Is there any tang small enough for a 54 gallon DT?

[BudgetReefer007]

My wife keeps on bugging me to add a tang and I have told her that my Reefer 250’s 54 gallon DT is too small. I think she fell in love with Bubbles in Finding Nemo, is there any tang that is workable or should I just hang a photo of Bubbles next to the tank?

old school said 75 gallons min for any tang... but these days people keep less rock and have more space. i made a path in front and in back and didnt stack to the top so i felt it was ok... i have a yellow tang that is doing awesome, loves it, no issues. only concern ever: if i clean the back glass he sometimes fights with himself... lol

DO IT!!!!

 

[KenRexford]

A unicorn tang will fit. You just have to push the tail down real quick when to close the lid.

 

[jaxredsoxfan]

I have a Kole tang and a coral beauty in my 70 emax 260- no issues.

 

[JoeTheReefer]

Only tomini tangs or possibly a small bristletooth

 

[JoeTheReefer]

Only a tomini or a small bristletooth

 

[JustAnt]

I’ve kept a tomini (Tommy) Tang in my RSR 250 for 3 yrs with no problems

 

[nightmarepl]

My wife keeps on bugging me to add a tang and I have told her that my Reefer 250’s 54 gallon DT is too small. I think she fell in love with Bubbles in Finding Nemo, is there any tang that is workable or should I just hang a photo of Bubbles next to the tank?

I’ll speak from personal experience I’m in reefing 3 years now nothing fancy need insane amount of education still i currently have a 32 gallon biocube and got myself s a baby yellow tang the size of a silver dollar i did s 60 day copper treatment with copper power at 2.5ml i also had my DT fishless for that time aswell yellow tang will last about 2 years maybe 3 with good nutrition before it our grows that tank in the mean time you live you learn you upgrade or Pass that tang to somone with a bigger system and adopt another baby. On my second tang and zero issues the guy who showed and informed of this has been keeping tangs for 10 years now with this method

 

[Skibum]

I’ll speak from personal experience I’m in reefing 3 years now nothing fancy need insane amount of education still i currently have a 32 gallon biocube and got myself s a baby yellow tang the size of a silver dollar i did s 60 day copper treatment with copper power at 2.5ml i also had my DT fishless for that time aswell yellow tang will last about 2 years maybe 3 with good nutrition before it our grows that tank in the mean time you live you learn you upgrade or Pass that tang to somone with a bigger system and adopt another baby. On my second tang and zero issues the guy who showed and informed of this has been keeping tangs for 10 years now with this method

Agreed, I think people overthink this. My YT hasn't really grown in 2 years. He still doesn't look oversized for my RS-250 and he gets along with everyone so far. I'm sure in a few years I will need to get something at least 6 feet long. If I HAVE to do something I could donate him to some friends with a bigger tank.

 

[batfish5]

There is a Razor tang in DD right now that is 2.5 in for your size tank!!

 

[batfish5]

Razor tang on DD tonite.. perfect for small tank!!

 

[GoatmealJones]

I keep a juvenile (1.5 inch) blue hippo tang in my 36 x 15w x 20h 50 gallon. My plan is to give the tang away once it reaches 4-5 inches or starts to look unhappy. At a size as small as he is, he can freely zoom around my open concept 50 gallon and is thriving. I obviously do not intend to keep him until adult size, but for a year or two i can help raise a mini blue tang in my tank. That being said, he is one of only 4 fish total in the 50 gallon (clown pair and benghai cardinal), so he has a lot of space to himself. As long as your responsible about it you can pull off "temporary tangs" just fine, just make sure that whoever you give it to gives you proof of their aquariums adequate size. Doing this allows us to ethically raise baby tangs in mid-size aquaria. It is only ethical to practice this (imo) if you ensure that the creature ends up in an appropriate environment once it has outgrown your tank.

 

[Jay Z]

I have 4 tangs and 2 angels in my 45. Hippo, tomini, yellow, and purple, flame and coral beauty. No issues. They fit in the top just fine.

I always go with multiples. 3-4 smallest I can find. They all go in together. Multiples keep them from growing fast. Usually get 2-3 years before you have to rehome them. Then pick up a replacement crew.

I also have a 48” sump and 2 other tanks hooked to it.

I’m 42. Been doing it like this since 16.

 

[reef_daze]

I have a baby yellow tang in my 40 but Im also building a bigger aquarium for future growth. Never had any issues with my tang. I also wouldn’t hesitate to trade it off for another small one if our big aquarium isn’t ready by time it out grows the tank.

 

[Drewwood85]

Just get ur wifey a tang. Get a small one. They take a long time to grow to full size. I have a 75 gal reef tank and have a flame angel and a yellow eye tang. I also have a 4” naso tang. I plan on upgrading to a 180 gal reef tank tho so that’s y I got the naso. The trick I’ve found to keep angels from eating coral is to get them as small as u can and make sure they where bread in captivity. That way they won’t have eatin any coral and won’t know they can but there’s always a chance.

 

[gacolt]

nope.

 

[Matt F]

I have 2 a sailfin and yellow kole tang in a 57 deep blue put them in at different times and got along fine but they are small and when they get bigger I have a 240 to put them into. I would say a smaller tang should be ok as long there isn’t to much aggression in with the other tankmates

 

[Ike]

Zebrasoma are by far the best adapted to be housed in smaller aquariums. They will outgrow that tank, but they’ll be fine until they do so. Get a small Zebrasoma other than a sailfin, though a small sailfin would probably be fine for a couple years.

Tommini would be my second choice, but if you run a lot of mechanical filtration they’re not as good a choice since they do best in tanks with some detritus.

With tangs size isn’t the issue as much as how they react to more confined spaces. Four instance, something like a powder brown or powder blue would freak out in that tank.

 

[Jimmy Long]

Honestly, just do what other people do and myself included.. get baby tangs, raise them until they're too big for your tank. It's common practice to do this. Tang police are ridiculous, they think 125 gallon is the minimum but in reality a 125g pale in comparison to the ocean. We always want to play the moral/ethics game but we keep fish in tiny glass boxes, get a baby tang and raise it until it is clearly in dire need of a bigger tank. Don't let people deter you from getting a tang in a 54 gallon, that will last a baby tang a decent bit.

 

[steveaus10]

I am going to build my 58 and I plan to have a sailfin and yellow in it

 

[MartinWaite]

I have the same size tank but not a red sea reefer and I boughr a regal and yellow tang for mine 2 years ago and they were only 1.5-2 inches long apiece. I knew that I was going to have to move them on but I decided to upgrade the tank to one that's twice the quantity of water and will keep them even though they are a good 4-5 inches in size now and both as fat as anything at about 3/4-1inch fat. Another good tang which I had and had to move on is a Tominni Tang nice and compact but mine when aggressive towards my Helfinchi and killed it before I could catch either of them, but it's the first one I've ever heard of that went aggressive.