yellow tang in a 55g

[msamsonz28]

I have a 3" yellow tang and a 2" maroon clown. The tank is 3 ft long. Should I take the tang back to the lfs? My initial research showed a 55g as large enough for the tang, but after reading more on this site, everyone seems to say 75 is the minumum.

 

[tripper]

A 55g would work if it was a 4' tank. The main issue with Tangs is their need for a lot of swimming room. Unfortunately, if you only have a 3' tank you might want to consider taking it back to the LFS. Sorry that this fish didn't work out, but there are a lot of other great options out there for a tank of that size.

tripper

 

[Brenden]

If it were me I would buy a larger tank

 

[fourmyclowns]

We tried a ytang in our 75 gal and he never seemed happy. He had some other issues as well. We exchanged him for a blue tang and this one is VERY content! I don't know why the blue one is so much more timid than the yellow one was but we are not seeing the stress that we had with the yellow.

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

No problems here w/ytang. 48" would probably be minimum. Are you sure your 55gal is only 3'(36inches)

 

[msamsonz28]

uh ya i checked it and it's 48". had a brain dump yesterday i knew it was but somehow i managed to say 3'. (i was at work when i wrote it)

 

[msamsonz28]

so how long does it take a tang to reach full size?

 

[steve-s]

Depends on the exact species but generally speaking they can reach about ½ their adult size in about 1-1½ yrs depending on the quality of care and diet.

Cheers
Steve

 

[msamsonz28]

are there diff species of yellow tangs? and should i assume they will reach adult size in three years, of course depending on quality of care and diet? just curiuous what is their life expectancy? is there a website out there that has life expectancy for all fish? thank you for your help!

 

[melosu58]

I`ve had mine about 8 yrs. I`ve got 3 tangs in my 125. Good hardy fish But they need room. Also Steve maybe you can answer this, but I`ve heard that fish really grow to their enviornment. That for example, A tang would not grow as big in a 55 as he would in a 210. Just a rumor I`ve seen before and would like to know the answer. Thanks

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

I have wondered about that too. From what I have experienced, I have seen certain fish only grow to a short max adult length but live a long life.(Growth Stunting due to environment?)

 

[msamsonz28]

so stunted growth doesn't necessarily mean a short life...
there are so many variables in this hobby!! i am hooked.

 

[lando]

but I`ve heard that fish really grow to their enviornment.

Fish do not really grow to their environment as much as they are stunted by it. Being in a tank that is too small is stressful on fish and this can lead to disease or parasitic infestation. A small tang may be okay for a period of time in a standard 55gal tank. There will come a day where it will need to be moved to a bigger tank.

 

[steve-s]

I`ve heard that fish really grow to their enviornment. That for example, A tang would not grow as big in a 55 as he would in a 210. Just a rumor I`ve seen before and would like to know the answer. Thanks

Sort of but not in the sense you mean. Captive fish will not usually get near the full adult size reached in the wild. More commonly ¾ of the actual size, tank/species depending. As the fish matures no matter the tank size, the growth rate of the fish slows. The size of the tank also being dependant on actual usuable swimming room, not just water volume.

In a larger "roomy" tank, the growth rate being slowed as they age gives the appearance of the fish reaching a max size when in fact it has not, you just do not realize the growth. In a smaller tank the fish actually stunts it's growth which leads to irreversable heath problems primarily in skelatal developement and internal organ damage. The effects on the fish are not typically overtly visible but do start becoming easily stressed and highly susceptible to otherwise easily defended bacterial problems. HLLE is also a good example of a unhealthy environment.

A fish kept in that kind of restricting environment will commonly have a much shorter life span as well.

 

[melosu58]

Thanks for taking care of that rumor. You learn something everyday

 

[AquaBear]

Now you know why Steve-S has his own fan club on here.

 

[dscount]

Nice explanation. Makes sense to me! ;0)