fish i am getting for 55 gal
- Thread starter locofish
- Start date
wangotango
Active Member
Originally Posted by locofish
for the blue hippo check on swf.com click on blue hippo tang small and it will say the minimum aqurium size is 40 gallons
This is tank size for juveniles, not adults. Hippos can grow up to a foot long, not suitable for a tank under 5-6 feet.
All tangs are active fish and need plenty of space to swim, and turn around. Since they graze CONSTANTLY they need a large supply of liverock with algae to keep good health.
I went through two yellow tangs in my 55 before I finally realized that what people said was true.
-Justin
for the blue hippo check on swf.com click on blue hippo tang small and it will say the minimum aqurium size is 40 gallons
This is tank size for juveniles, not adults. Hippos can grow up to a foot long, not suitable for a tank under 5-6 feet.
All tangs are active fish and need plenty of space to swim, and turn around. Since they graze CONSTANTLY they need a large supply of liverock with algae to keep good health.
I went through two yellow tangs in my 55 before I finally realized that what people said was true.
-Justin
kanicky
Member
Originally Posted by WangoTango
This is tank size for juveniles, not adults. Hippos can grow up to a foot long, not suitable for a tank under 5-6 feet.
All tangs are active fish and need plenty of space to swim, and turn around. Since they graze CONSTANTLY they need a large supply of liverock with algae to keep good health.
I went through two yellow tangs in my 55 before I finally realized that what people said was true.
-Justin
+1.
SWF generally lists minimum tank sizes for juvenile fish... not for full grown fish.
Have you seen a full grown Tang? They get HUGE. Granted, most fish don't grow crazy fast, but even if you find a small Tang, they're still very active and are ich magnets anyway... especially when stressed.
You can do a lot with a 55 without over-doing it. How about:
2 black and white percula clowns
1 flame angel
1 diadem dottyback
1 serpant star
1 yellow serpant star
3 fire shrimp
3 cleaner shrimp
If you want to replace the blue and yellow that the Tangs would have added, you can do a Midas/Canary Blenny and one of the pretty Fairy Wrasses? Of course if you did a Wrasse, I wouldn't suggest a Dottyback...
We're not here to steer you wrong or ruin your fun, so let us help you
srfisher17
Active Member
I'm sure the tang police, the most insistent group on this forum; have scared most people that have successfully kept a tang in a 55 into hiding. Sure, bigger is better; but a hippo (I'd stay away from yellow, or more than 1 tang) can thrive in a 55 if the water is pristine, the dietary needs are met, the tank is not too crowded, and the tang is quite small to start with. This is a forum, we are supposed to offer advice based on experience and research. Whenever this subject comes up, many replies sound like orders from the Gestapo, not suggestions. If you really like a hippo; learn about their feeding needs and get one, there are no absolute guarantees in this hobby. Only you have the right to make the decision and take a bit of a chance if you want.
go'ncrazy4fish
New Member
Put the Yellow tang in LAST!!! Otherwise he will take over the whole tank...and possablity kill your other fish! And they say 1 inch per gallon... Do the math... I think you should be ok! Is the Angel fish Coral safe? Do some checking! Tangs and Angels are to be known to eat the stuff off of corals...
srfisher17
Active Member
Originally Posted by Ice4Ice
Tangs DO NOT belong in 55 gallon tanks !!! They need at least a 6 foot long tank in order for them to survive better because they are open water swimmers ! My first response still stands.
Nope; they do much better in 8' tanks....no, make that 10' at least. Preferably 12'...but that might not be big enough. No matter what, if I lose the fish; its gotta be the tank size and I'll never get over the guilt..........Oh the humanity!
Tangs DO NOT belong in 55 gallon tanks !!! They need at least a 6 foot long tank in order for them to survive better because they are open water swimmers ! My first response still stands.
Nope; they do much better in 8' tanks....no, make that 10' at least. Preferably 12'...but that might not be big enough. No matter what, if I lose the fish; its gotta be the tank size and I'll never get over the guilt..........Oh the humanity!
rudedog40
Member
WOO WOO WOO!!! TANG POLICE. PULL THAT 55G TANK OVER IMMEDIATELY AND REMOVE THAT TANG FROM ITS PREMISES...
I think the bottom line to this issue, is none of us has the right to judge what is right or wrong when deciding what's ethical in regards to which fish go into which tank. If you ask me, unless every fish in your tank is agricultured/tank-bred, you're just as guilty for putting ANY fish in your tank, as a LFS is guilty/liable for selling ANY fish to any aquarist, no matter what the compatibility/size issues are. Who became the Ultimate Saltwater Aquarium God that determined what the acceptable tank size was for a particular breed of fish? -- "Thou shalt not house any species of Tang in a tank less than 6 feet long", "Volitan Lions are deemed too big for a 55 gallon tank".
95% of the fish we keep in our tank were swimming in a vast and wide-open ocean maybe a week prior to us purchasing them. All of a sudden, it's OK to stick them in a 6 ft. x 2 ft. x 3 ft. tank, because some Marine Expert says is OK to do so. Now you can take the argument that many of the species we keep have just a small range in the wild where they live. Many varieties of clowns don't venture more than a few hundred yards from where they were born. However, everyone here agrees that Tangs, Wrasses, Groupers, etc. are open swimmers, and their range can be miles from where they were born. But the Tang Police vilify anyone who puts that species in a 55 gallon because "They need more swimming space". Are you actually going to tell me that an extra 2 feet is going to make that much of a difference to a wild Blue Hippo, who a week prior had thousands of miles of area to swim in? If you tell me yes, then I think you're all being a little bit hypocritical.
I think the bottom line to this issue, is none of us has the right to judge what is right or wrong when deciding what's ethical in regards to which fish go into which tank. If you ask me, unless every fish in your tank is agricultured/tank-bred, you're just as guilty for putting ANY fish in your tank, as a LFS is guilty/liable for selling ANY fish to any aquarist, no matter what the compatibility/size issues are. Who became the Ultimate Saltwater Aquarium God that determined what the acceptable tank size was for a particular breed of fish? -- "Thou shalt not house any species of Tang in a tank less than 6 feet long", "Volitan Lions are deemed too big for a 55 gallon tank".
95% of the fish we keep in our tank were swimming in a vast and wide-open ocean maybe a week prior to us purchasing them. All of a sudden, it's OK to stick them in a 6 ft. x 2 ft. x 3 ft. tank, because some Marine Expert says is OK to do so. Now you can take the argument that many of the species we keep have just a small range in the wild where they live. Many varieties of clowns don't venture more than a few hundred yards from where they were born. However, everyone here agrees that Tangs, Wrasses, Groupers, etc. are open swimmers, and their range can be miles from where they were born. But the Tang Police vilify anyone who puts that species in a 55 gallon because "They need more swimming space". Are you actually going to tell me that an extra 2 feet is going to make that much of a difference to a wild Blue Hippo, who a week prior had thousands of miles of area to swim in? If you tell me yes, then I think you're all being a little bit hypocritical.
wangotango
Active Member
Nobody said it was a crime against humanity to keep a tang in a 48" long tank, many people have successfully done it, but even more haven't. There are some that may be fine, like the smaller bristle-tooth tangs, and the scopas tang. The majority of the tangs can grow to be a foot long or more, so if a fish has only 3-4x its body length to swim back and forth, and 1-1.5x its body length to turn around is that really a nice environment? So imo yes, the extra couple feet does matter. In the wild tangs don't circle around a rock formation picking at the algae, they school from location to location.
As hobbyists it is our job to provide the most natural environment possible for our fish, and space is part of a tang's habitiat. Yes anyone can argue that taking such fish out of the ocean and putting them into a 8',10', or 20' tank still doesn't compare to the ocean, it is still better than keeping them in a tank only 3x their length. If you don't think that any size tank is suitable for any fish, then you're probably in the wrong hobby.
-Justin
As hobbyists it is our job to provide the most natural environment possible for our fish, and space is part of a tang's habitiat. Yes anyone can argue that taking such fish out of the ocean and putting them into a 8',10', or 20' tank still doesn't compare to the ocean, it is still better than keeping them in a tank only 3x their length. If you don't think that any size tank is suitable for any fish, then you're probably in the wrong hobby.
-Justin
srfisher17
Active Member
Originally Posted by rudedog40
WOO WOO WOO!!! TANG POLICE. PULL THAT 55G TANK OVER IMMEDIATELY AND REMOVE THAT TANG FROM ITS PREMISES...
I think the bottom line to this issue, is none of us has the right to judge what is right or wrong when deciding what's ethical in regards to which fish go into which tank. If you ask me, unless every fish in your tank is agricultured/tank-bred, you're just as guilty for putting ANY fish in your tank, as a LFS is guilty/liable for selling ANY fish to any aquarist, no matter what the compatibility/size issues are. Who became the Ultimate Saltwater Aquarium God that determined what the acceptable tank size was for a particular breed of fish? -- "Thou shalt not house any species of Tang in a tank less than 6 feet long", "Volitan Lions are deemed too big for a 55 gallon tank".
95% of the fish we keep in our tank were swimming in a vast and wide-open ocean maybe a week prior to us purchasing them. All of a sudden, it's OK to stick them in a 6 ft. x 2 ft. x 3 ft. tank, because some Marine Expert says is OK to do so. Now you can take the argument that many of the species we keep have just a small range in the wild where they live. Many varieties of clowns don't venture more than a few hundred yards from where they were born. However, everyone here agrees that Tangs, Wrasses, Groupers, etc. are open swimmers, and their range can be miles from where they were born. But the Tang Police vilify anyone who puts that species in a 55 gallon because "They need more swimming space". Are you actually going to tell me that an extra 2 feet is going to make that much of a difference to a wild Blue Hippo, who a week prior had thousands of miles of area to swim in? If you tell me yes, then I think you're all being a little bit hypocritical.
Amen; its the demanding tone that gets me. As I see it, fish have 3 basic motives in life:1.) eat 2.) avoid being eaten 3.) reproduce. Everyone with fish has denied their fish reason # 3. To TELL someone what they can do; rather than suggesting, is just a little much.We need to remember we're not dealing with absolutes---and (I know this is painful for some) we are talking about fish, not orphaned children. If some people would research the number of fish lost in the collection, holding, shipping, etc.; maybe all this would be put in perspective.
WOO WOO WOO!!! TANG POLICE. PULL THAT 55G TANK OVER IMMEDIATELY AND REMOVE THAT TANG FROM ITS PREMISES...
I think the bottom line to this issue, is none of us has the right to judge what is right or wrong when deciding what's ethical in regards to which fish go into which tank. If you ask me, unless every fish in your tank is agricultured/tank-bred, you're just as guilty for putting ANY fish in your tank, as a LFS is guilty/liable for selling ANY fish to any aquarist, no matter what the compatibility/size issues are. Who became the Ultimate Saltwater Aquarium God that determined what the acceptable tank size was for a particular breed of fish? -- "Thou shalt not house any species of Tang in a tank less than 6 feet long", "Volitan Lions are deemed too big for a 55 gallon tank".
95% of the fish we keep in our tank were swimming in a vast and wide-open ocean maybe a week prior to us purchasing them. All of a sudden, it's OK to stick them in a 6 ft. x 2 ft. x 3 ft. tank, because some Marine Expert says is OK to do so. Now you can take the argument that many of the species we keep have just a small range in the wild where they live. Many varieties of clowns don't venture more than a few hundred yards from where they were born. However, everyone here agrees that Tangs, Wrasses, Groupers, etc. are open swimmers, and their range can be miles from where they were born. But the Tang Police vilify anyone who puts that species in a 55 gallon because "They need more swimming space". Are you actually going to tell me that an extra 2 feet is going to make that much of a difference to a wild Blue Hippo, who a week prior had thousands of miles of area to swim in? If you tell me yes, then I think you're all being a little bit hypocritical.
ice4ice
Active Member
Tang in small tanks = stress, ich outbreak, and death. Yes, I'm aware any fish can get ich and yes tangs are Ich magnets. But the issue is simply tangs do much better in larger tanks due to their swimming nature. It's just simply being responsible in knowing the CORRECT tank requirements for tangs' well being and survivabilty rates once they hit adulthood. Juvenile tangs will do fine TEMPORARILY until you have plans to move him to a larger tank.
srfisher17
Active Member
Originally Posted by Ice4Ice
Tang in small tanks = stress, ich outbreak, and death. Yes, I'm aware any fish can get ich and yes tangs are Ich magnets. But the issue is simply tangs do much better in larger tanks due to their swimming nature. It's just simply being responsible in knowing the CORRECT tank requirements for tangs' well being and survivabilty rates once they hit adulthood. Juvenile tangs will do fine TEMPORARILY until you have plans to move him to a larger tank.
No argument there! ALL fish will do better in large tanks. Wait until the nano tank police come along!Its not so much the tang argument that I disagree with; its the TELLING other hobbiests what they can and can't do. I do everything possible to provide the best environment for my fish--but I would never put another hobbiest on a guilt trip because they choose to do something I don't approve of. If someone has a 55 gal tank and wants a hippo tang; lets give him the best advice we can and let him make the decision--then wish him well. If he wants to spend his money and keep the fish, arguably, for a little less time in a 55 than he would have in a 125...so what? One thing I did learn long ago; don't feed tangs to your kids, they taste like romaine lettuce.
Tang in small tanks = stress, ich outbreak, and death. Yes, I'm aware any fish can get ich and yes tangs are Ich magnets. But the issue is simply tangs do much better in larger tanks due to their swimming nature. It's just simply being responsible in knowing the CORRECT tank requirements for tangs' well being and survivabilty rates once they hit adulthood. Juvenile tangs will do fine TEMPORARILY until you have plans to move him to a larger tank.