Minimum Tank Size for Fish

[67chevellemalibu2]

How do you know the minimum tank size when you would like to add a fish.
Liveaquaria and Saltwaterfish. com have different minimum tank sizes.
Ex: Liveaquaria says you need a minimum 180 for a Niger Trigger and Saltwaterfish says you need a minimum 55. That’s a huge difference.
What do you go by?

 

[Lasse]

Judge by your self - description of the fish here. Interesting reading - max size 50 cm (nearly 20 ") in the wild. That fish will have problem to turn in a 50 gallons tank. Always on its move and live i free water

Sincerely Lasse

 

[saltyhog]

Live Aquaria usually is the better source but they sometimes are a little on the low side IMO. There are plenty of knowledgeable people on here that would render an opinon (ultimately that's all anyone can do) based on their experience. From observing these guys in nature I'm not sure a 180 is even big enough. A 55 is an easy no go call.

 

[67chevellemalibu2]

I have a 125 gallon tank.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

You have to remember that is adult max size, something that can take years to achieve. It all depends on your situation and how much you really care.

I belong to an active reef club and can easily rehome a fish that is too big. If you dont have access to such resources.. maybe think twice?

If you are a responsible aquarist and are going to take the time to acclinate and QT him and do everything to ensure his survival then go for it. That is a much better situation than someone with a huge tank just using the dump and pray method.

Just my 3 cents.

 

[Jesterrace]

Go with liveaquaria as they are by far the most accurate in terms of what is considered to be best to provide a long term home for a given fish. The practice of re-homing (as mentioned above) is generally not recommended because each tank transfer is very stressful on the fish (and the owner) and catching and rehoming a fish is generally much easier in theory than it is in practice. Personally I believe in getting appropriate sized fish (or level of activity) for the size of tank that you currently have at your disposal. There is some variance in the minimum tank sizes. For example, Live Aquaria mentions that a Yellow Tang needs a minimum tank size of 100 gallons to be happy long term, but I have a relatively young one in my 90 gallon that will probably be okay for it's life in my lightly stocked 90. Also, I would feel comfortable putting most fish listed as 30 gallon minimum in a 20 gallon long because of it's dimensions. So there is a bit of variance there but at least LA isn't telling you to put a 12-18 inch tang in a 75 gallon tank.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Generally going with more conservative estimates is better than putting a fish into too small of a tank.

Asking aquarists that have experience with a particular species can go along way in determining whether a fish is right for your circumstances.

Niger triggers get big and are active.

BTW, how are things with the hippo?