Yellow Tang in a 55.......

[tx reef]

I have been reading through old posts and I have noticed that a recurring question is "can I keep a Yellow Tang in my 55 gallon tank?"
Some say they do it and have had success for years. Others say it is cruel and shouldn't be done.
I am not planning on a Yellow Tang for my tank (I bought a Flame Angel today and am maxed out on fish, though I did briefly consider it).
What I would like do is gather everyone's EXPERIENCE in this matter into one informational thread so that when someone asks this question, they will have a thread to read through instead of asking the same question over and over and over and over........................................
Anyways, lets hear it!
P.S. I know that this is prbably going to be a heated discussion, but lets keep it limited to that.
No name calling!

 

[jtoz116]

i say yes on putting a yellow tang in a 55......but that would be the only tang to put in thea..

 

[poniegirl]

I disagree. If the only fish I had was a YT, it still would have poor quality of life.

 

[jtoz116]

no i mean a yellow tang would be the only species of tangs that you can put in there..anyways i think that would be ok..but thats just my opinion

 

[omgsaltwat]

A little off subject but I seen 8 in a lfs that were about 10 to 12 inches.....Beautiful...but they wont sell them

because they want them to put in their DT.....but I think a small one in a 55 would be ok....JMO

 

[lion_crazz]

I don't think any tang should be in a 55 gallon tank, no matter how small the tang, because it does not offer them the swimming room that they require.
Sure, it may live, but are you looking for it to live or thrive? You may be able to live in a small closet, but would you be happy? You would be much happier in a larger room where you have space to move and feel comfortable, I'm sure.

 

[natep206]

id say yes. but ud have to get it small, keep only 4 or 5 other fish, those fish not being open water fish, not alot of lr, maybe 50lbs tops, keep the lr low but yeah i think it can be done and have the fish thrive.
lion,
what do u think the minimum tank size is then? i mean i see 55s all the time with yts and they get flamed or talked to but i also see 75 gal tall, which are 48" tanks, ALL the time were no one says anything but " i like the yellow tang "
it can be done.
nate

 

[poniegirl]

I have wondered why tangs and ich seem to be a common thread (no pun intended) and the words used recently "open water fish" come up alot when I think about tangs. Is there a relation to the fact that in the wild they are constantly swimming, darting, moving with speed..does this keep them healthier? I'd bet my bottom dollar.
As to experience (sorry it feels like I am telling the same old story) I had a 150 gal with a naso, a hippo and two yellow tangs. I bought the tank from a business that was closing, the tank had been stocked and maintained by a local company.
Beautiful, but long story short they drove me insane, those fish. All full grown, back and forth and back and forth. Hours on end. I quickly decided that not even a 150 (which is 6 feet long?) was big enough, and traded them to the LFS for fish with less wanderlust. Thriving? Not by my difinition.
The 150 for a yellow tang alone maybe.

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
I have wondered why tangs and ich seem to be a common thread (no pun intended) and the words used recently "open water fish".
I've watched a few nature shows with tangs and alot of what I see wouldn't really be open water swimming. Except for the one program on the animal channel where a large school of convict tangs came to invade a few powder blue's territory to eat the algae (in which case the few power blues eventually ran off about 100 convict tangs) they are usually just swimming around the outskirts of reefs grazing algae. From what I've read they do this for a while (grave in one territory) then eventually move to the next reef or area and repeat the cycle. Sort of semi-open water fish. Open water until they find a spot they like for feeding. Guess it depends on the type of tang too.

 

[gman52]

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
The 150 for a yellow tang alone maybe.
Are you serious?? :notsure:
i think you can easily keep a yellow tang healthy and happy in a 55

 

[tugglife2]

As someone who has kept a happy and healthy yellow tang in a 55 gallon tank for nearly 3 years, I say yes it's fine.

 

[emperor11]

Originally Posted by NateP206
minimum tank size
Minimum tank size, not recommended tank size. Minimum tank size for a yellow tang, could probably be said to be a 40 gallon. Now, any one who does their research, and actually cares about the well-being of their fish, would put it in nothing less than a 125 gallon. ALONE. Its JMO, but when people say, "Oh, I've had one in a 55 for several years now, and its FINE." Fine is not thriving, its surviving. Just some food for thought..

 

[scoot]

ive had my yellow tang in my 55 for a long time now and he nvr swims bak and forth hes always eating off the rocks but i do think they shouldnt be kept in a 55 unless u have lots of stuff they can eat like algeas off ur LR

 

[natep206]

Originally Posted by Stanlalee
I've watched a few nature shows with tangs and alot of what I see wouldn't really be open water swimming. Except for the one program on the animal channel where a large school of convict tangs came to invade a few powder blue's territory to eat the algae (in which case the few power blues eventually ran off about 100 convict tangs) they are usually just swimming around the outskirts of reefs grazing algae. From what I've read they do this for a while (grave in one territory) then eventually move to the next reef or area and repeat the cycle. Sort of semi-open water fish. Open water until they find a spot they like for feeding. Guess it depends on the type of tang too.
they are open water fish....the only reason u see them picking at rocks on the "nature shows" u watch is because the camera men cant get a yellow tang swimming as fast as it can across the reef. sure they spend some of there time eating of of rocks but most of there time up in the open water. im sure they have gone all the way down to the sand bed to pick at a rock with alot of algae but does that make them bottom dwellers?

Originally Posted by Emperor11
Minimum tank size, not recommended tank size. Minimum tank size for a yellow tang, could probably be said to be a 40 gallon. Now, any one who does their research, and actually cares about the well-being of their fish, would put it in nothing less than a 125 gallon. ALONE. Its JMO, but when people say, "Oh, I've had one in a 55 for several years now, and its FINE." Fine is not thriving, its surviving. Just some food for thought..
if im going by what u say (toataly diffrent then my opinion) minimum tank size for a yt is a .5 gallon betta cube. just because it will fit in it. no thats not what i meant at all. i meant minimum tank size that they would live happily in. which in my opinion is a 55 gal. if a yt in a 125 by its self is your true opinion then..well yeah. but if your just trying to make a point then theres really no need. if u buy a yellow tang when its not fully grown it wont grow bigger then 6" there for a 1 yellow tang in a 125 which is a 5' tank would be a fish in a tank 10 times its size. but yeah if u truly beleive that a yt needs a tank 10 times its size then...well lets just keep it a "heated conversation."

nate

 

[tugglife2]

How in the world can you tell me my fish is merely surviving and not thriving? Saying something like that seems rather foolish. We can get technical and start listing many other marine fish that are kept in aquariums that would probably thrive and be better off in the ocean. It's just silly, think about it. All of us are keeping organisms that come from a place where they have miles upon miles of space to roam around in. We as marine aquarists are keeping them in a 4-5 ft. box!

 

[emperor11]

Originally Posted by TuggLife2
How in the world can you tell me my fish is merely surviving and not thriving? Saying something like that seems rather foolish. We can get technical and start listing many other marine fish that are kept in aquariums that would probably thrive and be better off in the ocean. It's just silly, think about it. All of us are keeping organisms that come from a place where they have miles upon miles of space to roam around in. We as marine aquarists are keeping them in a 4-5 ft. box!

What do you mean, how can I tell you that? Its true...think about this. A fish that swims hundreds of miles each day in the ocean, is forced to swim in a little 55 gallon. An aquarium that is only 4 feet long, and 13 inches wide. However, you are incorrect when you say that we "all" keep organisms in our tank that roam upon miles of space in our aquariums. That's why only certain specimens are generally recommended. Especially the tank-bred ones, such as percula clowns, orchid dottybacks, kelloggi seahorses (giants), etc. Believe it or not, some specimens are not, and would not survive in the wild, and if we hobbyists had not stepped in..they could have become extinct. The specimen I am thinking of is the Bangaii Cardinalfish. Chemicals from factories were being released into the ocean, and killing off many thing. The bangaii's were hit especially hard. If it weren't for us hobbyists breeding them in captivity, they could have become extinct. Keep in mind, this is JMO..but there are much better options that a yellow tang in a small tank, such as a 55 gallon. Have you looked into the dwarf angels? There's the african flameback, the lemonpeel, the heraldi, the hotumatua, etc. And, THEY don't require the swimming space that a yellow tang does, are just as reef safe, and stay smaller. All in all, a much more suitable specimen.

 

[emperor11]

Originally Posted by NateP206
if im going by what u say (toataly diffrent then my opinion) minimum tank size for a yt is a .5 gallon betta cube. just because it will fit in it. no thats not what i meant at all. i meant minimum tank size that they would live happily in. which in my opinion is a 55 gal. if a yt in a 125 by its self is your true opinion then..well yeah. but if your just trying to make a point then theres really no need. if u buy a yellow tang when its not fully grown it wont grow bigger then 6" there for a 1 yellow tang in a 125 which is a 5' tank would be a fish in a tank 10 times its size. but yeah if u truly beleive that a yt needs a tank 10 times its size then...well lets just keep it a "heated conversation."

nate

Its true...I do believe a yellow tang needs a tank much larger than its size. This fish swims hundreds and hundreds of miles each day! The fish that I recommend for aquariums, do not do this, and stay much smaller. If you truly meant "minimum tank size that it would be happy in," then you're way off pal. And what do you mean, if I'm just trying to make a point, then there's no need? I'm stating my opinion. That's what you're supposed to do on a message board.

And, FYI...yellow tangs reach 10". Its a huge myth that if you purchase a small enough specimen, that it will only grow into the size of your aquarium. Yes, they do experience stunted growth in an aquarium, but it that really something to be proud of? Its unnatural! JMO

 

[tx reef]

Great debate thus far!
My only question is how can a fishes happieness be judged?
If someone has had a Yellow Tang in their 55 gallon tank for years and it is healthy, how can one know that the fish is "unhappy"?

 

[tugglife2]

Good stuff guys.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that a fish like a tang is use to swimming in the open ocean, correct? Is keeping this fish in a tank that's maybe a foot bigger than another tank really going to make that big a difference in the scheme of things?

 

[tx reef]

Originally Posted by TuggLife2
Good stuff guys.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that a fish like a tang is use to swimming in the open ocean, correct? Is keeping this fish in a tank that's maybe a foot bigger than another tank really going to make that big a difference in the scheme of things?

Good point.