Responsible Stewards- Don’t Let The Future Fish Size Prevent You From Getting The Fish You Want

[PeterC99]

I see too many posts here discouraging Reefers from getting many fish because it will one day out grow your tank.

I disagree with that thinking. After tangs and copperbands got too big for my 34 gallon, I put my fish trap in the aquarium, caught them, and quickly sold them to other Reefers with larger aquariums. Now these reefers say call them first when I’m selling a fish.

I take very good care of my fish and knock on wood, haven’t lost many. I’m bringing that fish home from my local fish store (who knows their fates there?), providing a quality home, and if they ever get too large for my aquarium, I’ll sell them to the next Reefer. Isn’t this a big part of our hobby - the sustainability?

Enjoy your fish responsibly. Research your fish before buying and make good choices! But don’t let the possibilities of a fish outgrowing your aquarium keep you from providing a great home for a great fish today! Who knows, you might even buy a larger aquarium to keep your larger fish - I eventually did!

 

[blaxsun]

“Whoop whoop”, that’s the sound of the Tang Police... I couldn’t agree with you more, though. I’ve seen several tangs in smaller tanks that were perfectly happy, and as long as you’re willing to sell or re-home once they get too large - it shouldn’t be an issue.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Unpopular opinion to rile up the tang police. One thing you didn’t mention is the tendency of folks to upgrade their tanks over time regardless of fish outgrowing them. Thats very common; people start out small, enjoy the hobby, and upgrade.

It’s a view to consider; even clownfish can get huge and outgrow small tanks.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

When we stop making this a safe space for the Tang Police, watch how quiet they get.

@PeterC99 I completely agree with you on the line of thinking.

There are instances where the environment just can't be suitable for the fish. A good example would be a large mandarin and a small cube tank. Even dosing pods and phyto constantly with a refugium you are probably not going to be able to feed a Mandarin who only feeds on pods.

I'm currently stocking a 180 with:

Desjardini
Orange Shoulder
Blonde Naso
White Tail Bristletooth
Scopas
Gem
Regal

None of these fish are over 3" long currently and at Least 3 will outgrow the new tank at some point. When that time comes, they have a 300 they are welcomed in, or I build a monster.

My fish, my choice, my plan. Nobody has to love it and if you don't, feel free to keep it to yourself.

 

[flagg37]

I have no problem with that line of thinking as long as you have the discipline to follow through. It becomes a problem when your kids fall in love with the fish and doesn’t want to sell it because it’s now part of the family.

Also, one thing to keep in mind is that fish tend to grow the most at the beginning of their lives so you may be cycling them out quicker than you expect.

 

[lion king]

This only works if you have a plan. For instance I have grown up many baby triggers. I connect with maintenance companies and live in a city with many large public(hotels, restaurants, etc.) and a very vibrant aquarium culture with many large private aquariums. So the rehome of my fish has gone very well. Rehoming a large fish is not a given, some large species will not be taken in even by lfs or public aquariums as well as maintenance companies with private clients with large aquariums. So check and plan your resorces before you begin and check the demand for the species you plan you temporarily keep. I know of many incidents where people euthanized the fish they were unable to rehome.

 

[Hind]

I see too many posts here discouraging Reefers from getting many fish because it will one day out grow your tank.

I disagree with that thinking. After tangs and copperbands got too big for my 34 gallon, I put my fish trap in the aquarium, caught them, and quickly sold them to other Reefers with larger aquariums. Now these reefers say call them first when I’m selling a fish.

I take very good care of my fish and knock on wood, haven’t lost many. I’m bringing that fish home from my local fish store (who knows their fates there?), providing a quality home, and if they ever get too large for my aquarium, I’ll sell them to the next Reefer. Isn’t this a big part of our hobby - the sustainability?

Enjoy your fish responsibly. Research your fish before buying and make good choices! But don’t let the possibilities of a fish outgrowing your aquarium from providing a great home for a great fish today! Who knows, you might even buy a larger aquarium to keep your larger fish - I eventually did!

I agree with your logic. IMO the responsible fish owner who is aware of the limitations of undersized tanks for these swimmers can still provide perfectly habitable environmental conditions to thrive. Tang-police can sometimes jump to early conclusions sensitive to our same fears, however not consider the specificity of the number of responsible owners. Buying small fish and transplanting when outgrown or upgrading tanks to compensate is the best we can provide.

Also, consider that ALL of our tank inhabitants pay the cost of inconvenience in our aquariums to promote marine life appreciation in humanity. I personally believe our aquariums assist in developing respect for the natural marine environment.

 

[lion king]

Oh yeah, and a lfs will flat out lie to you about taking a fish back when it grows out of your tank. Again, check the demand for the species in question.

 

[Tamberav]

I see too many posts here discouraging Reefers from getting many fish because it will one day out grow your tank.

I disagree with that thinking. After tangs and copperbands got too big for my 34 gallon, I put my fish trap in the aquarium, caught them, and quickly sold them to other Reefers with larger aquariums. Now these reefers say call them first when I’m selling a fish.

I take very good care of my fish and knock on wood, haven’t lost many. I’m bringing that fish home from my local fish store (who knows their fates there?), providing a quality home, and if they ever get too large for my aquarium, I’ll sell them to the next Reefer. Isn’t this a big part of our hobby - the sustainability?

Enjoy your fish responsibly. Research your fish before buying and make good choices! But don’t let the possibilities of a fish outgrowing your aquarium from providing a great home for a great fish today! Who knows, you might even buy a larger aquarium to keep your larger fish - I eventually did!

Yah but many people get a fish with the plan to rehome then get attached and don’t.

My friend got a tang for a nano then didn’t want to get rid of it cuz the kids were attached.

Most people are just not responsible even if their initial intentions were.

 

[PeterC99]

Yah but many people get a fish with the plan to rehome then get attached and don’t.

My friend got a tang for a nano then didn’t want to get rid of it cuz the kids were attached.

Most people are just not responsible even if their initial intentions were.

Not sure I agree with your last statement. Don’t like to bucket people into generic groups.

If someone is on R2R, reading, asking questions, and learning - I take that as a pretty good sign that it’s much more than just someone’s initial intentions.

 

[Billldg]

That's the biggest cause for heated debate when these type of fish come into play. Those of us, myself included, that have no issue rehoming a fish for its health, its not an issue, BUT, most reefers become to attached to a fish and are not able to rehome it. They look at it and say, look, it stopped growing and fits perfectly in my tank. In actuality it has not stopped growing. The overall size of the fish has greatly slowed down, but, the internal organs have not, thus the reason to rehome a fish in a responsible time frame. The Tang Police, I feel mean well, some just take it overboard with you can and cannot do this with this Tang and such. You can add fish to your tank that will outgrow it, BUT, you need to look inward upon yourself and truly ask are you willing to give it away, not matter how much you paid for it, for free to a home with a bigger tank.

This topic will always be heated, but, I fell it is heated because we all care, so its definitely not a wasted topic.

 

[Tamberav]

Not sure I agree with your last statement. Don’t like to bucket people into generic groups.

If someone is on R2R, reading, asking questions, and learning - I take that as a pretty good sign that it’s much more than just someone’s initial intentions.

Meh… it is what it is. Most people don’t even last more than a few years in the hobby and plenty of examples of people who keep tangs in nanos for long periods. Remember someone had a sailfin in a 30g and didn’t rehome cuz it’s still small! Meanwhile I got the same fish for a larger tank and it outgrew it quickly. I’d argue maybe their fish would die before it ever outgrew it space.

These people look for posts like yours so they can justify their means. That’s why they make posts then look for the 1-2 people who agree vs the 20 who don’t then go ahead and do it.

Not sure why I should give anyone the benifit of the doubt when it comes to living things.

I didn’t get a Tang for 10 years because I had nanos. Waited till I had the tank for a Tang.

 

[PeterC99]

Meh… it is what it is. Most people don’t even last more than a few years in the hobby and plenty of examples of people who keep tangs in nanos for long periods. Remember someone had a sailfin in a 30g and didn’t rehome cuz it’s still small! Meanwhile I got the same fish for a larger tank and it outgrew it quickly. I’d argue maybe their fish would die before it ever outgrew it space.

These people look for posts like yours so they can justify their means. That’s why they make posts then look for the 1-2 people who agree vs the 20 who don’t then go ahead and do it.

Not sure why I should give anyone the benifit of the doubt when it comes to living things.

I didn’t get a Tang for 10 years because I had nanos. Waited till I had the tank for a Tang.

Very interesting take. I see we take people very differently. But at the end of the day these differences of opinions is what makes the world go round.

Hope you will re-read my original post - Responsible Stewards. Chose my words pretty carefully.

 

[MaxTremors]

Completely disagree. There are just way too problems with this line of thinking. While there are situations where this works out, I don’t think that it should be promoted or really even condoned. I know people always buy these fish with the intention of giving them to someone with a larger tank or upgrading down the line, but unless those plans are set in stone (as in you’ve already bought the tank or have the money and space to do so, or you have already found someone else who has agreed to take it), it shouldn’t be done.

I fully understand all the arguments you’re trying to make, and while you personally might have followed through with rehoming fish that have outgrown your tank, the fact of the matter is, most people don’t. The fish either never live long enough to outgrow the tank, the person just keeps the fish because they’re either attached to it, are ignorant about appropriate tank sizes, or just don’t care, or they do try to find another home for it but are unsuccessful (fish rescue organizations exist exactly because of this). I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen an 8+” tang in 55gallon tank, or a 5” maroon clown in a 20 gallon, or a 12” long puffer in 75 gallon, and those are some less depressing examples I could give you (I’ve see 6” tangs in biocubes and 4” tomato clowns in 5 gallon tanks). My point is that the mere intention of upgrading or rehoming is not enough to justify buying a fish that you know will quickly outgrow your tank, there needs to be a solid, real plan in place, not something you’ll figure out down the road.

Its down right laughable to say the practice is in line with sustainability. This isn’t sustainability, it’s the opposite of sustainability. I’m really trying to understand the logic of saying that buying one fish and then replacing it with another, continually, is somehow more sustainable than just buying one fish that you keep its entire life and don’t have to get rid of because it out grows your tank. Fish and aquatic animals are not disposable or something you should lease and trade in for a new version every couple years.

Again, I understand that in some situations or circumstances it works out, and that’s okay, but the practice shouldn’t be promoted (especially to people new to the hobby), it shouldn’t be a common practice. I can understand if you’ve been in the hobby a long time, you’ve got multiple tanks and/or people you personally know with multiple tanks, that it’s something that can work out, but that is very different than recommending the average hobbyist do it and just disregard tank size recommendations because ‘hey, we’ll just figure it out later’. Recommending or promoting that people do this is just plain irresponsible

 

[ZoWhat]

Here we go....

 

[Jrswish]

Funny that no ones up in arms about families of 5 living in a 400sqft apartment, but will be upset that a 3 inch tang is in a 30 gallon tank. Tang police for the most part only exist to sound smart, or to act like they’re superior to other people. A 3 inch tang in a 30 gallon is better than an 10 inch tang in a 75 gallon

 

[Billldg]

I see and agree with the rationality on both sides. This is what makes a debate great and help us all learn more about this hobby. We need to be able to debate such topics and learn from it on both fronts.

 

[Haacheew]

I see too many posts here discouraging Reefers from getting many fish because it will one day out grow your tank.

I disagree with that thinking. After tangs and copperbands got too big for my 34 gallon, I put my fish trap in the aquarium, caught them, and quickly sold them to other Reefers with larger aquariums. Now these reefers say call them first when I’m selling a fish.

I take very good care of my fish and knock on wood, haven’t lost many. I’m bringing that fish home from my local fish store (who knows their fates there?), providing a quality home, and if they ever get too large for my aquarium, I’ll sell them to the next Reefer. Isn’t this a big part of our hobby - the sustainability?

Enjoy your fish responsibly. Research your fish before buying and make good choices! But don’t let the possibilities of a fish outgrowing your aquarium keep you from providing a great home for a great fish today! Who knows, you might even buy a larger aquarium to keep your larger fish - I eventually did!

Interesting and good ideas. I like it.

 

[PeterC99]

Here we go....

@zoa what - You make me laugh!!!

 

[MaxTremors]

Funny that no ones up in arms about families of 5 living in a 400sqft apartment, but will be upset that a 3 inch tang is in a 30 gallon tank. Tang police for the most part only exist to sound smart, or to act like they’re superior to other people. A 3 inch tang in a 30 gallon is better than an 10 inch tang in a 75 gallon

This is a reef forum, so….

But, besides just basically being ‘whataboutism’, your analogy doesn’t work on so many levels. People do care about people having adequate housing, the family of five is allowed leave they aren’t locked in the 400sqft apt forever, people and fish have very different care requirements, there isn’t some entity locking up the family in the apartment for entertainment purposes, and their isn’t an entity with an ethical responsibility to provide proper husbandry/care for the family. Just a horrible analogy.

If you really think that people only care or talk about the ethics of keeping a reef tank (or keeping pets in general) to sound smart or to act like they’re superior to other people, you have a very cynical worldview.

Also, a 30g tank isn’t appropriate for a 3’ tang and a 75g tank isn’t appropriate for a 10’ tang. They’re both inappropriate.