Tang?
 

Hey I was wondering if it would be possible to keep a tang in my 32, if I get a baby? Like one that doesnt grow big, like the yellow eye tang? Ive read of someone who has 2 yellow tangs and 1 sailfin in his 55. I was just wondering?

You will get mixed reviews from different reefers, I have kept a yellow tang in my 33G it was about 2 inches, what i did is I kept a yellow in my tank with the thought that when it outgrows my tank I will upgrage, and I did upgraded to a 3 foot, 65G...I think you are ok to keep a tang as long as it is small and the bio load can be taken care of with good filtration and flow...

Kris

How long did you have him before upgrading your tank? Did he grow fast?

I had him for about 4 Months, they dont grow extremely fast, and depending on how many fish would be in the 33G he could be in one for a while.. after a big tank crash killing everything.....:sad: (power outage) I got a new little guy, about 2 inches in november and now he is about 3.5 inches...
Where abouts are you located? just out of curiousity....

Hope that helps..

Kris

I am located in Winnipeg. And everyone on the forum says I shouldn't buy one. And now im confused. I have 2 clownfish and want to buy a mandarin in the futur.

The decision is in your hands ultimately..If you are prepared to do whatever maintenance is neccisary to keep the parameters good, then I dont see a problem..Look at the tank of the month, he has a yellow tang in his tank, and I know many other reefers with tangs in a 33G-38G..

Kris

I still don't know im confused

A tang is a huge bio load for a 32G, and the fish will probably not be very happy. With a tank that size you are better sticking to smaller fish like your clowns. If you want to keep corals you will be forever battling nitrates in a tank that small. Tangs love to eat.... and poop!

the biggest issue with tangs in smaller tanks is the swimming room. yes they are 'dirty' fish but the are also very active fish. like kris was saying it is ultimately your decision and everything else is people's opinion. just research the fish you are looking at and decide whether you are just going to keep the fish alive or if the fish will thrive in the tank.

Thanks. Ya I don't have any nitrates now. And I don't think I want some in my tank.

The whole idea of creating a reef system is to find the correct balance and enable your fish and corals to live a happy stress free life. Fish need room to roam, otherwise they get stressed out and will probably get sick or die.
Some people will get lucky and have an oversized fish that does well in a small tank. But do you think their happy.
Go with smaller, more colorful fish for now and if you think you absolutely have to have a tang - get a bigger tank. :smile:

Ya thats a good idea but im having trouble of finding a nice colourful and fun to watch fish

In the way of small fish Think of a wrasse, bangaii cardinal, royal gramma...to name a few..PM me with your email and I could send you some picks of my small fish...

Kris

Sounds like you need a bigger tank :mrgreen:

Try this site out for some ideas and then shop around or see if anyone here has what you're looking for.

www.liveaquaria.com

Im looking for a fish that will swim around and be active. One that won't eat my copepod culture. I sort of wanted a fish bigger than my clownfish. Got any ideas

pygmy angels are active but stay relatively small, firefish but can be jumpers. sixline wrasse, chromis,

Oh and that are reef safe

pygmy angels can be touch and go for reef safe

Thanks

What about an Eibli Angel

If you want a mandarin down the road on your 33 you better get a refugium going now, and then in 6 months you might be ready for a goby. Mandarins will clean that tank of pods in a manner of weeks, if that. Refugium might give him a chance.

The only reason I even thought of getting a mandarin was because it ate frozen foods. If it didnt I wouldn't even be thinking about it.

I keep a Regal Tang in my 33 gallon. He's about 1.75 inches and does well in it.

Alot of people tell you that "it's ultimately your decision" but try to persuade you anyway. You can try for Bangaii Cardinals, they are uber-cool fish but you'll need to train them to eat pellets. If you really want a tang, a small (but not very young juvies, their mortality rate is higher) you can try something like a blue/yellow/tomini tang. Just be forewarned: tangs are aggressive fish that will compete for algae food source in a tank as small as yours so fish like Lawnmower Blennies won't be good tankmates.

My opinion? Try it out for yourself and if it doesn't work out for the fish, move on to another reasonable option.

After all, reefing is pretty much like anything else; live and learn.

How long have you had it?

5 or 6 months, at least. He eats and swims alot.

FYI, Tangs can develop HLLE if you don't keep up with pristine water conditions. That and large tank space for swimming are the among the primary reasons why people suggest keeping tangs in larger tanks as well.

Good luck.

Whats HLLE?

Head and Lateral Line Erosion Disease.
Here is a link:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/hea...a/aa040901.htm

Kris

Whats a grounding probe?

Big titanium rod. Plugs into the wall.

What is its purpose?

Removes stray current from the water. Kinda like a +4 longsword of Channeling that criticals on d12.

Edit: I sniff too much glue.

Do you have one?

I do.

So it goes in the water?