Lighting time & two Tank problem

Question
Jennifer:

I have a 30gl saltwater setup. I am using PC lighting and have it on a timer. I have the timer set for 6hrs. I have several Kenya Trees, mushrooms, Zinnia, and a few others. Is the 6hrs ok or should I increase the time? The other question I had is, I have had a Yellow Tang for about 5 or 6 weeks now and last week I found juvenile male Naso tang. The Yellow Tang is dominating the Naso really bad. I am going to add a peace of live rock to make a new cave for the Naso. Will this stop the aggressive behavior of the Yellow Tang or should I just get ride if one. The Naso now has the lower part of his rear fin damaged.

Owen.

Answer
Hello Owen. You should have your lights on long enough to simulate the natural day/night cycle of the earth. For a reef tank your lights should be on 10-12 hours a day. Six hours is not long enough of an exposure time for most corals. The lights should come on as the sun comes up and go off as the sun sets.
Tangs are considered semi-aggressive and you should not house more than one in a tank 48 inches or smaller. They tend to get territorial and will fight over feeding territory. If one is much smaller than the other it will be dominated and picked on regularly. Since tangs are not very disease resistant this constant picking from one to the other leads to one very stressed out fish. A stressed out fish's immune system will be poor leaving it much more susceptible to outbreaks of ich and other diseases. You should probably find a new home for one of them or separate them somehow. It would be what is best for the health of both fish involved.