Tank Size for Tangs (Help)

[pfitz44]

Right onw i have a baby hippo (<1.5") in my 55 gal. Please dont Flame. I am planning on upgrading in about 2-3 mts. I know people say that tangs in general need 6" of swiming room. I can get a deal on a 120, but its 48"X24"X24". Am i correct in assuming that this will not work?

 

[halo_frk03]

well... IMO it would be fine.... this is an ongoing debate that will never have a definite solution... at least ur planning something better than people putting tangs in 20-40 gallon tanks

 

[surfinusa]

i think hes fine for a while in a 55 but full grown i think they need a 150 when full grown they are about a foot long when full grown

 

[pfitz44]

What no Tang police on this one?? Comeon people.. im looking for opinions!

 

[unleashed]

Originally Posted by PFitz44
Right onw i have a baby hippo (<1.5") in my 55 gal. Please dont Flame. I am planning on upgrading in about 2-3 mts. I know people say that tangs in general need 6" of swiming room. I can get a deal on a 120, but its 48"X24"X24". Am i correct in assuming that this will not work?
the 120 will work for some time .it takes a while till this species reaches mature size.your 50 gal will sufice for a while as long as hes not over crowded with alot of other fish an upgrade in the near future is a very good idea

 

[pfitz44]

The upgrade is happining, just trying to decide weather the 120 will work or not. How long does it take for them to get to the size were they would outgrow the 120? If the upgrade fell through (for dome odd reason) i was going to get rid of him when he was 4". Should i go by the same size criteria for the 120?

 

[boalgf]

These fish can get to 1 foot, but they hardly ever do when being kept in an aquarium their whole lives. Still, I think 6 ft is the minimum for an adult. I have a 7" blue hippo and it is very active. Swims from one end of the tank to the other all day long. It's hard for me to imagine putting her in to a tank only 4' wide. I think a yellow or kole would work fine in a 4' for life, but definitely not a blue. I'm speaking off of personal, current experience. Not off of things I read on here.
That being said, you've got years before it will reach the size where you'd need to get rid of it (5-6 inches). There are deals all over the place on 125 gallon tanks. I think you should hold out for a 6' tank if you intend on keeping larger fish.

 

[pfitz44]

a 6" tank?? :hilarious
But in all seriousness... Thats what i was thinking.... hold out for a 125 atleast... Aparently it doenst grow as fast as i thought it would... Thanks!

 

[boalgf]

Good thing there is an edit button lol.
My hippo has grown about 2-3" in a year. I've heard of others who grew slower and others faster. Sometimes you just have to know people are full of "it" though. Like when I read on one of these posts that someones blue tang had grown from 3" to 10" in a year. That fish must have been on some kind of high protein diet.