What is the minimum size tank for a Yellow Tang?

[matusewicz]

What is the minimum size tank for a Yellow Tang? I have a 29g and i really really really really want one. I have corals and live rock, and sand obviously

 

[ORION411]

That's definitely too small I have mine in a 65g tank and will probably have to take him to a bigger tank one day

 

[lovemyreef]

yellow tang

you should get a bigger tank. i had mine in a 55 and have since moved up to a 125. he has a lot more room to grow and swim and he loves to swim

 

[spoonman]

Yellows should have a 6' tank.

 

[Sharklover]

A 6 ft tank is WAY more than he needs their min tank size is only 75g,a blue tang is 125g and thats only 4ft a 6 ft long tank is even a little more than long enough for some small sharks&rays such as epaulette shark or blue spotted stingray,but sadly no tang can fit in a 29g,i forgot the name but the smallest aquarium tang has a min of 55g so good luck and keep looking!

 

[nohika]

A 6 ft tank is WAY more than he needs their min tank size is only 75g,a blue tang is 125g and thats only 4ft a 6 ft long tank is even a little more than long enough for some small sharks&rays such as epaulette shark or blue spotted stingray,but sadly no tang can fit in a 29g,i forgot the name but the smallest aquarium tang has a min of 55g so good luck and keep looking!

Last time I checked the standard 125g is 6' long and That's generally what is recommended for a yellow tang on this site. Sharks should go in no smaller than a 200+g tank.

 

[austinsdad]

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Yellow Tang - Hawaii
Yellow Tang : Care And Requirements Of The Yellow Tang

Recommendations

 

[melosu58]

Most tangs need at least a 6 ft tank. A yellow tang esp. needs a 6 ft tank. Most people realize this.

 

[EriksFish315]

If you really really want one you really really really need to get a big tank lol.

 

[Gregcoyote]

It can be dangerous to add a tang to a system that is too small or without enough hidey holes. They have a thinner mucus barrier on their skin than many other fish, and as a result, can suffer from parasites easily if stressed. It can be the cause for major outbreaks of parasites and can cause the outbreak to move to your other fish.

 

[Sharklover]

Evrybody on this site is great but many overestamate size on many other sites,people who owne them yadayada have told me 75g and at my lfs a "not for sale display tank" is 75g and they have a 4 year old yellow tang in there forever and sorry bout the measurments a faulty site messed me up on the feet long part but im 100% sure you can keep epaulette sharks,blue spot,and cortez stingrays in a 6' tank cuz ive seen it and read it many many times

 

[Hondachico]

Ok I see that everybody is saying that tangs need to be in a big tank but my lfs has a 29g bio cube practically made a nemo tank they have a blue hippo, a clownfish, a bi color dottyback and some coral, an anemone and a lot of rock. And I have been going there since I was in the freshwater tank which was about a year and half.

 

[Hondatek]

Ok I see that everybody is saying that tangs need to be in a big tank but my lfs has a 29g bio cube practically made a nemo tank they have a blue hippo, a clownfish, a bi color dottyback and some coral, an anemone and a lot of rock. And I have been going there since I was in the freshwater tank which was about a year and half.

Just because some folks have done that doesn't mean it's right or good for the fish

 

[Sharklover]

No 29g is way too small but as a baby if there gunna sell it in a few days its not horrible but you said its like a year old blue tang so that thing's gotta be dying inside cuz at that time there supposed to already be like 5-6" and highly active swimmers so thats like you living your life in a small closet! But hey his tank his rules,bet he'd take it over all the struggles of nature any day if he's made it this far!

 

[Hondachico]

I feel bad for that tang it still moves quick and loves to follow the finger when I put it on the glass but I guess inside he must be pissed

 

[Starchar]

My former LFS had a similar Biocube set up as a display that was way overstocked with the blue hippo, a yellow tang, and a clown fish. There was a bunch of rock and a few softies in there as well. This was a 14 gallon tank! This was clearly a setup designed to sell a setup to people who have no clue what they are doing, and no interest in finding out how to take care of their pets.

We have an obligation as pet keepers to make sure that our animals are treated in a humane manner. Yellow Tangs swim 5-10 miles a day in the ocean, trying to accomplish in a 29 gallon tank would be like trying to keep a horse in a barn stall.

 

[Patrick93]

A 6 ft tank is WAY more than he needs their min tank size is only 75g,a blue tang is 125g and thats only 4ft a 6 ft long tank is even a little more than long enough for some small sharks&rays such as epaulette shark or blue spotted stingray,but sadly no tang can fit in a 29g,i forgot the name but the smallest aquarium tang has a min of 55g so good luck and keep looking!

How can a tank be to big for a fish... You take them out of the ocean. Tangs are very active fish 125 for a yellow hippo tang& atlantic blue need 180+, sharks in 125 gallon great idea

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

How can a tank be to big for a fish... You take them out of the ocean. Tangs are very active fish 125 for a yellow hippo tang& atlantic blue need 180+, sharks in 125 gallon great idea

Totally agree. As he said, no tank is tol big for a tang. They grow quite large, swim like crazy, and actually prefer schools, so even a 4ft tank is too small. Ya a shark needs a 300 min, any less and its not going to live a good life at all.

 

[Gregcoyote]

As a diver...I swim with these fish. It would be like being a park ranger that watched wild mustangs for years, then watched people trying to keep them in their back yards. There are plenty of fish that occupy a cubic foot as their entire territory, collect those fish, they won't know the difference. Free roamers like tangs and especially sharks have no business in anything but a tank properly sized for them. Don't be ignorant and think because you saw the LFS setup a display with a shark in a bio cube that that makes sense. The show Tanked has made it very hard for us that build and maintain fish tanks as what they show for example is generally impossible over the long term. I have a customer with a brand new tank that is offended that some algae has grown initially and they want it gone immediately. They didn't see any algae problems on the tv show! They are also insisting that their 55 gallon tank have a school of yellow tangs. I explained how the cycling process works and that a dozen tangs in this small tank would not work over the long term. They didn't want to hear that, so I bid them goodby. My understanding is that they hired somebody that told them yes all the time. It cost them several thousand in live stock, which is all dead today.

 

[Salttanker]

One thing to keep in mind is that a 29g will have quick temperature swings and less room for error if something goes wrong. I kept a couple of tangs in a 120g tank, but was taller than usual. The tang would defintely be happier in a 6ft tank.

Mike