*sigh* (scopas tang)

zeke92

zeke92

Active Member
I got a brown scopas tang (sailfin tang) today..
i went to a new place then usual and the guy i was talking to, you could tell he didn't know much about fish. He said the tang would get about the size of a yellow tang he pointed too wich would have been fine in my tank most likely. i come home and do some research while i watch my new tang eat on some eel grass and find out something.
the guy either is stupid or lied. the tang is gonna get up to 12 inches wich is twice as much as he said. One place said 100 gallons and another said 75 gallons. I have a 55 gallon.
Would he be ok when he is full grown in a 55? i figure i could guess your answer but i'm hoping i'm wrong. i told my dad and he said we will worry about it if it lives that long...
how long will it take for one to get full grown? he is a few inches or so now.
i'm so POed right now at that guy...
 
trigger boy

trigger boy

Member
Well from what I've heard tangs like lots of space and at that size he probably won't do to well in your tank IMO hope this helps.
 
zeke92

zeke92

Active Member
i figure i should enjoy him now and worry about it when the time comes. my dad said if it does get too big and live that long then he will get me a bigger tank. i am guessing if this tang grows fast and he is huge in like a year and dad sees the prices on 75-100 gallon tanks he will change his mind
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
A scopus and a sailfin tang are two different fish... the scopas does not get as large as the sailfin... but both need a larger tank than 55g IMO.
 
tropills

tropills

Member
just a little info from another site ...

1. Tangs are not good choices for newly set up aquaria. To thrive they need a stable environment with pristine water conditions. Anyone thinking their newly set up aquarium is stable is invited to read through the following thread:
Maturity Issues
2. Tangs are medium to large, active fish that need plenty of space. On the question of tank sizes, we defer to Scott W. Michael, who recommends the following minimum sizes in Marine Fishes, 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species, Microcosm Ltd., 1999:
Acanthurus achilles, Achilles Surgeonfish, 100 gal (380l).
Acanthurus coeruleus, Atlantic Blue Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus japonicus, Powder Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus leucosternon, Powder Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Acanthurus lineatus, Lined or Clown Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus nigricans, Whitecheek Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus olivaceus, Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish, 135 gal (510l).
Acanthurus pyroferus, Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus sohal, Sohal Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus tristegus, Convict Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus tristis, Indian Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis, Chevron Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Ctenochaetus strigosus, Kole's Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Naso brevirostris, Spotted Unicornfish, 180 gal (685l).
Naso lituratus, Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Naso unicornis, Bluespine Unicornfish, 200 gal (760l).
Paracanthurus hepatus, Pacific Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Zebrasoma desjardinii, Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma scopas, Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma veliferum, Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma xanthurum, Purple Tang, 100 gal (380l).
You will note that none of these minimum sizes are less than 75 gallons. If you have a tang in a smaller tank, you should expect that some people will give you a hard time about it. Expressing outrage about that could result in suspension of your posting privileges. We are not, BTW, giving a free pass to the self-styled "Tang Police" to be abusive.
3. The above sizes assume a standard rectangular shape with plenty of open swimming space. If your tank is full to the brim with coral, your tang won't be happy. Tanks 125G or larger are assumed to be at least six feet long (approx. two meters). Where possible, choose longer rather than deeper shapes. While smaller species may be OK in a four foot tank, they will probably do better in a five foot or longer tank.
4. We do not condone the practice of keeping more than one specimen of the same or very similar species together in the same aquarium, except possibly for Zebrasoma species in a very large tank.
5. If you wish to keep multiple dissimilar tangs in the same aquarium, we recommend you have an aquarium significantly larger than the sizes listed above.
If you are an experienced aquarist with something constructive to add, please feel free to comment on this topic. However, stating an inflamatory opinion just to get a reaction is considered a violation
 
zeke92

zeke92

Active Member
hmm well it's definatly not a 'new' tank.
would the tang be fine until he got like 5-6 inches or something?
i want to know when i should expect him to get too big and what is too big.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by zeke92
http:///forum/post/2633803
hmm well it's definatly not a 'new' tank.
would the tang be fine until he got like 5-6 inches or something?
i want to know when i should expect him to get too big and what is too big.
That is the problem. It is hard to tell if the fish is too big until you see his health start to decline. If you just got him then why can't you take him back? It would be nice if the people that sell fish informed their customers of the fish's needs but sometimes they don't. That could be because they don't know themselves. This is why it is never a good idea to impulse buy. I am not trying to flame you, please don't take it that way. With tangs it often isn't a question of the size of the fish but more their activity level. If you do want to keep him then be sure that the tank is lightly stocked. Keep the water quality excellent and be sure to meet his dietary needs. Watch him in time for signs of discomfort such as reluctance to eat, the development of HLLE or Lymphoystis, over aggressive behavior, lethargy, etc.
 
zeke92

zeke92

Active Member
it wasnt really on impulse. i've seen that type of tang before and have always sorta liked it's looks. when i saw it was only 30, in the price range, it was exactly what i was looking for. an active fish that doesn't hide 50% of the time like my other fish.
i will talk to my parents and stuff.
so far he is very active and eating. he seems to like the eel grass.
did you mean that i could keep him even till adult hood if i lightly stocked tank and good water and such? or did you just mean for now?
it was labeled as a brown sailfin tang but online the zebrasomething scopas (scientific name) looked the same. and someone above said scopas doens't get as big. could it be it was mislabled? is there a way to tell the two apart? i'm so confused when it comes to fish that look the same and have confusing names...
 
scopus tang

scopus tang

Active Member
Here is a picture of a scopus tang, which is not the same as the sailfin. While they are smaller, I've never had great luck keeping even these in smaller tanks for over a year; finally gave up and swore not to get another to I had a 100gal+ tank to put it in. They love greens, chaeto especially, which they will eat like spagetti. I would suggest returning him if its possible ~ but ultimately it is your decision.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
I hate to say this out loud, but there has been plenty of discussions here about the proper size of a tank for a tang so it's not like people don't know. You've been around since August 2007...
I'd take the fish back or do an upgrade to a larger tank in the very near future.
I'm getting off my soap box now. Just so sad, so sad.
 
jimmy40741

jimmy40741

Member
Originally Posted by zeke92
http:///forum/post/2634062
it was labeled as a brown sailfin tang but online the zebrasomething scopas (scientific name) looked the same. and someone above said scopas doens't get as big. could it be it was mislabled? is there a way to tell the two apart? i'm so confused when it comes to fish that look the same and have confusing names...

Yes, it could have just been mislabled. The same thing happened at one of my LFS, they had a Scopas labeled as a Sailfin because they ordered a Sailfin and didn't know the difference. I printed out a pic of a Scopas and showed it to the lady who owns the shop so she would know and could get a refund from her distributor (as Sailfin cost her about $10 more than a Scopas).
Does your fish's color fade light to dark from the front of the fish like the pic Scopas posted, or does it have pronounced bars around it? If it's barred then it's a Sailfin.
 
N

nereef

Guest
to clarify, a scopus tang is a sailfin tang. the entire Zebrasoma genus is the sailfin tang genus. this includes seven easy ones to remember: yellow, gem, black, scopus, purple, phillipine sailfin, and the red sea sailfin. in my opinion, the tank wasn't mislabeled at all if it said "brown sailfin tang" and then gave the latin name.
 
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