Small fish, small aquarium?

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euro_Boy_To

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Messages
69
Hello,

I have a 29g tank and I really wanted a tang..

I didn't do my homework on this and got a clown tang, because that was the only one they had that was small.

He's about an inch long.. the guy at the LFS said it's ok to keep him for a while in my 29g until he gets 3 times his size(I just planned on twice)..

My cornern now is keeping him at all.. he seems to be looking for more room to swim around and goes up and down on side of the aquarium.

So the question is.. does his size matter on how big of a tank he needs as the LFS guy said.. or do all of them need a big tank?
 
Ah, the lfs guy said no returns...

looks like I might have to put him up in the newspaper or try another lfs..
he definitely is VERY active and wants to swim around a lot, but it takes him a second to go from one side to another of the aquarium...

Anybody in Toronto who wants him?..
 
I will take him. :D That tang will also grow really fast at first. Doubling his size will not take long. May want to check out a dif LFS. He will obviouslt tell you anything to make a dollar.
 
You're in NC.. lol..

I doubt any LFS will take him.. I dont know how any of them work though.. is it a common thing for them to take fish or no?

I'd assume they're scared of getting a fish with problems... but I dont know...

About how long does it take to double his size? LFS guy told me I can keep him for two years!... hmmm..
 
Ok,
it seems he's going up and down the side of the auqarium because the damsel that was in my tank is stressing him out...

the damsel is yellow tailed and is smaller than him, but it keeps charging him and turning at the last second, and follows him everywhere.. they never hit each other physically but it's like stalking him...

does it take time for them to get used to each other, or if it's a no go in the first and second day it will alwyas be like that?
 
The damsel will charge fish many times its size, probably not a good idea to keep together. You could keep some blue green chromis with it though.
 
Can you move around your LR to break up the damsel's territory? I have heard you can take out the aggresive fish (not sure for how long), and put it back in and it will be the "new" fish...
 
well, i totally re-organized the rock..
lets hope it helps..

update: seems to have made the clown tang even more jittery.. now he's going up and down in one corner at a even faster pace :(

this is not looking good...
 
This is gonna sound a bit harsh but I think it needs to be said in hopes that others will learn from it. What you are saying is, you bought a fish that the lfs warned you would get to large for your tank and with a no return policy? I'm sorry but that was very irresponsible. Even without doing your homework, you were aware that the tang was gonna outgrow the tank and was not well suited for your 29ga so you can't blame this on the lfs. Even if they said it could live there temporarily, you made the decision to buy an inappropriate fish.
Moving the rock around may help temporarily but the damsel will probably end up stressing the tang to the point of no return. It's what they do. They are aggressive and in such a small tank with being already established in that tank, I doubt moving the rock will be a long term fix. Again, I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but it's up to us to do the best thing for our charges. It's up to us to show restraint and be realistic and responsible with our purchases. Buying something like a clown tang, (or any fish really) that you know nothing about just because it was the only small one there, with warnings from said lfs that it will outgrow the tank eventually is just bad fishkeeping. What were you planning to do with it if you can't return it? Do the right thing for this fish. The tang needs to be returned or given to someone with a system to support it. Clown tangs aren't the easiest of fish to keep even in a proper system. There has to be a lfs that will take it. You may not get a refund or store credit but I don't know many lfs that won't take a free healthy fish. Chalk this up to a learning experience and carry this with you when you purchase your next fish. Hopefully it will help you to make better decisions in the future. With damsels in the tank already established, adding other fish is always going to be risky. Perhaps the addition of some ornamental inverts would be a good idea instead. Good luck.
 
I agree w/Cindy. My damsels stressed my Royal Gramma to death. They are colorful and great starter fish, but IME, they are aggresive little buggers. My LFS doesn't do trade ins, but, once I am ready, I will take them back (unless someone nearby would like them) and return them, so I can restock with what I really want.
 
Well I understand you our LFS to don’t accept returns on live specimens, most of our LFS do that it sad to hear but that’s the rule of their store.

Well old and new fish do go up and down on side of the aquarium well I don’t know exactly why they do that IMO because of the temp. But I’m not sure well that’s ok! But if you like to miniatures your fish you can do that.
 
Well, when I bought it, I asked them if they'd take it back when it gets big and they said they would... that's all wanted just to have it for a while.. I had no idea it swims around so much... it was sitting around a lot in the store..

I raised the temp and it's almost feeling good now... it ate a lot and the damsel really doesn't seem to care much any more..

Will clownfish get along with Damsels usually? Most LFS I been to have clownfish and damsels in the same tank..
 
euro_Boy_To said:
I doubt any LFS will take him.. I dont know how any of them work though.. is it a common thing for them to take fish or no?

I'd assume they're scared of getting a fish with problems... but I dont know...

euro_Boy_To said:
Well, when I bought it, I asked them if they'd take it back when it gets big and they said they would... that's all wanted just to have it for a while.. I had no idea it swims around so much... it was sitting around a lot in the store..

Your statements are somewhat contradictory. :? So in essence, you just wanted to rent the fish for a month or two. Just a FYI. Every move these fish have to make causes stress and lowers their immune system. This makes them more susceptible to disease, parasites, etc. Your tank isn't the right environment for this fish just in size alone regardless of the inhabitants. This too will stress the tang eventually even if the damsel has all of a sudden got a conscience. This momentary truce may or may not last. I hope it does but I'd be very watchful.
Clownfish are damsels and can be aggressive as well(not always). It may or may not have problems with the existing fish but would stand a better chance than a tiny baby tang. It is also better suited for the size tank. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
He said he'd take it back, but when I called just after I got it, he said he wouldn't and I should keep it because my tank is big enough..

I think he meant he'd take it back without any refund.. doesn't matter to me though, I don't like watching him go crazy..and I believe you when you say it's too small for him... I should've realized it at first.. Just looked really cool to have one.

Oh well, you live you learn.. poor fishy though.. I'll get him back soon, hopefully he'll be happy back to his home.
 
euro_Boy_To said:
He said he'd take it back, but when I called just after I got it, he said he wouldn't and I should keep it because my tank is big enough..

I think he meant he'd take it back without any refund.. doesn't matter to me though, I don't like watching him go crazy..and I believe you when you say it's too small for him... I should've realized it at first.. Just looked really cool to have one.

Oh well, you live you learn.. poor fishy though.. I'll get him back soon, hopefully he'll be happy back to his home.

Ugh, I love stores like that (read sarcastically). It's just bad business. Not that they don't take returns but that the info isn't consistent. You can't make up the rules as you go along.

It is an incredibly beautiful fish. Props to you for doing the right thing. (y)
 
Well I had no choice really.. I don't want a fish going up and down the side.. The guy still never admitted he was wrong and was pretty uptight about it, but he took him back and gave me almost all my money back towards a clown.

This clown is SOO laid back.. and he doesn't seem to know how to hide ... seems a bit weird.. I hope he's ok.. probably tank raised?

He has never gone through the rocks yet..

He swims very slowly around.. gets very little excitement when fed, then barely moves around..and doesn't get scared when I move around the tank or put my hand in to get some water for testing. The kind of fish I want:)

He got got jittery when I turned off the light, but then went right back to his calm self.

good news is the damsel never attacked him.. But I think just hanging around him causes him a bit of stress.. although they swam by each other with no problems plenty of times, and the damsel didn't even raise it's fin.

I hope to see his energy level improve a bit tomorrow.. he's seems a bit too lazy to move.. and he's pretty fat too..
 
Ur clown is not wierd. That's just how clownfish are lol. They don't swim around and explore stuff XD I dont think my clowns even noticed the anemone i added for them 2 weeks ago lol
 
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