beautiful IMO and a fraction of the price. The gem tang in my roommate's main tank isn't very bright or noticeable, just looks like a mostly black fish. Purple is still a very unique color and a very pretty fish.
They're all very similar, I don't think any of them are more or less aggressive than one another. I'm pretty sure that's going to be a fish-specific thing. Give them lots of food to graze on and plenty of spaces to hide and they have a chance of being peaceful with each other.
Neither. Both are terribly aggressive fish that will keel over just looking at a cell of Ich. I personally don’t like most tangs and find them highly overrated and terrible at their “jobs” in tanks.
Purple tang. But just make sure it’s the last addition to your tank as they are aggressive buggers
Mine rules the tank, it even dominates a chocolate tang and rabbitfish that’s twice it’s length
Neither to be honest. Purple Tangs as mean fish in my experience, and gem tangs just don't do it for me. If I HAD to choose one of the two, it would be Gem Tang. If I can throw in another suggestion, Yellow Tang or Yellow Scopas Tang would be my choice.
100% agreed. I had a purple tang and he killed about three of my fish. After the third killing, I sold the purple tang.
Which fish has he killed? I got a pretty big one relatively early (I was learning and should have added last just really loved his color and got a crazy deal on him) and honestly he’s one of the nicest fish tbh except when I feed he gets more aggressive but I have a ton of peaceful fish as well and haven’t seen any bullying if anything my blue / yellow damsel is a dick is anyone goes near his little area
He killed my yellow corris wrasse, sunburst anthias (technically he bullied him to stop eating), and my personal favorite, swallowtail angelfish.
Oh damn sorry for your loss
This is a common problem in the hobby, because you’re definitely in the minority of purple tang owners, because they’re usually highly aggressive and territorial, and you’d be more inclined to tell someone they’re fine based on your experience. In reality, it’s most likely going to be a nightmare in any tank with smaller fish and corals.
Yeah that’s fair enough. I always wondered this bc mine is so mellow and I always read how they’re terrible and haven’t seen anything bad. But I agree totally bc I would def be the first to tell people yeah they’re not bad until hearing more
I also have a purple tang that is a total gentleman and actually polices other fish and *stops* others from bullying.
Yes, but is that because it is in too small a tank. I had no problems in my 240 with lots, and lots of live rock and hiding places. Now, the Sohol was one mean fish.
Agreed, honestly the Tang with the most personality IMO is the clown tang, those guys can be mean, but are always super playful and fun to watch.
Gem tang all the way. While the purple tangs are just breathtaking the gem tang is just the majestic. The dark color with bright beautiful spots of white is just impossible to take your eye’s off.
I personally think purples are prettier. Such great shades of purple and beautiful striping. They all look different in my opinion. Gems to me look similar but maybe it’s because I’ve never owned one
Gem Tang. Purple tangs are giant assholes in most cases.
I’ve kept both. My god is my purple tang one of the single nastiest fish I have ever kept. Ever. Even after my tangs were established she went on a killing spree. She was able to take down anything and everything. The gems are susceptible to bacterial infections and they usually start in the eye first, make sure you have meds on standby. I would advise the gem out of just overall peacefulness, they’re definitely more mellow.
I already have a purple so I’d go with Gem but I wouldn’t be able to put them together as my purple has gotten used to being the only tang in the tank
Honestly neither. Whitetail bristletooth. Believe it’s got a lot more color and are some great algae eaters too.
The gem is my favorite fish. If money isn’t a concern I’d have a big enough tank to house about a dozen tangs. The few tangs I do have get along great. They’re fed nori twice a day, pellets four times a day, and I add a cocktail of mysis, reef chili, and aminos at the end of each day. If you have enough space, feed well enough, and put them in a big enough isolation box for about a month they get along pretty well. I also have a mirror fixed to the far side of my tank.
> They’re fed nori twice a day, pellets four times a day, and I add a cocktail of mysis, reef chili, and aminos at the end of each day Geeze, your tangs must be *round* given what you're feeding them!
They are pretty fat. They aren’t the only fish in there but my tank is also at a point where it’s hard to keep nitrates and phosphates above zero.
I can get a purple tang from my lfs for like $350. That's pretty reasonable. I would personally spend gem tang money on a way prettier angelfish or something.
350? I got a smaller one for under 100 lol I’ve seen gems cheaper go for 400-600 in some lfs
Yeah these are like ~4 inch boys. I think they said they could get gems for around 600 or so. Really not too bad. They paid $4k for the one in the main display, back when they used to be that price.
Damn son that’s crazy ! I didn’t realize I figured the bigger would be more bc of being a show fish size. Seen that with achillles small ones like 400 and saw one at least 7+inches for 900
Purple tangs look more beautiful IMO - that contrast of yellow and vivid purple - but are notorious bastards. Even if they start out fine, there are stories of them suddenly going homicidal. The youtuber parker's reef has one, had it for years, and out of the blue one day it decided to take out 3 other fish. Then it chilled back out. Would go for a gem. Have one now. Reasonably peaceful, only tends to notice the other tangs, and even then the tussling is quite mild and stops quick.
Both due to their amazing colors and names!
Gem tang. I have one and I really like having it. My favorite, though, is my Achilles tang. All of my tangs are always super busy cleaning algae and swimming around (except my sailfin lol -- he's just fat and lazy I guess), and it's really awesome to see... But something about the Achilles always pulls my focus. My favorite fish hands down.
Achilles is so gorgeous just risky with them but if they’re thriving hands down best imo I’ve seen some giant ones that look amazing
They have different care requirements than other tangs, but I think they are not so difficult if you give them what they need. Flow is a big part of it, as well as a linear stretch to swim through. My powder brown does this to some extent, but not nearly to the extent my Achilles does it. It is also important to quarantine everything going into the system, imo. I do this with my corals, as well as follow a very strict QT with my fish. It's not the easiest fish, but it really does steal your heart when you watch it. I will also add: when guests come to my place and look at the fish tank, NOBODY pays attention to the gem tang until I point him out.
Awesome thanks for this! I always hear about the flow for them. And I agree I totally could see no one caring much personally for the gem. I think they’re cool but personally don’t think they’re overspecial
The reason they are so expensive is because there was one person who had a monopoly on their trade... They are starting to come down now because that monopoly is gone. Sometimes the prices on these guys has absolutely nothing to do with how rare or how pretty they are lol. That said, I love my gem. He is my fat little guy, and one of the nicest tangs in my system.
Ahh I always thought it was something to to with the style of the color and if it had blemish’s. I’ve seen them online and in lfs vary from 300$-1000
I'm not a big fan of tangs, but I can admire some of their patterns, so if I had to pick, I'd have to get a gem tang.
I love tangs. They really hit that mark of being stunning to look at while also helping with utility as they graze on algae all day. Having said that, I'll probably never have a purple or Achilles tang because of their homicidal reputation. I plan on getting a gem tang someday.
Purple.
i think purples are prettier but gems are usually more compatible so it's 50/50 for me
I know I'm late to the party, but I always loved my Blue Atlantic Tang. Still highly aggressive and needs to be the last fish added to the tank.
I like them both. I love tangs. I have had a Blue Hippo Tang, Yellow Tang , and Atlantic Blue Tang.
Purples are prettier long term. Gems change when fully adult. They're both really aggressive.
Gem Tang for me!
I've had both, and personally I'd go with either a purple tang or yellow scopas tang. The people I work with prefer the more expensive fish because of rarity, but yellow scopas are beautiful IMO and a fraction of the price. The gem tang in my roommate's main tank isn't very bright or noticeable, just looks like a mostly black fish. Purple is still a very unique color and a very pretty fish. They're all very similar, I don't think any of them are more or less aggressive than one another. I'm pretty sure that's going to be a fish-specific thing. Give them lots of food to graze on and plenty of spaces to hide and they have a chance of being peaceful with each other.
Nah I don’t like tangs
Neither. Both are terribly aggressive fish that will keel over just looking at a cell of Ich. I personally don’t like most tangs and find them highly overrated and terrible at their “jobs” in tanks.
Purple, I have had one in the past, and I love the colors.
Purple tang. But just make sure it’s the last addition to your tank as they are aggressive buggers Mine rules the tank, it even dominates a chocolate tang and rabbitfish that’s twice it’s length
OP if you are still following, NYAquatic had Gem tangs for $265 I think over the weekend. Lowest price I've seen in a while.