Are these tangs safe together?

theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
So I added a yellow tang as well as a gold rimmed tang yesterday. They have been in for about 24 hours or so, and I have noticed some changes. The Gold Rimmed seems to have acclimated pretty well. He is eating, and he is swimming around and seems to be pretty happy for the most part. Now, the yellow tang is a different story. He just sort of floats around, not really eating, not really swimming all that much. Then, the Gold Rimmed will come up right next to him, and just sit there right along his side. He doesn't seem to be attacking him with his back fin, and they aren't nipping at each other. The Gold Rim just hangs for a few minutes at a time, and then swims off. I also notice that the Gold Rim has been "itching" on the bottom of the tank in the sand. I'm not exactly sure if he is sick, or just getting a feel for the tank.
The itch I have a feeling I can fix... it's the lack of eating and activity by the yellow tang that worries me. Any thoughts?
My info:
55 gallon, with the two tangs I also have a percula clown, and a coral beauty. The LFS told me that I could easily keep those four fish in a 55 gallon, which through reading here, may have not been the best advice. But he was just trying to sell some fish I suppose. I have some live rocks, and a good amount of tufa rock. All the levels are what they should be, nothing out of whack...
Am I worrying too much too soon and just let it play out for a few days, or do you think I have a problem with the tangs?
thanks guys! And I'm happy to be a new "yellow tang" on the boards!
-Jonathan
 
J

jesses89

Guest
55s arent small, but i would say for tangs it is... tangs need much more swimming room than what any 55 can offer. In my personal experiences .. tangs are very ich prone in smaller tanks. IMO your gold rim is showing signs of stress and or Ich from being in a not so roomy swimming area.
 
al mc

al mc

Active Member
You may want to read some of the archived information in the 'disease' section of the forum. It describes many diseases, their symptoms and treatments. It also discusses quarantine tanks (QTs). Tangs are notorious for having problems with the parasite know as Ich. The 'flashing' behavior you are seeing can be a symptom of that disease.
Tangs like/need plenty of swimming areas..long 'straightaways' (debateable how long, but many people feel at least 5-6 feet in length). While a single small tang may enjoy a 55 gallon tank for a short while, they usually do 'out grow' it.
It is frustrating to be given advice at a LFS that is then disputed here but I agree with Alix that you may be best served by returning them or getting a larger tank.......Lord knows..I started with a 32 corner and now have much larger ones (175) and am considering even larger ones..(220-300)....
 
theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
So would you say that even if I took out one of the tangs, that a 55 gallon isn't even big enough for one? I'd like to be able to keep the gold rimmed if he seems to be able to acclimate to the tank. He seems to be swimming around pretty frequently. I mean I know the only difference between the 55 and 75 gallons seemed to be the depth. Length wise, they were both 48" long.
I know the "suggested" tank size is 75+ for a tang, but honestly where I live a 55 is the biggest I will ever be able to keep, and I would very much like to keep the tang(s).
This is getting pretty depressing to be honest, because every local fish place I talked to said what I wanted to do was completely doable (which was two tangs, a coral beauty, percula clown, and some inverts) in a 55 gallon. Now that I am $800 invested in this, I can't very well just give up...
 
J

jesses89

Guest
You dont HAVE too take them back... that falls on you, its your decision. Were just giving you simple advice. You can keep them both if you desire, its not going to kill them to be in a 55... just that they would be much happier in a bigger tank, and isnt that what we all strive for? keeping our tank inhabitants happy?
 
theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here folks! I certainly respect all your opinions! I just somehow managed to listen and trust the LFS people before I really had a chance to do a lot of serious research. It is just extremely annoying because last week we had a ***** going out of business and I chose the 55 instead of the 75 basically because when I told the people there (and then had it "confirmed" by another local place) what I wanted, they told me a 55 would be just fine.
I mean worst case scenario I get rid of both tangs and keep smaller fish. I just wouldn't have went from the 29 to the 55 in the first place if I didn't think I could keep some "bigger" fish, you know? That's why more than anything, I am mad at myself for not researching a little more and trusting those devils at the LFS...
 
J

jesses89

Guest
yeah, no feathers ruffled here...
You got to remember that the people at the LFS normally are just trying to make money off of you... trying to make a sale (ex: car salesmen). Some give good advice, most dont. Its all about doing research before you buy something... not just trusting the LFSs advice.
Are you getting a bigger tank in the near future?
I currently have a 75 and i also want to keep some tangs... but im not doing so til i setup a bigger tank... 150-200 is what im thinking for my final tank...
ive gone from a 29 to a 55 and now to a 75... so i know where you are coming from.
 
m0nk

m0nk

Active Member

Originally Posted by TheClemsonKid
I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here folks! I certainly respect all your opinions! I just somehow managed to listen and trust the LFS people before I really had a chance to do a lot of serious research. It is just extremely annoying because last week we had a ***** going out of business and I chose the 55 instead of the 75 basically because when I told the people there (and then had it "confirmed" by another local place) what I wanted, they told me a 55 would be just fine.
I mean worst case scenario I get rid of both tangs and keep smaller fish. I just wouldn't have went from the 29 to the 55 in the first place if I didn't think I could keep some "bigger" fish, you know? That's why more than anything, I am mad at myself for not researching a little more and trusting those devils at the LFS...

Well, we've all trusted the LFS at one time or another, just remember, they want to sell you something and we don't, so advice here is usually a little more realistic.
You should take at least one back and only keep the other if it's still small and if you plan on upgrading your tank size soon, imo. The yellow tang needs to be in something 90+ gallon long term and the gold-rimmed needs 125+ gallon long term. The 75 gallon really wouldn't have been good enough for the gold-rimmed, though some people squeeze yellows in one. The gold-rimmed tang will get to a size of 10 inches and the yellow will get to a size of 8 inches and will likely become territorial in smaller tanks. These are open ocean swimmers in the wild, so they need plenty of room to swim around... all the way into adult-hood. Smaller tanks stress them out and they will likely get ich easily. Hope that helps.
 
buckeye88

buckeye88

Member
I really don't understand the differance between a 55 and a 75 as far as keeping tangs go. They are both the exact same length and the only differance is that a 75 is about 6 inches wider. That's not a big differance but 75 seems to be the magic number for tangs for some reason. I'm not trying to argue nor do I have any tangs in my 55 gal but my thoughts are that there is really not much of a differance so I don't see why a 55 would be insufficient.
 
petjunkie

petjunkie

Active Member
75+ seeme to be the common tank size given by online stores and places selling fish, me personally I wouldn't stick any active fish that grows to 8 inches plus in a 75 gallon. I don't even think 125s are that great due to their narrowness. For both those I would go 135-180 but as they are already showing possible signs of ich and in a new tank I have my doubts about how long they will be alive, gold-rimmed in particular are very touchy. Since the OP can't upgrade and they are likely diseased I would send them back to the fish store and treat the other two fish in qt.
 
R

rcreations

Guest
I read a coral keeping book where it says you CAN keep a tang in a 55gal tank, but as he gets bigger you'll have to give him up. Either take him back to the LFS at that time or give him to someone with a bigger tank.
 
m0nk

m0nk

Active Member
Originally Posted by nathanrudy9
can you keep a blue hippo tang thats 1/2 inch in a 55 gal. tank ?
For a short time, yes. In fact, imo, it's probably better for fish that small to go into a smaller tank for the short term over going into a fully stocked tank with 10 inch fish that could potentially beat up on it. Once they're close to 1 year old or so they'll need a bigger tank, 125g or larger. I have a 1 inch hippo in my 55 while I setup a 180g (got it about 4 months ago, knowing that I was upgrading), which will, in 2 months, become his new home.
 
apos

apos

Member
Originally Posted by TheClemsonKid
I mean worst case scenario I get rid of both tangs and keep smaller fish.
If there is a local reef club in your area, you could always see if there is anyone with a larger tank that would be interested in trading for something or at least buying your tangs.
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Remember with Tangs, it's not just swimming room that is so important.
These fish are active grazers and do best with a large amount of live rock that they can feed on throughout the day. They also can be extremely territorial.
The standard "6 foot rule" is considered by many who have kept Tangs to be the minimum size tank that Tangs seem to flourish in.
Buying a Tang with the plan to "trade it in" when it outgrows the tank is dangerous, imho. In addition to the overall health of your tank, it's hard to tell exactly when a fish has outgrown a tank. Once a fish appears stressed it may be too late.
Jonathon, don't be upset with your tank purchase. If you decide to forgo Tangs there are literally dozens of other beautiful fish you can choose from.
 
nathanrudy9

nathanrudy9

Member
I have a 3 in. blue hippo tang in my 55 gal tank its the only tang fo now in it...im adding on thursday a 3/4 in. blue hippo tang.. will they get along ? will they fight ?
Thanks,
Nathan
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by nathanrudy9
I have a 3 in. blue hippo tang in my 55 gal tank its the only tang fo now in it...im adding on thursday a 3/4 in. blue hippo tang.. will they get along ? will they fight ?
Thanks,
Nathan
Very possibly... as noted earlier that size tank cannot provide proper food or habitat for 1 much less two of them however.
 
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