Tang success in a 55 gallon???

btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Out of the three tangs you listed, if you MUST have one, I would say, go with the Yellow Tang, NOT the Hippo. Our hippo produced a tremendous bio-load, even as a juvi and I found from personal experience that they're hard to keep when young.
I personally would not keep a tang in a 55G, but if you're not going to have that many other fish, one might be okay, just have a good CUC and skimmer.
Now for the "Tang Police" statement:

Please keep in mind that tangs enjoy ample swimming space. 4ft is not a considerable amount of space for a 8"+ fish to swim in, regardless of whether it's a 55, 75 or 90 gallon tank, and in my opinion it is irresponsible to keep a tang in anything smaller than a 120+ gallon tank. Yes, it is true that people do keep them in smaller tanks, but is this really best for the fish? I have seen many tangs in small tanks that do not thrive and look okay short term but eventually die off far before they should have. As a responsible aquarist, one should strive for the closest to natural conditions one can give. Of course, we can't put the ocean in our living room, but providing the fish with the largest area to swim should be something to strive for.
Put it this way, would you keep a St. Benard or Great Dane in a 2-3 foot cage just because it fit and the dog didn't cry?
JMO
 
cdposey26

cdposey26

Member
I have had no problems keeping a yellow tang in a 45 gal bow front and a purple tang in a 55, I had trouble with the hippo in the 55, but I have had no problems with a blue tang and sailfin in a 65 which is shorter
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by cdposey26
http:///forum/post/3143359
I have had no problems keeping a yellow tang in a 45 gal bow front and a purple tang in a 55, I had trouble with the hippo in the 55, but I have had no problems with a blue tang and sailfin in a 65 which is shorter
YIKES...Just out of curiosity how big is your Sailfin? I have a sailfin in my 225 that after 1 year has grown over 6"., and I know it will be growing a LOT more.....I could not imagine putting it in a 65G....(I have a 54G too)...NEVER would I do that
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3143365
YIKES...Just out of curiosity how big is your Sailfin? I have a sailfin in my 225 that after 1 year has grown over 6"., and I know it will be growing a LOT more.....I could not imagine putting it in a 65G....(I have a 54G too)...NEVER would I do that

I absolutely agree with you Meowzer. This is what I'm trying to say. Just because people have done it, does not make it right. If we all went on that theory, more people would drive home drunk every night.......
 
cdposey26

cdposey26

Member
Well the name of the thread is tang success in a 55gal I was just sharing my experience. I could care less what people try and dont try. I have done lots of things by the book that didnt work out near as well as not. I do not have a sailfin currently, I had him in the past as he got bigger I caught him and sold him. Not sure how much bigger he would have gotten and maybe he would have gone down hill, but he always ate well and seemed happy. I had him for a couple years and started as a very small fish.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Originally Posted by cdposey26
http:///forum/post/3143372
Well the name of the thread is tang success in a 55gal I was just sharing my experience. I could care less what people try and dont try. I have done lots of things by the book that didnt work out near as well as not. I do not have a sailfin currently, I had him in the past as he got bigger I caught him and sold him. Not sure how much bigger he would have gotten and maybe he would have gone down hill, but he always ate well and seemed happy. I had him for a couple years and started as a very small fish.

If you got rid of the fish because he became too big for the tank, is that really success? I don't think so, because he didn't reach maturity without running out of run, so... JMO
 
noah's nemo

noah's nemo

Member
We are all imprisioning our fish for life as it is. So ,i get yanked from my home,but i get the 20x20 cell with my own gym and basketball hoop.At the end of the day however,I'm still in prision.Truth is our fish do not speak.How do we know they are any happier in a 55 vs a 255?Common sense you say,ahh, if it were up to that none of us would have any tanks.I have a freshwater Rhom in a 75 all to himself.He is 13 inches or so and 10+ years old.Is he happy?I doubt it! We are all guilty..
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Originally Posted by Noah's Nemo
http:///forum/post/3143392
We are all imprisioning our fish for life as it is. So ,i get yanked from my home,but i get the 20x20 cell with my own gym and basketball hoop.At the end of the day however,I'm still in prision.Truth is our fish do not speak.How do we know they are any happier in a 55 vs a 255?Common sense you say,ahh, if it were up to that none of us would have any tanks.I have a freshwater Rhom in a 75 all to himself.He is 13 inches or so and 10+ years old.Is he happy?I doubt it! We are all guilty..
We're definitely all guilty, and I'm not some PETA/ASPCA nut, but this guy is talking about success in a 55G. And then someone goes and posts that they have success, to later retract that statement by saying that when it got TOO BIG, he got rid of it. That's not success as far as I'm concerned.
 
cdposey26

cdposey26

Member
Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3143413
We're definitely all guilty, and I'm not some PETA/ASPCA nut, but this guy is talking about success in a 55G. And then someone goes and posts that they have success, to later retract that statement by saying that when it got TOO BIG, he got rid of it. That's not success as far as I'm concerned.
Ok you are right and I am wrong, do everything by the book and save the tangs. I have had zero success with tangs, they get to big for my liking in the tank and so it was a complete failure. Poor fish, I can't believe I even tried. Stay away from tangs in a 55, it wont end well.
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
My yellow tang is about 6" after 1 1/2 years in my 125g. I KNOW a yellow would be fine for a LONG time in a 55g. Especially if the body of water is left relatively open. My 8" BH tang is really getting to be too big for my 125g. It really seems to need alot of space for swimming-see my newest tank pictures in soft coral section. Koles I know nothing about. The BH is growing very fast. The yellow-not so much.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
I think a lot of people are really overthinking this. If you want to buy a juvenile yellow tang for your 55gal, that's one thing. It's something completely different to buy a dinner plate sized sailfin or hippo tang, and put him in the same tank. Yes, a 55gal is probably plenty for a small tang. Can he live there forever? Obviously not, and if you only feed him every third day cause you can't keep your water parameters good
because of his bioload, obviously he's not going to grow fast and you'll probably have him in there for years.
Yes, we can not talk directly to fish (probably a good thing
). However, if you seriously can't tell what a stressed tang looks like in a cramped tank, I would strongly suggest you re-evaluate yourself in the hobby, and exact what fish you want to keep.
If all the tang does is relentlessly pace the front glass, wishing for a bigger home, he's space stressed. On the flip side, if all he does is hover in the top corner, like at the tanks at the LFS, he's space stressed. If the tang is super jittery, always darting at the slightest noise or movement, he's probably space stressed.
 
naclfish

naclfish

Member
I can't believe i did not see the spanko pic....come on its been so long and it's a tang thread...please dont make me beg
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Define "success" for me please?
Keeping it a live?
How long?
Growing or not?
Because yes you can do it (3 would not be good for water quality, IMO).
But often people base their "success" on a couple of months or a couple of years, which is nothing. Often their fish don't really grow...and they are not phased by it in the least. Often they don't pick up on unusual behaviors, like pacing the tank (they think they are having fun, "racing").
So IMO, yes it can be done. But long term success - the fish growing, the fish behaving normally...that is more limited.
And people don't tend to talk much about that. the fish lived. So it was a success.
I saw tangs traded in to our LFS that people swore to high Heaven were in great shape...they were the most pathetic fish we ever saw. Maybe the people were good liars; if so they were VERY good liars.
HLLE to the max, fins nearly completely eroded. FWIW, many recovered well when put into the like 15'
"lagoon" style tank at the store. The nitrates were horrid but there was LR and lots of room to move. Less stress.
Look at these tangs in really large tanks versus these really small tanks and be honest. They very often look better, behave better and are growing in those larger tanks. Go to a public aquarium and watch.
The footprint of the tank, not the gallons, are what is important IMO. I agree that dilution (larger tank size) is also a help keeping tangs.
But overall, you must personally define what success is and have that secure in your mind. If it is keeping it alive,yes, you can keep it alive for awhile, no worries

BTW I did keep a yellow eye tang in a 45g tank and it just never grew. So I have "experimented" with this. It is not a no way no how ever for me. I prefer smaller "grow out" tanks in many instances. But to me the final tank for most of these tangs is much larger, and for the good of the fish, should already be in your immediate plans, not future dreams.
For me, IMO, the best tanks are one's where you are not constantly assessing whether your fish is too big, do I need to trade it in ('cause I really like it). It is a tank with fish perfectly suitable for the size tank. Then you know your tank is just free to mature, not destined to be torn up to remove fish.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Originally Posted by ophiura
http:///forum/post/3143599
Define "success" for me please?
Keeping it a live?
How long?
Growing or not?
Because yes you can do it (3 would not be good for water quality, IMO).
But often people base their "success" on a couple of months or a couple of years, which is nothing. Often their fish don't really grow...and they are not phased by it in the least. Often they don't pick up on unusual behaviors, like pacing the tank (they think they are having fun, "racing").
So IMO, yes it can be done. But long term success - the fish growing, the fish behaving normally...that is more limited.
And people don't tend to talk much about that. the fish lived. So it was a success.
I saw tangs traded in to our LFS that people swore to high Heaven were in great shape...they were the most pathetic fish we ever saw. Maybe the people were good liars; if so they were VERY good liars.
HLLE to the max, fins nearly completely eroded. FWIW, many recovered well when put into the like 15'
"lagoon" style tank at the store. The nitrates were horrid but there was LR and lots of room to move. Less stress.
Look at these tangs in really large tanks versus these really small tanks and be honest. They very often look better, behave better and are growing in those larger tanks. Go to a public aquarium and watch.
The footprint of the tank, not the gallons, are what is important IMO. I agree that dilution (larger tank size) is also a help keeping tangs.
But overall, you must personally define what success is and have that secure in your mind. If it is keeping it alive,yes, you can keep it alive for awhile, no worries

BTW I did keep a yellow eye tang in a 45g tank and it just never grew. So I have "experimented" with this. It is not a no way no how ever for me. I prefer smaller "grow out" tanks in many instances. But to me the final tank for most of these tangs is much larger, and for the good of the fish, should already be in your immediate plans, not future dreams.
For me, IMO, the best tanks are one's where you are not constantly assessing whether your fish is too big, do I need to trade it in ('cause I really like it). It is a tank with fish perfectly suitable for the size tank. Then you know your tank is just free to mature, not destined to be torn up to remove fish.
+1
 
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