Tangs and tank size.

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FishDaAx

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
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398
Now I hate to beat a dead dead horse but is is this whole 6' tank minimum a preference or is it a proven fact? I can't get a clear idea. I have a 125g tall tank so it's only 48" long. Safe or do I stick to tiny nano fish?
 
I have a bristleooth blue eyed tang in my four foot 90g and I feel its not enough space for him to zoom around. I also have a 6 foot tank which houses a tomini tang, a blue hippo and a yellow. I also feel, that esoecially for the blue I dont have enough room. I am working on a tank upgrade to accomodate the ones I have, I feel so bad sometimes when I see them race along the length of the tank and then suddenly stop at the end. I would prefer a 7foot or 8 foot but who knows what i will find.

If you stuck to a less racy fish, the bristle tooth family might be the answer for a four foot tank. Me, personally, I wouldnt put a yellow or escpecially a blue in a four foot tank no matter how tall.

There are lots of options for your tank that dont necessatrily mean "nano" fish. :)
 
I have a blue regal tang in a 4' tank. Mind you he's currently only about 2.5" and he's perfectly happy. That being said I know I can't keep him forever. By the time he's 5-6" I will have to rehome him. Especially since my tank is fairly shallow.
 
It isn't just a matter of preference. Surgeonfish (tangs) have thin slime coats that protects them from parasites. This coating can be effected by stress and break down, opening the fish as a host for parasites to get a foothold in your tank. Diet, room to swim and hide relative to the fishes size and good tank mates are what you need to shoot for. Tangs and trigger fish swim miles and miles every day foraging. It's like putting a wild mustang in a back yard. They just aren't very happy when they run out of room.
 
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I tend to agree with the six foot rule for most Tangs (bristle tooth are the exceptions). When you look at people with Tangs posting about "My Tang has Ich, MV, whatever", it is almost always in a smaller tank. IMO, that is not random. Stress, due to Tangs being in smaller than recommended tanks, breaks down their slime coat, lowers immunity and opens them up to problems. The same concept goes for any fish really, but Tangs start off with the thin slime coat disadvantage.
 
I tend to agree with the six foot rule for most Tangs (bristle tooth are the exceptions). When you look at people with Tangs posting about "My Tang has Ich, MV, whatever", it is almost always in a smaller tank. IMO, that is not random. Stress, due to Tangs being in smaller than recommended tanks, breaks down their slime coat, lowers immunity and opens them up to problems. The same concept goes for any fish really, but Tangs start off with the thin slime coat disadvantage.

But it is relative. A 1" hippo tang is perfectly happy for a while in a 55 gallon tank. But "a while" can be as short as a half a year. The plans to get a bigger tank may be justification for buying the small fish, but it just doesn't happen all that often and the fish gets tank bound and sick.
 
I am looking at adding a yellow tank, yellow eyed kol, and possibly a blue hippo. (I will have plenty of swim space and I am aqua scraping to maximize the amount of "territories" in the tank (caves and what not.) I am just worried that they will freak out in there. I will be buying them pretty small 1.5-2in each
 
But it is relative. A 1" hippo tang is perfectly happy for a while in a 55 gallon tank. But "a while" can be as short as a half a year. The plans to get a bigger tank may be justification for buying the small fish, but it just doesn't happen all that often and the fish gets tank bound and sick.

I absolutely agree that a lot of people think that they are going to upgrade, but never do. Its the folks that just ignore the suggestions and talk about how their hippo in a 55", sweetlips in a 75g or Koran in a 90g are doing "just fine" and have no intention of upgrading or re-homing the fish that worry me.
 
I remember a shoe store downtown had a 10 year old 18" piranha in a 24" long tank. He could not turn around. But he lived there for a decade. I always felt sorry for him. Some fish "do fine" in a too small tank, but the definition of "doing fine" is it hasn't died yet.
 
I am looking at adding a yellow tank, yellow eyed kol, and possibly a blue hippo. (I will have plenty of swim space and I am aqua scraping to maximize the amount of "territories" in the tank (caves and what not.) I am just worried that they will freak out in there. I will be buying them pretty small 1.5-2in each

The 4' probably won't go well for the yellow or the hippo and a 120g will be too small for the hippo eventually. Those both need lots of space to cruise around. With a 4', they just get up to speed and have to turn around. The Kole will be perfectly happy in there though.
 
The 4' probably won't go well for the yellow or the hippo and a 120g will be too small for the hippo eventually. Those both need lots of space to cruise around. With a 4', they just get up to speed and have to turn around. The Kole will be perfectly happy in there though.

My hippo lives in my 300 gallon and I am thinking he may have to go to a bigger system eventually. Same with my blue jaw trigger. I have a 2" clown tang that I grew from the size of a dime. He too will have to eventually move. But like so many, I have plans to go much bigger.
 
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I really want a yellow tank tho!! Gerrrrr. Hmmm I think I will get one. And watch him closely. If he looks like he is being aggressive or any unhealthy habits I will take it back. And I will get a Kole.. How about a foxface? Will he be ok?
 
I have a foxface in my 4' tank. He is one of the first SW fish I got. He's probably about 5-6" or so now and while I he's been fine up until now he's become very shy lately. He eats like pig and grows well and will probably need to be rehomed soon.
 
I have a foxface in my 4' tank. He is one of the first SW fish I got. He's probably about 5-6" or so now and while I he's been fine up until now he's become very shy lately. He eats like pig and grows well and will probably need to be rehomed soon.

How long have you had ur foxface? And how big was he when u got it?
 
My foxface does well in my 4' tank. Id say skip out on the yellow tang and replace it with a foxface because then you are getting the same colors but you will have a fish that can actually thrive and do well in your tank. Also, i think foxfaces are more interesting than yellow tangs because of their personalities
 
I am looking at adding a yellow tank, yellow eyed kol, and possibly a blue hippo. (I will have plenty of swim space and I am aqua scraping to maximize the amount of "territories" in the tank (caves and what not.) I am just worried that they will freak out in there. I will be buying them pretty small 1.5-2in each

So you want gasoline, oxygen and a match to go into your tank? Haha just playing around but seriously that many tangs in that tang will most likely be a disaster.
 
I just upgraded to 300 litre and been looking to get a hippo tang and from uk and don't no us gallon. Guy from lfs says would be ok for that kind of tang plus said hippos grow to tank size so is this true or bs
 
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