Tank upgrade: 75 or 90 gallon, with goal of keeping Tomini or Yellow Tang

Zionas

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Tomini, Kole, White Tail, Truncated, maybe Striated and Two Spot will all be fine in a 4ft 75 as the only Tang. 90 is borderline for a Yellow Tang but make it the only Tang, @CanuckReefer has had his Yellow for 18 years and counting in a 4ft 90. Start with a small one.

I would do only one Tang.

Other fish I’d look into would be dwarf angels, smaller butterflies, Marine Betta, Borbonius or Sunburst Anthias.
 
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Tomini, Kole, White Tail, Truncated, maybe Striated and Two Spot will all be fine in a 4ft 75 as the only Tang. 90 is borderline for a Yellow Tang but make it the only Tang, @CanuckReefer has had his Yellow for 18 years and counting in a 4ft 90. Start with a small one.

I would do only one Tang.

Other fish I’d look into would be dwarf angels, smaller butterflies, Marine Betta, Borbonius or Sunburst Anthias.

Thanks for the input! I appreciate it :)
 

Nano Chris

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I’m going to be upgrading my 46 gallon bowfront (see build thread for pics/videos) soon, because I desperately want to keep a tang as my centerpiece fish but won’t put a fish in a tank that it won’t thrive in.

Unfortunately, the max size footprint that I have room for is a 4 foot long tank, so I’m looking at traditional 75 or 90 gallon tanks as my two options. This will be the biggest I can go for the foreseeable future.

Current stock list:
2 occy clowns
1 bicolor blenny
1 wheelers shrimp goby (in QT)
Various snails and hermits
Planned additions:
Randall’s pistol shrimp
Red-lined wrasse
Possibly another blenny and/or smaller, peaceful wrasse.

The top centerpiece fish on my wish list is a yellow tang. Will the YT do well in a 90 if it’s the only tang in there? How about if I add a Tomini tang at the same time, for a total of 2 tangs?

If it’s just not a good idea to keep a YT in a 90, I can live with that, but then I will probably go with a 75 gallon tank instead to save a little money and keep a Tomini tang as my centerpiece fish instead.
I would definitely go with the 90 bigger is better!
 

StPatrick89

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I’m less concerned with bioload than I am given them ample swimming room and territorial space.
Ok well with a 75 or 90, you have enough space. Your current fish are small and will stay small. It’s not like you have 3-4 medium tangs, 2-3 small triggers.
 

Lancelogan1217

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I've been keeping saltwater fish since I was a small child. I remember we had a scopas tang in a 55 with 2 clowns. I was 12 ish when we got him, and he was still alive and healthy when I went to college at 18. Ethical? By today's standards definitely not.
However, imo you can keep almost any fish you want in a 4 foot tank, and when they've "outgrown" the tank, I trade them in for another juvinile. Size of tank is less important at juvinile sizes, than compatability. You wouldn't want two similar tangs in a 75, but one zebrasoma will live happily for years in a 4 foot tank. At some point though, your going to have to rehome, or trade in at your lfs
 

StPatrick89

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I've been keeping saltwater fish since I was a small child. I remember we had a scopas tang in a 55 with 2 clowns. I was 12 ish when we got him, and he was still alive and healthy when I went to college at 18. Ethical? By today's standards definitely not.
However, imo you can keep almost any fish you want in a 4 foot tank, and when they've "outgrown" the tank, I trade them in for another juvinile. Size of tank is less important at juvinile sizes, than compatability. You wouldn't want two similar tangs in a 75, but one zebrasoma will live happily for years in a 4 foot tank. At some point though, your going to have to rehome, or trade in at your lfs
THANK YOU for breaking that down. I’ve done it as well. People go crazy in here when you say you have a tang in a 4ft tank and have no idea the details. They automatically think Tang and assume they’re 1’5”.
 

reefinatl

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I’m going to be upgrading my 46 gallon bowfront (see build thread for pics/videos) soon, because I desperately want to keep a tang as my centerpiece fish but won’t put a fish in a tank that it won’t thrive in.

Unfortunately, the max size footprint that I have room for is a 4 foot long tank, so I’m looking at traditional 75 or 90 gallon tanks as my two options. This will be the biggest I can go for the foreseeable future.

Current stock list:
2 occy clowns
1 bicolor blenny
1 wheelers shrimp goby (in QT)
Various snails and hermits
Planned additions:
Randall’s pistol shrimp
Red-lined wrasse
Possibly another blenny and/or smaller, peaceful wrasse.

The top centerpiece fish on my wish list is a yellow tang. Will the YT do well in a 90 if it’s the only tang in there? How about if I add a Tomini tang at the same time, for a total of 2 tangs?

If it’s just not a good idea to keep a YT in a 90, I can live with that, but then I will probably go with a 75 gallon tank instead to save a little money and keep a Tomini tang as my centerpiece fish instead.
75 and 90 are effectively the same tank because height doesn't matter to much. I do believe a yellow in a 90 is fine. There are way to many successful tanks with a YT in a 4' display. That said if I was doing it again I'd get a 4' 120g 48x24x24. The extra front to back width helps with both swimming space and aquascaping.

FWIW Jay posted his calculator for minimum tank size and a YT works out to be appropriate in a 90g provided there is room to make the loop.
 
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adittam

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So, I think I've settled on using an 80 gallon frag tank that is 48" long x 24" wide x 16" tall as my DT. I'm thinking that the additional swimming space provided by the 24" width of the 80g frag tank (as opposed to 18" width for 90g tanks) will be more beneficial to keeping a tang than the extra height of the 90g. Here's a link to the tank:


Anyone have any thoughts, pros or cons of this idea?
 

painfullycurious88

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Do what you want, and as long as you don't starve the fish, overstock, or neglect the tank who cares. Just don't put the yellow tang in a 40b :(
 

bnord

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Thanks!

Do others agree or disagree based on their experiences?
good advice up and down the stream - getting small ones will allow you 3-5 years before they might be outsourcing options, and by then you might have a newer larger tank option. I find the tomini to be better workers on the grazing - and a subtly good looking fish, and personally believe you could start with both of them same time - I would any way.
and appreciate your concern - bought a young Vlamingi 8 months ago for my 180, and it is 1) a gentle giant 2) the most personality filled fish I have and 3) about to be outsourced due to size - never through t would grow so fast. Faster than I can plan the 400G peninsula (smile)
 

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