tangs

[huey112]

I keep reading about people having tangs in 50,55 gal tanks and these being to small for them. What is the "right" size tank? Is it the gal, length of the tank or the height /dept? Just wondering so I know for later down the road.

 

[seaham358]

Depends on what type of tank.. They need lots of swimming room. Pick up the Marine Fishes book by Scott Michael it is a great book and tells you all about the fish and tank size needed.

 

[huey112]

thanks for the input, I'm setting up a 70 gal it's 36" long by 18" deep by 25" tall so I'm assuming it's not big enough.

 

[revhtree]

They really need a 4ft tank at minimum. That being said, there are many more tangs that cannot be kept in a tank less than 6ft long.

 

[seaham358]

IMO a yellow tang will do alright in a tank that size. Others on the board will say otherwise

 

[neon_hybrid]

I have a yellow tang in my 55 gallon, and the fish has been fine for a long time. My fish is about 3 inches long.

 

[revhtree]

I am not going to flame anyone, but IMO you need a 4ft. There has been those with success and those without success. I would say that for the long term health of the tang you need a bigger tank. Even the yellows can get very big!

Glad to hear you have had success neon! Is yours a 4ft long 55?

Keep in mind that Hueys tank is a 3ft tank.

 

[huey112]

thanks everyone for your advice I'm just taking my time and trying to have a plan of where I want to go with my tank. I want to keep my costly errors to a minimum.

 

[neon_hybrid]

I am not going to flame anyone, but IMO you need a 4ft. There has been those with success and those without success. I would say that for the long term health of the tang you need a bigger tank. Even the yellows can get very big!

Glad to hear you have had success neon! Is yours a 4ft long 55?

Keep in mind that Hueys tank is a 3ft tank.

I have no idea what the dimesnions are. I believe mine is 4 foot long, but It may not be. I need to measure it tonight anyway because im changing my substrate to sand over the coarse of the next 2 weeks....

 

[StripesTheEel]

i have 4 tangs in my 4 1/2 foot tank, a yellow, purple, blue and zebra sailfin.. i believe this is adequate for them as long as u provide hiding spaces for them all they should be fine?!

 

[clowninround]

You have a yellow, sailfin, and a purple? They don't fight? I hope I didn't offend you, but wow. I have always heard you can not zebrasomas together unless you get 6+

 

[StripesTheEel]

Well my first tank mates where by blue and yellow tang.. obviously the blue is a completely different shape so the zebrasomas dont really think they are a threat.. my yellow tang is full grown i first introduced a brown scopaz tang.. of the same size my yellow didnt appreciate it so i got rid of the scopaz.. i then thought if i got a juvenile tang it might work..so i got my sailfin.. the yellow attacked him for a day or two.. but they worked out.. about 4 months later i bought a smallish purple tang (apparently the most aggressive of the tangs) my yellow tang hammered him into a corner for about 5 days.. but then again...they got used to each other and now are fine.. LFS always tell u not to mix these tangs but i believe individual fish have different likes / dislikes of other fish.. even though i had the yellow picking on the purple, it was scary.. but u just have to let it go a week and see what happens..! IMO anyway!!

 

[StripesTheEel]

same goes with angels.. i also have a flame and a coral beauty.. that "dont mix" but get along fine!

 

[porschefrk]

some people or lps recommend 75 gallon tanks.

 

[ayrton]

I have a 70 gallon tank that is 4' wide with a yellow tang. I have had him for just over a year and have had no problems with him. He happily swims around the tank. I also agree that you should have a hiding spot for your tang.

 

[clowninround]

Wow, thats good to know. I think you are right though, not all tangs are as they say. I had a yellow tang that was sopposed to be "reef safe" and it ate up all my yellow zoo's and my super colored zoos...I SAW it doing it. There are exceptions to the rules. Only thing is, with a tank as large as mine, I have to take out all the rock to get out fish to qt (that is VERY disrupting when you have a large reef). If for some reason the fish are getting hammered cause they don't get along, I'd be afraid they might get ich with all the stress it causes. I had one tang that the clown took bites of, I watched it do it and still have pictures of. I took it out and gave it back to the LFS because of that.

 

[sdaccord03]

What about a 55 gallon (4 foot long) tank for a Pacific Blue Tang? THey said at the LFS that a 70 gallon was the minimum size for that fish? Is this true because I really want one.

Jimmy

 

[quarryshark]

What about a 55 gallon (4 foot long) tank for a Pacific Blue Tang? THey said at the LFS that a 70 gallon was the minimum size for that fish? Is this true because I really want one

I would go so far as to say a 90 gallon is needed for this fish. They get HUGE.

 

[cmor1701d]

Adult size of the tangs in an aquarium.

yellow - Up to 10"
purple - Up to 9"
blue - Up to 1'
zebra sailfin Up to 1' 3"

What did these fish do that you lock them up in such a small space?
None of them should be kept in less than a 70 gallon tank.

My Sailfin tang was about 2½" when I got it. It's now over 5" and still growing.
It zooms from end to end (72" tank) in a flash. Tangs need lots of swimming room.
I am amazed that they are living ins some sort of (cramped) harmony.

Then again humans survive for years in prison cells

 

[srgetz]

Fenner's book indicates that the yellow or blue can be kept in a 55g, he also indicates the yellow and blue get to about 6in in the aquaria. I'd prefer to see them in the ocean, swimming free, but they are not so the difference between a 55G and a 75 or 90 are quite trivial in comparison to where they should be. Really a 75 or 90 gives you a little more width and height, no more of the important length. IMO, a fish should have at least 10 body lengths in the length of the tank and 3 width. IE, a 55g can keep up to a 5 inch fish. Same holds true that a 10 inch fish has less relative "swimming room" in a 180g. Yet nobody here complains about a 9 or 10 inch fish being in a 180g (say a large angel or tang).

Point is, all of our fish are cramped, 55g, 90g 180g, they cannot swim freely or at speed, or school in any of our tanks (except the very largest largest tanks or smallest fish).