tang in a 70?

[marie]

I would rethink the tang and a foxface together in a 70g if it were me. It would be doable for a while but they both get big fast and your nutrients will soon get out of control.

My foxface went from 2" to "filleting size" (to quote TomR ) in a year and the amount of poop that comes out of my tang and my foxface is amazing.

So in IMO one or the other in a 70g tank

[fkshiu]

The short answer is that you CAN (many people do), but the real question is whether you SHOULD; just the same as CAN live in an office cubicle, but SHOULD you?

Here's the sticky on this common topic on RC:

1. Tangs are not good choices for newly set up aquaria. To thrive they need a stable environment with pristine water conditions.

2. Tangs are medium to large, active fish that need plenty of space. On the question of tank sizes, we defer to Scott W. Michael, who recommends the following minimum sizes in Marine Fishes, 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species, Microcosm Ltd., 1999:

Acanthurus achilles, Achilles Surgeonfish, 100 gal (380l).
Acanthurus coeruleus, Atlantic Blue Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus japonicus, Powder Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus leucosternon, Powder Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Acanthurus lineatus, Lined or Clown Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus nigricans, Whitecheek Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus olivaceus, Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish, 135 gal (510l).
Acanthurus pyroferus, Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus sohal, Sohal Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus tristegus, Convict Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus tristis, Indian Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis, Chevron Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Ctenochaetus strigosus, Kole's Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Naso brevirostris, Spotted Unicornfish, 180 gal (685l).
Naso lituratus, Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Naso unicornis, Bluespine Unicornfish, 200 gal (760l).
Paracanthurus hepatus, Pacific Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Zebrasoma desjardinii, Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma scopas, Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma veliferum, Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma xanthurum, Purple Tang, 100 gal (380l).

You will note that none of these minimum sizes are less than 75 gallons. If you have a tang in a smaller tank, you should expect that some people will give you a hard time about it. Expressing outrage about that could result in suspension of your posting privileges. We are not, BTW, giving a free pass to the self-styled "Tang Police" to be abusive.

3. The above sizes assume a standard rectangular shape with plenty of open swimming space. If your tank is full to the brim with coral, your tang won't be happy. Tanks 125G or larger are assumed to be at least six feet long (approx. two meters). Where possible, choose longer rather than deeper shapes. While smaller species may be OK in a four foot tank, they will probably do better in a five foot or longer tank.

4. We do not condone the practice of keeping more than one specimen of the same or very similar species together in the same aquarium, except possibly for Zebrasoma species in a very large tank.

5. If you wish to keep multiple dissimilar tangs in the same aquarium, we recommend you have an aquarium significantly larger than the sizes listed above.

[DanG]

Kind of what I though, for the fish to live a good life, it's not going to be in a smaller tank.

Someone needs to create a dwarf tang, just like angels...

[naesco]

Good decision.
Tangs are swimmers and need the extra length that large tanks provide.
Six foot length is a good start. Four feet should not be considered.
Thanks

[Aquattro]

I think that list gives a good selection of tangs that will do well in a 70g, you can often tell the fast swimmers by their body shape, like Sohals, etc. A yellow is a good pick, mine was in a 4ft tank for the better part of 8 years and was very healthy.

[Voxboy]

Originally Posted by reef_raf

I think that list gives a good selection of tangs that will do well in a 70g, you can often tell the fast swimmers by their body shape, like Sohals, etc. A yellow is a good pick, mine was in a 4ft tank for the better part of 8 years and was very healthy.

I agree. I know people who have the genus Zebrasoma in their 60-90 tanks and have done very well over the years. Keep in mind that you will not be able to stock it as much becasue they do like their space. I have a 120 and made the mistake of buying a Vlamingii tang without doing my homework. He went from 1 inch to about 5 in less than 6 months and ended up spending a lot of his time darting from one end of the tank to the other. He was miserable and made all the other fish in my tank very stressed as well. I was fortunate that he was very greedy eater and I was able to get him out of the tank with a net because he would eat out of my hand. He ended up going to a 500 gallon tank in southern Ontario. Kole tang is another good choice. Again a tank that size...the yellow tang will rule and will need his space.