question regarding tangs and tank size
 

this question is not to point fingers or start a debate

It is mearly intended to gain some insight on the situation .

I am a severe newbie when it comes to SW tanks and fish . I am currently building my first 110gallon .. semi cube 36x28x25h



Question

Tangs .
I am really trying to tell myself that I should not be getting any tangs whatsover due to my tank size .. My longest run is 36" .

But I am incorporating a minimilst approach to my rock work . There is an extreme amount of open space in my tank , So thus i am wondering if a Yellow and PB tank would be acceptalbe if purchased very small >?

And ive done hours of reading that say never buy a fish that can outgrow your tank.

heres the problem .
I see lots of pictures of TOTM with tangs in small tanks. I also see tangs in very large tanks (6ft long ) with so much rock work that the fish can barly swim down the front pane of glass.

I have also seen 6ft tanks with like 5 or more tangs in the same tank .

I Just wonder why there seems to be this blanket rule for tangs when it comes to 6 ft and shorter tanks, But 6 feet and above is open season on cramming them in there

I would like to possibly have a TOTM in the future .Thus i would like to follow the responcible fish keeping trends that appear to be the norm .

(Essentially Any cube tank should never have a tang .. )

Just this tang buisness has got me all worked up

sorry for the rant .
all thoughts would be appreciated
Jon

Wayne should be along any time now, if his macro is working properly :)

I agree. A 6ft tank with 300 pounds of rock isn't any more suitable than a 36 inch tank.
Of the two you've mentioned, the YT would, IMO, be more suitable. The PBs tend to like really blasting around the tank.
Another point to consider is that while yes, Yellows can get to be the size of dinner plates, I've never actually had one grow much beyond the size I purchased it. I feed a lot.
So if you have a smaller tank with tons of swimming room, add a YT. Keep the water clean and feed it well to ensure good health. While there are tons of rules about this online, Tangs don't read a lot online and don't know the rules. :)

Get a smaller to mid size, make him the primary large fish for the tank, keep him healthy and you're doing fine.

I have many tangs in a 6' tank but I don't entirely agree with the notorious tang police when it comes to tank size ;). I have never seen my fish do full 6' laps of my tank but they do have plenty of room to roam around or to find privacy.

I would personally rather see someone properly care for and nurture a tang in a small tank than see someone neglect one in a big tank. Pick a smaller sized tang like a Kole or Yellow and keep them happy, that's what matters.

I myself have a very happy 2-3 year old tang in my 66 gallon. He is very happy and healthy and has room to swim. I see no issues with this as he is the only large fish I have. As long as you care for them and keep them happy and healthy I don't see any issues with a smaller tank like mine keeping a tang.

I wouldn't get any more though. haha

I have many tangs in my 6 feet tank and they're doing just fine. They have ample room to swim and fight sometimes too...lol
My rock work is done with many crevices and caves so they can have some privacy and places to hide.

I have a PB tang and I have noticed that guy needs a lot of space to swim, he swims from one end to the other end of the tank in no time. Powder blues are very active swimmers and need lots of space. Now Yellow tangs in what I've seen in my tank, are less active and they graze a lot on the rocks, so they're fine with a bit less space IMO.

I agree with the others here, Yellow tang should be fine in your tank dimensions.

I have 3 tangs in my 120 gallon (Minimal Rock) 4' tank. They seem to be fine. I wouldn't worry too much about a yellow in your tank.

In my 6' tank I have:

Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Sailfin Tang
Regal Tang

I think all do well but eventually the Regal will need a bigger tank. He's too much of a mover and grows so quickly. Everyone else will do well in there for years to come.

I have 3 tangs in my 6' - yellow, sailfin and tominini. I also have a blue throat trigger, these are my 4 big fish. The yellow is not much of a wanderer, but the other 2 are. That said, they don't race from one end of the tank to the other. Interestingly enough, my clarkii clown is the same size as my trigger.....

While you won't have the length of tank, I think you should be fine as others have noted.

thanks for all the replies . I do appreciate them .

I am going to attempt to start a build thread tonight . I only want to start one if i can figure out how to post pics in the thread .. (something i have never done before ..)

thanks
Jon
Vic BC

Hmm... I wonder if I should list the number of tangs in my 210.

I had a Tomini tang in a 3'x2' tank and it was a great addition. This tang isn't a very active swimmer and spends most of its time picking at the rocks instead of doing laps. Mine was very peaceful and had lots of personality and was easily my favorite fish in the tank.

right on . these are great posts

wasnt looking for the green light to add 20 tangs to my tank lol , I was just looking for some of your examples of 1 or 2 that you thought were doing well .

great .
so it appears that people do keep some tangs happily in slightly smaller tanks

Most people that like tangs and have smaller tanks combine them. I've kept tangs in a 75 and they did fine. I currently have a Sailfin, Purple, Yellow and a PB in my 180 and will be adding an Achilles shortly. They all get along fine and don't display any neurosis :)

I have a 5 foot tank and I also have a Yellow, Powder Blue, and a Red Sea Sailfin Tang and have noticed that the PB is the swimmer as the other don't swim around as much.

Well being in the 8'er club I can say that my lg Sohal tang does do the whole length of my tank from time to time but most if not all of my other tangs really don't. I think a 6' tank is good for most tangs until they get up to 6-8" in body length not including there tail. If you place your rock so that they have lots of room to swim with some hideouts for the ones who like to go into areas like hideouts at night.

My current tangs are Sohal, Sailfin, Luitenent, Purple, Scopas, Orange Shoulder, Yellow & 2 Regals. once my 300 8'er is done there will be an Achillies added.

I have a good sized yellow tang in my 6 ft 100g. Most of his time is spent picking on the rocks and back glass for algae and occasionally taking a lunge at my butterfly fish, just to remind them who is boss. But sometimes he makes quick short dashes around the tank, which is usually when he is pooping....

:biggrin:
I have the following in a 120... Sailfin, regal, purple, yellow and a kole. They are always in their best behaviour and gets along with the other fish in the tank. I am planning to go with much less rocks in the 120 soon to allow more swimming room for them. :)

Thanks for the post op.
Conscientious reefers start with the premise that we want to provide the optimum conditions for the tangs we decide to remove from their sea home. I believe you are one of us.

Tangs are swimmers. They spend their whole day swimming from one end of the tank to the other. Those who have kept tangs in a small four foot tank and mived them to a larger tank have really noticed the difference.

The solution is to simply wait until you have a suitably sized tank. Some reefers try to justify their purchase because it is a small immature tang. The poster who has a sailfin in his small tank will soon see exactly how fast that tang grows. Because it is an easier tang we often see it grow to pie plate
Unfortunately yellow tangs are often seen in small tanks not because it is large enough. We see them because they are common, cheap and often a reefs first tang.
The kole tang, very beautiful and very personable is suitable because the kole kind of hangs around rather than actively swimming.
No acanthrus species should be placed in a tank smaller than six feet because of their size and very active swimming behaviour.

The above information is shared with you not for the purpose of creating a dump on the tang police thread but for the purpose of sharing with you my own experience of 20 yearsthe experience of tang keepers, and what I have learned and read. And, as was pointed out, I read every tang thread everywhere

Grizz when you get a 300 try a vlamingi.

There you are, I was getting worried :razz:

I try to post within 24 hours

sorry. I panicked.

lol ..

So maybe a kole tang . and or a yellow tang .
these seem to be the slow swimmers that like to just hang out etc

You will be happy with the kole tank
Choose one that is plump. As with all fish purchases ask to see her eating in the Lfs.
Make sure there are no scratches, spots or redness. Bright eyes! Just as interested in you as you are in her.
Feed just garlic and selcon soaked food for a week or so. Make sure you keep one side of your tank unclean so that it can feed on the greasy (film) algae that is its natural food.
You can add some smooth freshwater type stones ( a pod pile) and pile them in a corner of your tank. It will double as a home for pods.

Good luck and thanks for asking first.

But minimum tank size is a 360 gal :surprise:

Get a small one lol. Or build a bigger tank

In my newb days, I had an 8 inch sohal tang in a 90 gallon tank. Bought it as a 4.5 inch fish, had no idea how fast it could grow

I vividly remember the conversation in the fish store

Me: "wow, that's a beautiful fish, how big of a tank does it need?"
LFS guy: "How big of a tank do you have?"
Me: "90 gallons"
LFS guy: "It needs a 90 gallon".


It started going crazy around 7 inches long. Would have these little freak outs that lead to the carpet surfing of probably 2 grand in rare wrasses. At that size, I couldn't give the thing away. Eventually ended up giving him to Red Coral when they were in their old location, but I'm pretty sure he bit it after the move. I literally still feel guilty about that fish.

Even now that I have a tank that's 6'X3', I still feel like it's too small for a larger tang. You rarely see a full grown PBT or achilles in a fish store, but when you see one that's hit it's near max size, even in a 180, they look outrageously large for their environment. Who knows what the subjective emotional experience of the fish is, but from a design point of view, huge fish in small tanks just looks wrong to me.

Wife put her foot down on anything bigger, this WILL be the last big tank unless I win the lotto :lol:

Like I posted before. Check the trunk of her car for hidden high end shopping bags and her purses for the sales receipts than tell her 'hon, it is only an extra two feet'.
Works every time.

Wife doesn't shop high end so that's a wash, new tank(s) 300 gal + 60 gal cube & stand is already going to take up 13' of a 16' wall in our livingroom.