Tangs in 20l

bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
Yes. While i loved the movie it wasn't very accurate. I could care less but it sparked a large increase in saltfish sales to people who only bought the tank for their kids. Obviously you can't successfully keep a salt tank for those reasons. So nemoesque just refers to the bad stuff that came from nemo :) Like putting tangs in a 20. I remember the movie had a moorish idol, yellow tang, porky, and couple other fish in a small tank in a doctors office a 20 if i remember right maybe a 30, it was small. Not to mention the little demon kid who loved to tap the glass and shake the bags :)
So thats what nemoesque means....
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member
I would highly recommend not purchasing any tang for such a small tank. Inlcuding the rocks and corals, the tank has less than 20 gallons of swimming space.
Why should we keep a fish under anything but the best? Is it just becuase we wish to keep them in something that fits us, the reefkeeper, rather than the fish? I find it foolish to keep such a beautiful and delicate fish in such a small tank. It would be like keeping a person in a closet and feeding him/her nothing but small amounts of cheese for the rest of his/her life. Success should not be measured in weeks or months, but years. How are we to judge the success rate of a fish that has only been in a tank for less than 3 weeks?
Some people think that because it's in a small tank, it will grow only to the size of the aquarium. As long as the fish gets fed and is in good water quality, the growth will not stop. If it somehow does, how is this natural to have a growth stunted tang in a 20 gallon? More than likely the fish would die from massive amounts of stress.
I would recommend buying a smaller fish that would thrive in a 20l, rather than a larger fish that would most likely die.
Graham
 
harlequin

harlequin

Member
I still find it hard to believe how hard headed some people are. Sure one or two people are cruel and keep a tang in a 20 and for some miracle of nature it survives. 95 out of a hundred wont plain and simple. Notice that its all the experienced people, moderators and such forth saying dont do it.
J_G yes this is a hot topic because there are still plenty of morons out there willing to ignore common knowledge and experience and do things anyway. And then you hear one of two things, nothing, because their fish died and they either changed their names or quit coming to this board or you see a thread that basically is titled "HELP! My Blue Tang has Ich!"
For the most part dont listen to your fish store especially if they say something that completely contradicts what every other bulletin board/forum says about things. They are out to make money and will say anything to sell a fish because they are not held accountable if it dies. You dont think we know what we are talking about here on this subject, fine check out any other reef board and there are plenty of them, they will say the exact same thing to you. Why? We love this hobby and arent going to lose any money by giving you good advice especially when it saves a fish as pretty as a blue tang.
Blue Tangs get over 12 inches in length, they are not slow growers either. How long is that 20 gallon tank? 75 gallons are too small for a full sized blue to have room to dart and move around like they enjoy doing.
 
bdhough

bdhough

Active Member
harlequin 20L's are 30"
75's are 48"
Here's a good way to gauge how big a fish will get. Fold a piece of 8x11 normal printer paper in half and hold it up to your tank. Now imagine something that massive moving around in said tank one day :)
Now imagine something bigger than that which most tangs get to be one day...
For a full size angel just use the whole sheet if not 2 :)
 
scotts

scotts

Active Member
I smell a troll, and a good one. Is somone talking to themselves?
Next time remember that it is 20G not 20L.
Scott
 
macatua

macatua

New Member
Whew, hot topic!
I personally have a 4 inch Regal in my 55, and she is very active and happy. However, I think 20 gallons or litres is too small for a full grown tang. A baby, may be ok for a year, as long as you plan on moving it up in said year to a bigger tank.
I have a 48" 55 gallon but I am kinda light on the LR. I also have a pretty bad hair algae infestation, which she loves. But my rule of thumb is 48" for a tang, and by the time she is 6" or above I hope to have her in a really large tank. But for a whiule she should be ok.
 
iechy

iechy

Member
I'd like to know if it OK for me to keep a cheetah in my bathroom. It doesn't have that much room to run but neither does it have that at the zoo. My bathroom is still pretty new but I think it will be OK because it has a big window.
Please keep in mind when replying to this plea for opinons that you have no right to force your opinion on me bud;)
 
ags

ags

Member
Aside from the tang argument I am still wondering how J_G spent 2 grand on his 20 gallon tank.
 
iceburger

iceburger

Member
i would like to point out that it is not the cost that makes a tank good, it is time...you guys do remember that it takes some time so cycle a tank right?...3 weeks is not enough time for a tank to look like that, i don't care if you 50 grand in a tank,nature takes time. i am getting the feeling that this is bogus...
and whoever said no one in this hobby has a right to lecture anyone else in this hobby is way off base...no one is really forcing their opinion...just pointing out the fact of what happens to a tang that is kept in a tank that is too small, experiance does count for somthing
 
ryebread

ryebread

Active Member
On that note.......
I am locking this thread up. Hopefully the people who were looking for info got something out of this thread. :)
 
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