The real tank size you need for a blue tang

coralprincess23 · #1 12/13/2004, 10:11 PM

What is it? I've heard people who say not to keep them in anything under a 180, and I've heard of people who keep them in 30's. What do you think?

bertoni · #2 12/13/2004, 10:13 PM

This book is a very worthwhile resource IMO:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...567043-8388664

Gobydude777 · #3 12/13/2004, 10:22 PM

I say 75 at the VERY minimum, and that would be a temporary housing. A 100 gallon with lots of swimming space (little LR) should be okay.

AnemicOak · #4 12/13/2004, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bertoni
This book is a very worthwhile resource IMO:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...567043-8388664

Good book & it's the perfect size to bring with you to the lfs when looking at fish. KWIW it recommends 100 gal. minimum

Gobydude777 · #5 12/13/2004, 10:45 PM

If you put them in a small tank they will get stressed pretty fast. Tang+Stress=Ich=Death

Meisen · #6 12/13/2004, 11:14 PM

Do you mean a blue hippo tang or a blue atlantic tang? I have seen the atlantics get over 18" and at least 5 lbs so we are probably talking 500 gallons++++ minimum as an adult.

I think the general consensus is that *most* tangs get too large for *most* home aquariums. Compounding the size issue is that tangs are by nature very active swimming grazers and anything less than an ocean is confining for them. A lot of people keep tangs anyway as they are a very attractive fish for many reasons. Ultimately, we really rarely provide perfect environments for any of the fish we keep so I am not sure why tangs alone are the subject of such debate. For the record, I have had several tangs over the years.....

rockhoundmaiden · #7 12/14/2004, 12:01 AM

I love tangs and have always loved them. Most people would agreed the 75 in a bare minimum and then I would have 1.

AnemicOak · #8 12/14/2004, 12:36 AM

The one I quoted from Scott Michaels book was a Pacific Blue (aka Hippo, aka Palette Surgeonfish)

For the Atlantic Blue he says minimum 75 gal. and max size of 9.1" which seems way off going by Meisen's info.

onecrzyboi4u · #9 12/14/2004, 01:43 AM

interesting... i have a 30 gal and i have a yellow tang and he seems pretty happy.. he likes this one cave protects from the other fish. and he does his swim routine and looks very happy..

strattmk · #10 12/14/2004, 01:58 AM

Yup I agree about that book. We have about 3 store copies of it at work. I keep one in the office, one in the aquatics department and one in the break room. Great book and the tank min sizes seem to be right on.
Matt Stratton

robyoung · #11 12/14/2004, 07:42 AM

That was the first fish book i bought! I call it the fish 'bible' and it helped me choose my stock list for my reef tank and currently researching for my large FOWLR tank!

Definitely worth the money!

riob

keefsama2003 · #12 12/14/2004, 07:58 AM

for hippo tangs they need alot of swimming room and a good amount of rock also they like to hide in the rock. my hippo cruises my 90 and then goes strait into the rock when something it doesnt like happens. i would say make sure you have enough rock/places for it to hide

ErikD · #13 12/14/2004, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by onecrzyboi4u
interesting... i have a 30 gal and i have a yellow tang and he seems pretty happy.. he likes this one cave protects from the other fish. and he does his swim routine and looks very happy..

I can't imagine shoe-horning my "sideshow fatlady" yellow tang into a 30g.

Yours will get bigger... or die. Prepare yourself for both. (never thought I'd sound like one of the tang nazis, thanks alot)

viggen · #14 12/14/2004, 10:32 AM

if his yellow tang is small I am sure it's fine in there, however not for long...

I have a atlantic blue tang who is probably 6+ in long & he uses every inch of my 240g. Due to their activity I would say then need at least a 6ft long tank when they get over 4 ish in & 8+ ft long would be MUCH better!

The hipo tangs I do not think need nearly as much swimming area, at least with mine he does not swim nearly as much as my atlantic blue

greenbean36191 · #15 12/14/2004, 10:34 AM

As much as I hate to admit it, before I found RC I was one of the people that thought a blue tang would be fine in my 29 if I bought it small. Well, it was fine for about 6 months and then was constantly sick for about the last month until it finally died. Don't get one with anything less than a 6 foot tank. The large tanks are recommended for a reason. These fish get big, and are constantly swimming.

Meisen · #16 12/14/2004, 10:34 AM

I think the Michaels Book is a great resource....but it goes to show, you have to take everything you read with a grain of salt.
I am basing my size on actual observed size in the wild ( I have caught a few with hook and line over years and seen countless others)....I am sure they rarely get a chance to "max out" in captivity so I could believe 9" as a captive max (or a hopeful captive max). Anyways, fish "max" sizes are rather misleading. What is the maximum size for humans? 7'? 8'? Taller? How many 8 footers do you see walking around in a typical mall? Are there some adults that are fully grown at 3'? Fishes add an extra wrinkle to that in that most species never fully stop growing (though their growth rate drops off considerably) until they are dead.

DgenR8 · #17 12/14/2004, 10:39 AM

First off, unless you have studied these fish exhibiting natural behavior, in their natural environment, you can't know what a "happy Tang" looks like.
There will always be people claiming to keep these fish in conditions that are described as sub par by every expert that ever wrote a book, but that does not mean it's right.
A wise man once said "You should always strive for the optimum environment, not the minimum environment"

onecrzyboi4u · #18 12/14/2004, 01:25 PM

mine is the full adult size.. it acts if it's all the fishes mother or something it will go around the tank and protrol.. and then go back to it's crave.. fun watchin him

TealCobra · #19 12/14/2004, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by onecrzyboi4u
mine is the full adult size.. it acts if it's all the fishes mother or something it will go around the tank and protrol.. and then go back to it's crave.. fun watchin him

Are you proud of having a full adult sized YT in a 30g?

Don_Gnomio · #20 12/14/2004, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gobydude777
I say 75 at the VERY minimum, and that would be a temporary housing. A 100 gallon with lots of swimming space (little LR) should be okay.

I dont agree with the statement that you say about little amount of LR because not only do they like to swim alot, but they get very spooked easily and will feel confortable to swim arround in a tank that has plenty of hideing spaces in LR.

but that is just my 2 cents...
Victor

keefsama2003 · #21 12/14/2004, 05:51 PM

all i know is my 90 is getting too small for my hippo tang and i have a fairly good amount of swim/lr space in there. i know he will just love the 300. not sure on min tank sizes but i know that it seems the larger the better.