Originally Posted by chadman
i actually emailed them and spoke with their head marine biologist/fishroom manager and she told me quote
Hello Chad,
I’m sorry you feel mis-informed about the Tang. The adult size of the P.B. Tang in captivity is usually about 8”, with 10” being large (though this is closer to their wild adult size.) Online tank recommendations vary from 55, to 75 to 100 or higher. I wouldn’t say any one site is completely correct or incorrect. I feel this is due to each writer’s own personal experience, which is true for almost everything in this hobby. We list 55 as a minimum, but certainly recommend larger if possible. A well maintained and minimally stocked 55 gallon tank can house him quite well. The most limiting factors for these tangs are diet and water quality. They are heavy grazers and need frequent feedings as well as high dissolved oxygen levels.
Returning the fish would be entirely up to you. If the fish is returned in good condition, within 2 weeks, we will return the full purchase price in store credit or to the credit card used in the original sale. It is also covered by the standard 5 day guarantee in the event something would happen.
Your LFS is correct in some factors. They said the minimum is a 55. These fish are open water swimmers. They need at least a 6 foot long tank to be comfortable. Very experienced hobbiests have been able to keep tangs in a 4 foot tank, keep in mind that they know what to look for when a fish's health starts to decline due to stress. On this site we are not out to make money (you should also know that these boards are not run by SWF the company, they are run by members and moderaters). All members of this site are volunteers. We gain absolutely nothing from sharring our experiences. We just don't want members to make the same mistakes that we or other members have made. I personally specialize in disease and treatment on this board. I have seen countless members come to that forum with perfect water quality and sick tangs. They get VERY stressed out without proper swimming room. I invite you to come to the disease and treatment forum and do a search on tangs. You will see the posts of other members that have had problems when tangs are not housed properly. Your LFS offered to take the tang back. I highly recomend that you do so. If you get a larger tank then you can always get another one down the road.