Baby yellow tang in 10 gallon temporary tank?

[TangPolice]

I'm warning you don't do it...

 

[Matt27]

I'm ready to TANGo, lets go

 

[lolmatt]

Man, this is a tough thread.

Yellow tangs are a fairly common fish. Less so now that Hawaii has made the net rules, more so that they are being bred in captivity. The captive bred fish in particular should ship very well, they're more expensive but a compelling option nonetheless. Live aquaria has them for 75 occasionally, with free shipping at 100.

I put a yt in a 40 breeder when I had planned on upgrading to a 180. I told myself it would be there no longer than 6 months, and like you got a very small specimen, but by month 4 I didn't have my 180 and the yt had obviously outgrown the 40 (hiding when I went by, grazing less, etc). She's doing great now in my 180 but was very stressed in the 40, I felt bad for a couple weeks until I got it in a temp tank (125).

Just this month, I decided to get a ctenochaetus tang for my frag tank. I didn't have a proper qt setup, and it's one of the smallest tangs I've ever seen (juvenile and still all yellow). I put it in my recently fish free nuvo 10, which has had algae problems recently anyways. In just two weeks, this fish (which only gets to be about 6 inches) has colored up enough to identify the species (c truncatus), and grown considerably. It's quite skittish, and only grazes when I'm not nearby. I will only have this fish in there another 4 weeks or so, but in that time I regret not having a larger tank even though it will be "fine" for the next month.

So, no, I don't think a 10 gallon would be OK for longer than a month for even the smallest yellow tang. If it were a super rare fish, like say a choati wrasse eating frozen for the past month and the lfs had done a full qt for you, I'd consider keeping it in a tank too small for a time. But for such a staple marine fish I don't understand the need. Just wait.

And, it goes without saying that zebrasoma tangs all need 6 foot tanks as adults to be in "breeding condition" as some on here like to say, many requiring that space much sooner. Unless you're planning a 125+ in the next year, skip the whole genus.

QED

 

[leedsrhinojohn]

Its

Man, this is a tough thread.

Its a very simple thread, the op knows it is wrong to do what he is doing otherwise he wouldn't have started this thread in the first place, he would also listen to the 99.99999999999% of people telling him its wrong to do it, but instead he wants to justify what he is doing by waiting for the 1 person to tell him its ok, he shouldn't be allowed to keep any animal including fish if this is how he thinks.
If he is that concerned about the fish then (im not sure about the US) you can phone up the authorities and report a cruelty to an animal crime and the local authority will investigate, the UK has very strict animal welfare laws (I know as I work with animals).
As for saying he is only doing what the fish store is doing that's like rescuing a man from a burning car and taking him home and putting him in another burning car.
If you cared about the fish then this is how it should have panned out, you walk into the store, you think I love that fish but I cant have it as I don't have a big enough tank, you go back 2-4 weeks later, the fish is still there, 'hey mr fish store owner has nobody bought that fish yet?'
'no not yet'
'well you really need to move him on as its cruel to keep him in a tank that size for so long, if not I will have to inform the authorities, thankyou and have a nice day'.
You know what the right thing to do is so stop coming back with excuses and say thankyou to all the nice people who have told you not to keep it and either buy a tank big enough to house tangs and then go buy one, or leave the hobby and find one where animals of any sort are not needed.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Unless you're putting the fish in a 10,000+ gallon tank you wont even come remotely close to mimicking open water. therefor, the size of the fish is the most relevant factor to the tank size. Providing plentiful grazing opportunity is 100% attainable in a 65 gallon with an appropriate amount of live rock. And I'm not talking about tangs in particular here.

You are flat out wrong. A 65 gallon is NOT suitable for a yellow tang. Size of fish is not the most significant factor. Numerous fish that get as large as a yellow tang can be kept in less that 6' tank due to their feeding and swimming habits. Dwarf lionfish are a great example. Secondly captive bred fish have the same requirements as wild caught. Thirdly, I don't know anyone who enjoys watching a stressed out fish swim sporadically from one end to another.

You represent yourself as inexperienced and hell bent on making an animal suffer, yet somehow you have justified it by saying the LFS will do worse. To be clear, most people on here look at you the same way you are looking at the LFS. Your posts definitely don't instill the impression of someone who cares for his livestock.

There is a simple solution to your problem. Get a 6' tank and get the yellow tang. My only concern is, if you did get a 6' tank then you would probably want a dolphin, and we would all be back to square one.

I do have a question. You stated "A captive bred fish does not know of, remember, or long for the ocean." So wild caught fish need more room because they remember the ocean?

 

[leedsrhinojohn]

To be honest I think the guy is now on an ego trip, lets all just stop responding to this thread, he knows he is doing wrong and he will do what he likes as he keeps coming up with excuses not to do what we have all told him.
You cannot educate people who are not willing to learn or listen, so lets all just leave him to his own conscience if he has one.

 

[lakai]

I’ve found yellow tangs to be kinda skiddish and freak out over everything. When they freak out they zoom at top speed indiscriminately. In a 10 gallon tank it will likely kill itself by swimming into the glass. Can you put a it in a 10 gallon tank? Yes. Should you? The consensus is pretty clear on that one. Whatever you do I wont lay judgement on you but I hope everything works out for your yellow tang.

 

[EmptyWallet]

Go lock yourself in your car for the next 6 months then report back on how it felt

 

[NC122606]

Go lock yourself in your car for the next 6 months then report back on how it felt

Honestly it is nothing like that. I would compare more to your room, in the car you would have no food, no cooling, no water, and etc. You would probably die in that car, but even though it is harsh a yellow tang would be able to survive. (Though I am not suggesting OP does this.)

 

[Balz3352]

Not a big fan of buying fish online, I haven't had much luck with that at all. The size of the fish is what determines the tank size it needs, yeah? Especially if its captive bred like you said before, so it doesn't know or need what a wild caught one does. So whats the difference between a captive bred fish that's less than two inches and a different captive bred fish that's slightly over two inches, say a damsel or chromis with multiple in the same tank? realistically, there isn't a difference, and there's no possible way to say any one fish is gonna grow at a certain rate or be a certain size full grown because it's common for other fish of the same species to. It's a crap shoot on each individual fish, which brings us to that factor. Every single fish has different requirements, preferences, and personality traits, again, with no possible way to predetermining what those are. Sure there are some necessities for different fish species, but even then those can be very altered and still work out just fine. I'm not trying to argue or be a dick, I'm just saying there are endless possibilities and not just one true way to run an aquarium.

The difference is chromis dont require a large amount of swimming room. Especially with tangs its not the fact that they grow large but the fact they require large swimming areas. Thats why you dont always see a gallon size but a 6 foot tank minimum for many tangs. Its for swimming room.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Getting a fish without a tank big enough for it planned (not just theorized..... actually have tank and be setting it up etc) is not a good idea. Getting a fish with plans to move it to a permanent tank that is STILL too small, is just a terrible idea

 

[Matt27]

Let me clear a few things up for all the people who apparently can't manage to read and comprehend basic explanations. for starters, I already said, I believe 4 times, I'm not getting it yet so you can toss out that "He's not gonna listen to everybody anyways" nonsense, I ALREADY DID. Secondly, no the authorities won't do anything in regards to a fish living in a tank too small at the fish store. However, I feel as though if I have the option to take a fish very likely to die miserable and put him in a more comfortable situation, regardless of how much it's improving, that would be the logical thing to do, cause I care about the fish and its well being. If it's gonna die it can at the very least live out it's days a little more comfortable. As for the living in a car example let me put it this way, think of it as a dog locked in a hot car with the windows up on a hot day, that's all bad though right? Now imagine if a dog was locked in a car on a hot day but the windows where cracked, the dog had food and water, and maybe the AC is on, totally different story right? My tank is the car with AC, cracked windows, and water. And lastly, yes fish who are captive bred will most likely not be bothered by the lack of room vs wild caught fish. A captive bred fish doesn't know swimming a hundred miles a day is an option, never has. It lives in a tank, in many many cases a much smaller tank than the one you put it in. You'd be surprised how well all animals will adapt to the environment they are put in, and no I'm not talking about just yellow tangs or tangs or fish in particular. That is all I have to say, I already took the advice everybody gave me so this is over for me, feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

 

[mattzang]

I'm not getting it yet so you can toss out

I think that's the part people have the issue with

 

[Jon Fishman]

I think that's the part people have the issue with

Yep. And just to put a finer point on a couple of his other issues he brought up, the store is temporary, SOMEONE ELSE will buy the fish long before it grows out of the tank in the store..... if they didn’t sell fish, they wouldn’t keep buying them from wholesalers and lose money.

Also, captive breed fish don’t lose all their evolution and instincts. No need to expand on that.

 

[Redfoxtang]

Anyone else want a cup of coffee!

 

[nereefpat]

Long thread...didn't read all of it....

A 10 gallon will work for a qt as long as you do water changes/use prime/test to keep ammonia in check, but not more than a month or two. Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet, but a 65 gallon isn't big enough either.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Let me clear a few things up for all the people who apparently can't manage to read and comprehend basic explanations. for starters, I already said, I believe 4 times, I'm not getting it yet so you can toss out that "He's not gonna listen to everybody anyways" nonsense, I ALREADY DID. Secondly, no the authorities won't do anything in regards to a fish living in a tank too small at the fish store. However, I feel as though if I have the option to take a fish very likely to die miserable and put him in a more comfortable situation, regardless of how much it's improving, that would be the logical thing to do, cause I care about the fish and its well being. If it's gonna die it can at the very least live out it's days a little more comfortable. As for the living in a car example let me put it this way, think of it as a dog locked in a hot car with the windows up on a hot day, that's all bad though right? Now imagine if a dog was locked in a car on a hot day but the windows where cracked, the dog had food and water, and maybe the AC is on, totally different story right? My tank is the car with AC, cracked windows, and water. And lastly, yes fish who are captive bred will most likely not be bothered by the lack of room vs wild caught fish. A captive bred fish doesn't know swimming a hundred miles a day is an option, never has. It lives in a tank, in many many cases a much smaller tank than the one you put it in. You'd be surprised how well all animals will adapt to the environment they are put in, and no I'm not talking about just yellow tangs or tangs or fish in particular. That is all I have to say, I already took the advice everybody gave me so this is over for me, feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

As mentioned before, it is very easy to fail in this hobby. Are you sure this is right for you? A lot of assertions you are making are just incorrect, which is not a problem, however you are taking action based on those inaccurate assertions. It doesn't seem your theories on captive vs. wild caught have any basis, but you accept it because it makes sense to you. To anthropomorphize animals is not the correct way to determine their environment. The examples of mistreating animals you give are just concerning. No one should ever strive to keep an animal in a little better than the poorest conditions. You mention people aren't reading your posts, however they are. What you are missing, or perhaps just ignoring, is people are telling you a 65 gallon is also inappropriate. You have not described an environment for a yellow tang that is acceptable. The path you are headed down will probably lead to mistreated animals and losing more than just $20. Might be prudent to take a step back and see if you really want to pursue this hobby. At the end of the day you can do whatever you want, but try to look past your emotions and think about why 99% of the people on this thread are telling you the exact same thing. Either you are right and the whole world is wrong, or ...

 

[Tyler Bullock]

My my... I just spent 20 minutes reading this thread....All I'm going to says it...

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[TVV]

Benjamin Franklin said:
"When your testing to see how deep the water is, never use two feet"

He would tell you here to leave the YT where it is and don't ask opinions from a source of knowledge if you choose to ignore what information you gather. It is a waste of your time and the time of those willing to contribute. I don't think anyone with an informed opinion will provide you with the support you are reaching out for. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, but "own" the results of your decision.

 

[rirun]

Here is an idea, why not contact the LFS and see if they ship (or would ship it) to someone on the thread that has a tank big enough to keep it. I have a 50 cube so I can't. If the LFS wants $20, how much more would be added on to ship it? Probably the cost of a YT at any other LFS...