Best tangs for a long Shallow reef?

[eatbreakfast]

They don't get that tall. Not even close.

Read @Johnson556 's post a few posts up. I've removed yellows and blues that big from tanks. I may not have taken a pic, but it doesn't change the fact that they were that big.

 

[JoshH]

They don't get that tall. Not even close.

Thanks for your input, and everyone else for theirs as Well. I will take everyones opinions as just that, opinions, to which we are all entitled to. We are talking about potentially very large fish long term and that's exactly why I started this thread. I do not intend to upgrade any further than this tank so thinking very long term is the goal here. If indeed they do get that large I would like to know now instead of down the road when I'm stuck potentially rehoming a very large fish which we all know might be difficult, Especially where I live.

 

[Elegance Coral]

Powder blue tang max size 9" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/366/?pcatid=366
Yellow tang max size 8" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/392/?pcatid=392
Purple tang max size 10" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/372/?pcatid=372
Achilles tang max size 8.5" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/325/?pcatid=325
Blue or hippo tang max size 12" long. They are less than half as tall as they are long, as adults. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/330/?pcatid=330
Yellow eye cole tang max size 7" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/345/?pcatid=345

 

[Elegance Coral]

Read @Johnson556 's post a few posts up. I've removed yellows and blues that big from tanks. I may not have taken a pic, but it doesn't change the fact that they were that big.

They were not close to 12" tall. That's all I'm trying to say. They do get large. Some seem really large. Just nothing approaching 12" tall.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Powder blue tang max size 9" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/366/?pcatid=366
Yellow tang max size 8" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/392/?pcatid=392
Purple tang max size 10" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/372/?pcatid=372
Achilles tang max size 8.5" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/325/?pcatid=325
Blue or hippo tang max size 12" long. They are less than half as tall as they are long, as adults. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/330/?pcatid=330
Yellow eye cole tang max size 7" long. They are longer than they are tall. https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/345/?pcatid=345

If you go back through my posts you will see of the tangs the op listed, I said mostwere fine. The 3 I suggested were too tall were the yellow, purple, and blue. Despite what you posted, Zebrasomma tangs(yellow and purple) are taller than they are long. Anyone that has seen them with their dorsal or anal fin extended can see this. The third, if he was referring to Acanthurus coerelus, which is most commonly referred to as blue tang, this species reaches 15" and is about as tall as they are long.

 

[Mr. Limpid]

Just my two scents, I kept hippo, chevron and powder blue (introduced in that order) in a 135, all fish were about 80% grown. The only one that would go a little crazy was the powder blue, do a race track swim for hours. Never seen any aggression, I was lucky. Out of your list you have 4 different family's of tangs, so if you pick 3 from different family's you should be fine. If you want to pick two from same family like yellow and purple I would add them at the same time. Then cross your fingers when they get older.

 

[Elegance Coral]

http://www.caribbeanpets.com/site/salt-water/hippo-blue-tang.html
large adult hippo tang. When I put my tape measure up to my monitor and measure the fish pictured, I come up with roughly 7" long and 3" tall. Less than half as tall as it is long.
You can do the same with any of the other fish listed above. Even though their large fins may make some appear taller than they are, you can put a tape measure on them and see that they are indeed quite a bit longer than they are tall.
Juvenile fish are different though. Most are almost round. Even the juvenile vlamingii tang is virtually round when it's the size of a quarter.

 

[eatbreakfast]

http://www.caribbeanpets.com/site/salt-water/hippo-blue-tang.html
large adult hippo tang. When I put my tape measure up to my monitor and measure the fish pictured, I come up with roughly 7" long and 3" tall. Less than half as tall as it is long.
You can do the same with any of the other fish listed above. Even though their large fins may make some appear taller than they are, you can put a tape measure on them and see that they are indeed quite a bit longer than they are tall.
Juvenile fish are different though. Most are almost round. Even the juvenile vlamingii tang is virtually round when it's the size of a quarter.

Paracanthus hepatutus(hippo tang) and Acanthurus coerelus( Caribbean Blue Tang) are 2 different species. The Caribbean blue reaches 15" in length and is about as tall as it is long.

And fin height counts as height.

 

[Elegance Coral]

Paracanthus hepatutus(hippo tang) and Acanthurus coerelus( Caribbean Blue Tang) are 2 different species. The Caribbean blue reaches 15" in length and is about as tall as it is long.

And fin height counts as height.

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but you should find a new source. I live in Florida, where the Atlantic blue tang, Acanthurus coeruleus, lives. Trust me...... It doesn't get near 15". There is no such thing as a 15" Atlantic/Caribbean blue tang. Live Aquaria lists them maxing out at 9", and even that would be an unusually large fish.
Even the adult of this species is longer than it is tall. http://oceana.org/marine-life/ocean-fishes/blue-tang
When I measure the specimen in the link, I get roughly 6" long and 4.75" tall, and that's with its fins extended. Like I keep saying. The fish mentioned in this thread, and most, if not all other tangs, are longer than they are tall. The only time this is not true, is when they are juveniles.

 

[Kyl]

So, as usual another thread about what kind of tangs will work in a tank and which ones won't. I have settled on a new custom built tank that is 8' L x 2' W and a water height of 16.5". This puts my DT volume around 155 Gal. I would like to have 2-3 tangs from this list if possible, I do realize that this may not be possible and that's okay. My hopes are that while it's shallow the added length would still allow for ample swimming space for these guys. I also realize that some of the listed won't be compatible with others on the list so I'm not trying to put them in the same tank. Just looking for good combos that will work well with each other.

Powdered Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Achillies Tang
Blue Tang
Yellow Eye Kole Tang

So looking for positive feedback here, I have no real intention of putting a fish in an environment where it won't thrive long term.

Just want to chime in, awesome tank dimensions! I'm loving my 16" 60g, no more wet armpits! A lot of good advice here, hope your tangs end up super happy with 8 feet to buzz around in.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but you should find a new source. I live in Florida, where the Atlantic blue tang, Acanthurus coeruleus, lives. Trust me...... It doesn't get near 15". There is no such thing as a 15" Atlantic/Caribbean blue tang. Live Aquaria lists them maxing out at 9", and even that would be an unusually large fish.
Even the adult of this species is longer than it is tall. http://oceana.org/marine-life/ocean-fishes/blue-tang
When I measure the specimen in the link, I get roughly 6" long and 4.75" tall, and that's with its fins extended. Like I keep saying. The fish mentioned in this thread, and most, if not all other tangs, are longer than they are tall. The only time this is not true, is when they are juveniles.

Live Aquaria is generally a good reference, but are sometimes wrong. Your second reference doesn't include a size by the author.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthurus_coeruleus

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Acanthurus-coeruleus.html

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/tangs/caribblue.php
https://reefguide.org/carib/bluetang.html

 

[JoshH]

Alright.... I feel this thread has kind of gotten a little off topic and I see where both sides are coming from

Just want to chime in, awesome tank dimensions! I'm loving my 16" 60g, no more wet armpits! A lot of good advice here, hope your tangs end up super happy with 8 feet to buzz around in.

Thank You! I'm really glad your enjoying your tank !! No wet armpits was kind of the goal, plus I just LOVE the shallow look overall. I definitely agree there is a ton of great advice that has been given which is why I love R2R. And that was my hope that while its a little shallower the 8' would make up for it in swimming length. Another reason why I only really want a couple, to keep the long distance swimmers at a minimum so they don't overcrowd each other

 

[Steve Powers]

Two yellows and a blue in my 180gal. I love the look of a Chevron....not seen any at the lfs

 

[Jesterrace]

So, as usual another thread about what kind of tangs will work in a tank and which ones won't. I have settled on a new custom built tank that is 8' L x 2' W and a water height of 16.5". This puts my DT volume around 155 Gal. I would like to have 2-3 tangs from this list if possible, I do realize that this may not be possible and that's okay. My hopes are that while it's shallow the added length would still allow for ample swimming space for these guys. I also realize that some of the listed won't be compatible with others on the list so I'm not trying to put them in the same tank. Just looking for good combos that will work well with each other.

Powdered Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Achillies Tang
Blue Tang
Yellow Eye Kole Tang

So looking for positive feedback here, I have no real intention of putting a fish in an environment where it won't thrive long term.

No on the Powder Blue just because they tend to be more aggressive, I would say the Yellow and the Kole would be your two best bets since they stay smaller and are about the middle of the spectrum for aggression wiht the Tangs. Blue Tangs get a foot in length and your length and width would be great but it might be a bit cramped for height. Purples tend to be more aggressive so I would avoid them.

 

[JoshH]

No on the Powder Blue just because they tend to be more aggressive, I would say the Yellow and the Kole would be your two best bets since they stay smaller and are about the middle of the spectrum for aggression wiht the Tangs. Blue Tangs get a foot in length and your length and width would be great but it might be a bit cramped for height. Purples tend to be more aggressive so I would avoid them.

Would definitely prefer to avoid any aggressive behavior.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

12" tall... lol. Ummm..no

 

[this is me]

I would do a trio or 5 of yellow tangs. Get them small. 2-3"

 

[DSC reef]

12" tall... lol. Ummm..no

I've seen plenty of yellow and purple tangs reach 10"+ from top of the fin. Don't understand how this is so hard to believe?

 

[nereefpat]

When I measure the specimen in the link, I get roughly 6" long and 4.75" tall, and that's with its fins extended.

I'm sorry...you're measuring your computer screen?

 

[JoshH]

I'm sorry...you're measuring your computer screen?

I believe it was merely a way to get basic proportions to compare length and height and is in no way specific measurements. And I do greatly value everyone's input on this as usual however, could we please direct the debate on how tall certain species eventually get towards PM and keep future comments directed towards my original post