o god not the tang police

fishman88

fishman88

Member
ok well i hope you will not stop talking to me after this. i have wanted a pacific blue tang since i first saw 1 (in the movie finding nemo) (lol j/p) and today i was at the lfs askin a guy that i really trust about the last fish in my 29 and he said blue tang and i was like yea a tang in a 29 it would die really fast. but as i was sayin this another guy came up and said he had 1 in his 30 for 4 years (he did not work there) before he sold it. so i sat there thinkin for 45 min then i said ok i will give it a try. so i got the tang and now i am at the mercy of the tang police :( i just want to say he is really small (about the size of yr pinky) and when i first came here i was goin to set up a 20 and some 1 said a tang because they grew really slowly so now i have a 29 with a tang.
please dont kill me
mike
 
harrysreef

harrysreef

Member
WHAT THE H#LL ... just kidding enjoy him, when he grows so will your tank probably. Good luck
I think I've stalled the tang police for now ... so RUN!!!
 
j-cal

j-cal

Member
I'd hate to incriminate myself too, but baby hippo/regal tangs are probably the cutest fsh ive ever seen except for baby clowns....As a sales person in a LFS i wouldnt stop someone fomr putting one in a 29, I'd just tell you that you'll prolly have to seel it back to us later :)
 
fishman88

fishman88

Member
lol dont worry i am already over the border lol. yea he looks really good and i am planing on selling him in like 2 years depended apon growth rate
mike
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
I'd say at around five or six inches i'd look to sell him. These jokers are one of the hardest fish to keep due to their finiky health issues. A reef really helps them....
 
fishman88

fishman88

Member
yea i am goin to have a reef it is a partial 1 rite now. i think all the tang police have quit and whent for clam police well thank god for that lol
mike
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
if you can help yourself and not add any more fish to your tank that will help him not to get sick. Keep a cleaner shrimp in there to control things too.
 
killafins

killafins

Active Member
naaa, the tang clan hires personal assassins... KILLAfins... lol... i'm just playing
please just make sure u don't push the size of the fish too much... once u see him getting a little cramped i would get him out of there... i would probably say in around a more he will out grow it.
 
sammystingray

sammystingray

Active Member
You knew it was wrong.....don't forget we have a VERY good disease forum as well for later use.:D :D He is going to want to eat like a fish that is going to reach twelve inches......which is more than a fish the same size that will stay small.....he wants to grow. I had to remove one from a 75 gallon a few years back because he outgrew the tank...that's all I'm going to say.:) Also, don't believe everything everyone tells you.;) :) I think folks are tired of arguing here, but for newbies reading...don't do it.:D :D Do your best to make sure he sees no stress seriously, good luck.
 
richard rendos

richard rendos

Active Member
Just to clarify...is this the tang we are talking about?
Paracanthurus hepatus...Hippo Tang, Regal Tang?
http://www.***********.com/images/products/large/pw73746.jpg
I am not a member of the tang police, but this fish is a big time swimmer. He needs lots of room, and gets huge. I had one in my 120 gallon reef and had to give him away to a friend with a 300 gallon reef. He grew from 1 inch to over 9 inches in less than 5 years. He is also a big eater...water quality will be a problem to maintain. Not a very responsible purchase in my opinion. I seriously hope you plan on a bigger tank in the NEAR future.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
Just two brief comments here...
First I agree with the concerns about the wisdom of a hippo/regal in a relatively young 29 gal system. They are a difficult species that will out grow the 29....they do affect the bio-load adversely and they do need room to roam. Now...that said I do keep one in my 55 reef...but it was added long after the system had matured. I knew the challenge involved and the bio-load created by the addition can easily be handled by my filtration system.I knew prior to my purchase/addition what the riskd were and I fully expected long term success. Most important I purchased mine as a 3" juvinile and with 12-18 months my display will be a minimum of 150 gal and probably closer to a 180(even a 240 if I can swing it). The point is I knew when I made my purchase that I would definitely up-grade my system long before the tang grew too large for my current display.It has been in my reef for about 6 months now and has done even better than expected. It is currently close to 4"-5" and in great health.
My second comment is why would you post expecting or even encouraging flames and/or negative comments? Apparently you are confident in your decision...thats one thing that some of us may take exception to. I believe you knew that and yet you come here with a thread obviously expecting a negative response. Sounds to be like you know full well the weakness in your decision and just want to fan some flames to make yourself feel better about a decision you know full well is questionable at best.Just on a side note...obviously ...due to my hippo in a 55(not to mention the 2+ yr old yellow in my 58) I am not and probably never will be a member of the "tang police"...but I do advocate decissions about livestock based on research and experience...and not solely on personal desire.:cool:
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If NM Reef told me he's kept a Regal in a 30 gallon for 4 years I'm not sure I would believe him... let alone someone I don't know anything about.
Well, you were seeking attention I hope you're happy now.
 
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