Shout Out: Smallest Tank, Biggest Tang and YOU!

What's the smallest tank you think is suitable for a tang (surgeonfish)?

  • Nano up to 50g (don't choose this option unless you want to be arrested)

    Votes: 104 7.1%
  • 50g or larger

    Votes: 211 14.4%
  • 75g or larger

    Votes: 495 33.7%
  • 100g or larger

    Votes: 311 21.2%
  • 150g or larger

    Votes: 123 8.4%
  • 200g+

    Votes: 45 3.1%
  • Gallons don't matter it's the length (swimming room) that matters.

    Votes: 179 12.2%

  • Total voters
    1,468

Uncle99

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Yellow and Blue in a 65g, got them at 1”, being happy for almost 4 years.
Just transferred to 180g where they will grow out.
Part of the fun IMM, is maintaining the fish “I” like and while they grow out, like corals, we counter with more volume.

My tank and stand were cheap to upgrade in comparison to everything else we use.
D8C44185-5D56-4185-867E-8EF99D4B6779.jpeg
 

JoshO

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Yellow and Blue in a 65g, got them at 1”, being happy for almost 4 years.
Just transferred to 180g where they will grow out.
Part of the fun IMM, is maintaining the fish “I” like and while they grow out, like corals, we counter with more volume.

My tank and stand were cheap to upgrade in comparison to everything else we use.
D8C44185-5D56-4185-867E-8EF99D4B6779.jpeg
How much growth did you see in the first 2 years?
 

Keen4

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OMG I feel absolutely so guilty now. Im def going to have to upgrade late which I knew but how long until my tangs outgrow my 73 gal DT? I have 4 juveniles right now. I do plan to upgrade always have been. what size is suitable for 4 tangs? Vlamongi, Yellow, Kole, and Chocolate.
IMG_5505.JPG
 

OrionN

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I’m not one who just buys a fish that won’t fit my tank and not have room to swim. My wife wants a blue tang so bad. I keep telling her nope tanks not big enough. Then she points out another tang nope tanks not big enough. I afraid I’m going to come home one day and a hippo tang is in my tank. I really don’t know what the right size for most tangs. They get huge. So as much as I love them I just can’t bring my self to do it after knowing better.
Same with me. There is no way I am going to get a Sailfin tang, or Naso, even if my tank is a 320 gallon DT
 

Bossman

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It seems the reefing community was on the leading edge of cancel culture....
Taken from article
If the fish shows no signs of chronic disease or abnormality, exhibits normal feeding and reproductive behaviors and most importantly, exhibits a normal lifespan compared to that of wild counterparts (minus the predation that wild fish incur of course!), then there is no other metric we can use to determine if a certain suite of husbandry techniques are suitable or not.

This paragraph sums it up for me. I don't follow the 4' or 6' tank guidelines for my tangs or any other fish. I use some common sense. If the fish can't turn around in the tank, it's too big for the tank.

I have a pair of blue throat triggers in my RS 425. They do the mating dance every night. Now that's happy!
 

MnFish1

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Same with me. There is no way I am going to get a Sailfin tang, or Naso, even if my tank is a 320 gallon DT
The question in my mind Is 'why' - what 'parameters', 'reasoning' are you using to make this decision? A thought came to mind when I had an outing at a zoo recently - they were keeping elephants and giraffes in (compared to their natural environment) - extremely small places. At night - the giraffes happily walked into their 'barn' to sleep. Again - I'm not an advocate of keeping animals inappropriately - but - since it is a 'discussion' board - I'm interested in the 'reasons' for your opinion.
 

MnFish1

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About an 1” per year for yellow.
About 1-1/2” per year for blue.
Thats interesting - I have a purple tang (that I bought 3 years ago) - you can see him in some of my build thread. He is well fed, healthy - and has hardly grown at all. I have a pair (yes - a pair) - of yellow tangs - for 3-4 years that are about 4 inches - that have not grown appreciably since about year 2. Again - based on multiple studies I've read - it takes decades for tangs to get to the 'maximum' sizes listed on various websites. (PS - I have a 5 foot tank - with basically room for the fish to swim the entire length on the top, middle and bottom (my rock work is mounted on 2 table corals which allow for a lot of swimming room - perhaps that why I have been successful in keeping them. The yellow tangs basically sit around one of the rock -pillars picking for food all day - they are certainly not neurotically pacing the tank.
 

salty joe

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I have a pair (yes - a pair) - of yellow tangs - for 3-4 years that are about 4 inches - that have not grown appreciably since about year 2.
Do they hang out together all day, do they sleep together?
When I was a kid, I had a gorgeous pair of oscars that did that.
 

JoshO

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Taken from article
If the fish shows no signs of chronic disease or abnormality, exhibits normal feeding and reproductive behaviors and most importantly, exhibits a normal lifespan compared to that of wild counterparts (minus the predation that wild fish incur of course!), then there is no other metric we can use to determine if a certain suite of husbandry techniques are suitable or not.

This paragraph sums it up for me. I don't follow the 4' or 6' tank guidelines for my tangs or any other fish. I use some common sense. If the fish can't turn around in the tank, it's too big for the tank.

I have a pair of blue throat triggers in my RS 425. They do the mating dance every night. Now that's happy!
This for me is exactly the point I'm getting at. Whilst I fully appreciate that the tang police are only wanting what's best, in their opinion, for the fish, there has to be an openness to change of opinion if it's proved something can be done in a way that has the best interests of livestock in mind. Nobody can categorically say that their fish is "happy". But we can all be a good judge of whether a fish is healthy!
 

spfahnestock

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I commentated earlier on in this thread and wanted to say something again to the new readers that might not read all the way through the posts.

This topic is one that will divide the masses and no one side will ever concede their side.

I often shy from posting pictures of my tank as I have 4 tangs in a 60 gallon cube. That being said I purchased them all small and knew I would upgrade before I had to rehome the original two or I could send them to a friends tank that is 500 gallons.

However now in my garage sits a 144 that will be operational by spring.

I guess the point of my post is while we all might not agree with someone's choice of stocking should they fear the "tang police" when posting pictures of their tank? I don't often see posts where people talk about other fish like they do tangs and try to impose their will. Why is this? Is a tang more special than a trigger?
 

JoshO

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I commentated earlier on in this thread and wanted to say something again to the new readers that might not read all the way through the posts.

This topic is one that will divide the masses and no one side will ever concede their side.

I often shy from posting pictures of my tank as I have 4 tangs in a 60 gallon cube. That being said I purchased them all small and knew I would upgrade before I had to rehome the original two or I could send them to a friends tank that is 500 gallons.

However now in my garage sits a 144 that will be operational by spring.

I guess the point of my post is while we all might not agree with someone's choice of stocking should they fear the "tang police" when posting pictures of their tank? I don't often see posts where people talk about other fish like they do tangs and try to impose their will. Why is this? Is a tang more special than a trigger?
This for me is something I've debated long and hard about, is getting a tang worth the hassle of the backlash I'll receive? I currently have a 25g that isn't a forever tank (far from it) and I know just by doing some simple maths that a tang up to 3" will be as happy in there as a 1' tang in a 6' tank.
 

salty joe

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IDK. I saw a trigger on TV that made daily rounds and I don't remember if they said what it's range was but it looked like a lot more than a couple football fields. If I had to guess, maybe a mile or so.

That is odd how so many glommed on to the idea of protecting tangs from a small tank. I guess herd mentality kicked in. And the tangs are the victims. Gotta have a victim.
 
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MnFish1

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Why isn't there a trigger police, or angel police
It is actually interesting - there have been several studies - concerning 'ranges' of various fish in the wild. Tangs are not the most 'wide ranging' (at least most of them). The studies were done to determine the boundaries for 'marine reserves' I wish @Jay Hemdal would weigh in - since he has written on this a bit...
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 73 51.8%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 72 51.1%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 36 25.5%
  • None.

    Votes: 31 22.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.4%
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