Purple Tang

[jhladousa]

My local LFS has a beautiful purple tang that is currently around 4 inches. I have read that they grow to about 6 inches in captivity and are a relatively peaceful fish.
I have a 55 gallon FOWLR tank with 50 lbs of lace rock and 20 lbs of live rock. Currently the tank has one gold band maroon clownfish, 6 snails and 12 blue leg hermit crabs.
I would like to get a couple addtional fish eventually - perhaps a pajama cardinal, mandarin goby, and possibly a valentini puffer.
Will this purple tang do well in a tank this size? It seems to be one of the few smaller tangs available and I would love to get him!
Thanks!

 

[morales67]

all tangs will eventually out grow a 55g tank.

 

[whitey]

The only Tang I would attempt in a 55 would be a Kole Tang.
The Purple needs more room than that.

 

[devaji108]

I also understand that the purple tang is more agressive than the yellow or kole.
they have a bold nature.

 

[demosthenes]

Originally Posted by jhladousa
I would like to get a couple addtional fish eventually - perhaps a pajama cardinal, mandarin goby, and possibly a valentini puffer.
First of all, I would immediately nix the idea of a mandarin goby in your fish tank. While they are a beautiful fish, many waste away and die in captivity because most tanks, including a 55G, cannot sustain the large ispod and copepod populations that Mandarinfish rely on to remain healthy. Please, don't get one of these fish unless you can infuse your tank with a thriving population of the food that it relies on. Additionally, most all tangs can survive in any size tank for a few weeks to a couple of months, but they grow and the roam, and it is just not fair to subject a fish to a living environment that is too small for it, and this tang is no different in the fact that it will outgrow your tank. :happyfish

 

[puffer9006]

sorry demo but i had a mandarin in my tank when i started my 55g and it did fine when i redid my tank i trade him back to the store. i would feed him live worms the only thing is i had to over feed my tank so the worms would stay at the bottem. he did great but then again there really no fish thats the same as the other. i might of got lucky

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by puffer9006
sorry demo but i had a mandarin in my tank when i started my 55g and it did fine when i redid my tank i trade him back to the store. i would feed him live worms the only thing is i had to over feed my tank so the worms would stay at the bottem. he did great but then again there really no fish thats the same as the other. i might of got lucky
What kind of live worms did you feed him? Where did you get them?

 

[shu-perman]

IMO a Purple Tang that is 4"....already is tooo big for your 55gal...

 

[jhladousa]

Thanks everybody - I decided to go with my original plan of the coarl beauty angel that I have had my eye on. He was introduced yesterday afternoon and so far he seems quite happy. He ate well this morning and is checking out all the rock hiding places in my tank.
Thanks!