Calling All Tang Police!
- Thread starter garnet13aj
- Start date
teen
Active Member
if you really want a tang, the kole is the only one i would consider. there are so many fish that are better suited for your tank and i think a lot of them look a lot better too, but thats just my opinion. i think a lot of people jump on the so called "tang police" because most of them have only seen the yellow tangs that go in and out of there local fish stores. if you have actually seen a full grown yellow tang than you would see my point. they are no where near suitable for a 55 gallon when full grown. and if you dont plan on keeping the tang till its full grown, then imo, you should not be keeping fish.
i was just at my local public aquarium. when you enter the door, there is a pool that has about 10 or so stingrays and a few smaller sharks in it. there is also a school of small yellow tangs( about 2-3") and they swim this whole pool. the pool is about the size of an average living room. now, take a clown fish or some other type of small fish, i can guarantee they wont swim that whole pool. my point is that tangs enjoy a lot of swimming room, and they are best suited for a large swimming area. there are plenty of fish that dont need that much room and these are the fish one should be considering. imo.
and personally i think a lot of people need to think before they talk.
i was just at my local public aquarium. when you enter the door, there is a pool that has about 10 or so stingrays and a few smaller sharks in it. there is also a school of small yellow tangs( about 2-3") and they swim this whole pool. the pool is about the size of an average living room. now, take a clown fish or some other type of small fish, i can guarantee they wont swim that whole pool. my point is that tangs enjoy a lot of swimming room, and they are best suited for a large swimming area. there are plenty of fish that dont need that much room and these are the fish one should be considering. imo.
and personally i think a lot of people need to think before they talk.
garnet13aj
Active Member
watson3:Atlantic Yellow..
is this a fish? I searched for it and got a lot of random photos.
is this a fish? I searched for it and got a lot of random photos.
chutneyjh
Member
I have a kole tang in my 55 and I love it. It's by far the goofiest fish I've ever seen and it's so enjoyable to watch. If you do end up getting a tang, make sure you quarantine it! Check out my threads in the disease forum if you need a few examples of why!
I would also recommend a wrasse if you want something that's going to be out and swimming in the open a lot. My rainbow wrasse was always out doing little flips and acrobatics in and out of the rocks.
I would also recommend a wrasse if you want something that's going to be out and swimming in the open a lot. My rainbow wrasse was always out doing little flips and acrobatics in and out of the rocks.
garnet13aj
Active Member
Sweet, thanks!
laredo300c
Member
wow, i love this site but,....all swfish are from the ocean, and it is hard to believe that in the ocean they need the size of a living room to be happy, ive seen tanks in sea world that are 10 times the size of a living room and the fish seem real happy there, so what's the point with the pool compared to the 55gal....look at the size of the fish before you buy it, my yellow tang has been in my 55gal for 8 months now and he is doing ok.....ok..ok..i'm working on my 210..itscoming soon
N
nereef
Guest
Originally Posted by garnet13aj
is this a fish? I searched for it and got a lot of random photos.
probably meant the atlantic blue tang, Acanthurus coeruleus.
is this a fish? I searched for it and got a lot of random photos.
probably meant the atlantic blue tang, Acanthurus coeruleus.
mike22cha
Active Member
I don't see why there has to be a tang. Tangs are cool, the three in my tank are the first saltwater fish i have had, but they aren't the only fish in the sea. I think that getting a tang is a gamble. Im not saying don't get one but I wouldn't recomend it. Think of alternatives such as lemonpeel angels that look sort of like a yellow tang. I wanted an emporer angel in my 125g but decided not to because i wanted my fish to be comfertable.
It is your decision and you also have to think of the pros and cons.
It is your decision and you also have to think of the pros and cons.
garnet13aj
Active Member
The funny thing is that is why I made this post, to look for alternatives, but I haven't gotten many responses suggesting alternatives. Can I keep a lemonpeel w/a coral beauty, because I also mentioned that I want to keep a coral beauty because that's what most people suggest as an alternative.
mike22cha
Active Member
I don't really know. My guess is no and I looked at a compalability chart and it said to add with caution. Maybe. Its a gamble also. I suggest chosing one, adding damsels and clowns, gobies, any small fish really. For that size of tank i would go reef. Its expensive but you can't put to much fish in there so the coral fills it up. You could do an eel and a lemonpeel but with an eel no small fish and not a lot of rocks.
garnet13aj
Active Member
Snowflake eels don't eat fish for the most part, maybe if they are underfed, but they are shrimp eaters not piscavores so I can keep small fish, also they are mostly blind so it'd probably be hard for them to catch fish. I've been thinking about reef, but I think I need to practice with a FOWLR tank before a reef because they are much harder and I haven't read anything about reef tanks but I've read a lot about corals.
But thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely look into corals down the road once I've gotten some practice. I do know though that snowflake eels aren't reef safe because they tend to knock them over when moving around the tank.
But thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely look into corals down the road once I've gotten some practice. I do know though that snowflake eels aren't reef safe because they tend to knock them over when moving around the tank.
mike22cha
Active Member
Well i would look for an angel and try to keep that up and running and slowly add fish. Also look up books and threads on reef tanks and then start planning for a reef if you are going to get corals. I am looking to convert my fish only tank into a reef as soon as I save enough money for the lights. I have a yellow,purple, and sailfin tang in a 125g. It wasn't probably the best desicion of my life.
seannmelly
Active Member
For your info, I had a small/medium snowflake eel that ate krill like no tomarrow eat clownfish and damsels and chromis. A tang would be pushing it. If anything I would say a yellow tang or kole tang if anything at all AND added last. You should search for the millions of tang threads on this forum because believe me there are tons of threads asking more or less the same exact question. And most people will tell you not to add a tang.
garnet13aj
Active Member
Is no one hearing me? I said I'm looking for alternatives to a tang and most (not all) people are telling me is don't get a tang. I didn't dubb the thread "calling all tang police!" to be told not to get a tang. I'm just looking for other suggestions. I always appreciate what people w/specific experience have to say but it's funny how people read the original post and go off on something else instead of replying to the question/topic.
mike22cha
Active Member
Well there isn't a lot of alternatives for larger fish such as tangs. I still recomened a small angel and some clowns, dottybacks, damsels, maybe a hawkfish? I don't know to much about the smaller fishes but I will soon have to. I know that clowns look really cool and that the longnose hawkfish looks pretty cool. Do you own a book called Marine Fishes by Michael W. Scott?
Just look through that and then pick out some, look them up on a compability chart, then narrow it done and check the fish stores.
Just look through that and then pick out some, look them up on a compability chart, then narrow it done and check the fish stores.
mike22cha
Active Member
I don't know about compalability of a small lionfish but that is a posibility.
Well now I'm looking at a compalability chart and lions aren't a good idea with clowns or damsels or chromis. They can go with small angels, foxface, puffers and tilefish, and gobies. What I'm getting from this is that you need to pick a fish you really like and build a list around that fish. I guess most tanks have to do that eventually so do it now instead of later. Also get a good book on saltwater fishes and skim through that to help find a good fish.
Well now I'm looking at a compalability chart and lions aren't a good idea with clowns or damsels or chromis. They can go with small angels, foxface, puffers and tilefish, and gobies. What I'm getting from this is that you need to pick a fish you really like and build a list around that fish. I guess most tanks have to do that eventually so do it now instead of later. Also get a good book on saltwater fishes and skim through that to help find a good fish.
2563
Member
These aren't anything like a tang but they are neat fish. A sixline wrasse or a blackcap basslet. The sixline has tons of personality and is out all the time, even whe I clean the tank. The blackcap's a little more timid, he'll hide in his cave when someone walks in but will come out in a few seconds.
cwgibson
Member
my aunt has kept a purple in her tank for about 2 yrs and it is healthy and looks fine. she has a 55g. i would not suggest this as the norm,but there may be situations where it could work. a kole is probably the smallest tang and should be happy in a 55 for a good while. i kept a hippo in a 75 for about a year and never had a problem with her, i got her about the size of a half dollar. if you can find a baby tang that is small i would say go for it but just so you know they are not very hardy when they are small.