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Tang to tank size
- Thread starter johnnyb
- Start date
acrofragger
Non-member
Very worthy discussion.
I'm more in agreement with the tang police than the "go for it!" crowd.
That's kind of out of line for my personality.
mee too that is the perfect way to say it .......................and i hope no one takes my word in offense in anyway
OP
OP
johnnyb
Non-member
I come down in the middle. We are taking wild life and being it to an enclosed container and saying this fish is happy and this one is not. I am fairly sure none of our stuff is as happy as it was under the ocean. Everyday we are asking why is this shrinking why did this lose it's color why did this die. Stuff dies in the wild. Some days the clown fish comes to far out of the anemone and the barracuda eats the wife and eggs. Iam just saying we shouldn't be asking people that put a 1 inch tang in their 54 corner ( I actually have a one inch tang in my 54 corner) if the would beat their child. Nobody spends 80 bucks on a fish they want to die. Next time you equate beating a child to a fish in a tank look over at your tank and ask yourself would you put your child in a box? Your doing the same thing you just feel your fish are happy in there. Maybe none of them are. My post is although a debate about what fish belong in what size tank it is intended to be about not attacking people for having a fish. I can't find any experts saying anything about tangs need x to live or x to be happy. If a one inch fish can swim 50 times his body length in my 54 and a 6 inch one can swim 50 times their body length in my 180 then I'd say the have the same chances of being happy. And when my little blue buddy gets big I will move him to my 180 or if he gets to big for that or he doesn't get along with my purple an yellow tang in my 54 or he shows signs of stress anytime I will find him a new home. But until then I like looking at my 2 clowns and my hippo swimming and would like to post a pitcher of them for others to enjoy without being told I kill puppies and beat children cause I do my best to keep a fish I like happy and healthy and enjoy in my tank
just came across this last night and thought it is good to post here
Michael Vicks on loving your animal with all of your heart
http://www.hark.com/clips/vhhnwhczwn-i-encourage-you-to-love-your-animals
Michael Vicks on loving your animal with all of your heart
http://www.hark.com/clips/vhhnwhczwn-i-encourage-you-to-love-your-animals
This discussion is pointless without addressing specific species and their biologic needs. For example, Ocellaris clownfish will be perfectly fine in a WELL designed 40 gallon breeder for their entire lives. Why? Because if you give them an anemone and a comfortable tank they spend almost their entire time loving on their anemone and leaving it only to grab some food. Anything bigger than a 40 without additional fish is kind of a waste. For those of you who think a 40 gallon is overkill for those tiny little clownfish you have never seen a 16 year ocellaris, and probably never will. Tomini, kole and to some degree yellow tangs will do ok in the 75-125 gallon range because they tend not to spend a lot of time actively swimming. You can tell from their body shape that they are less pelagic and more designed to spend their time exploring nooks and crannies and picking on the reef. Others like sohals, clown tangs, Achilles, unicorns, are more torpedo shaped due to their pelagic nature. They are VERY active swimmers and need space to swim, not to mention their aggressiveness towards other tangs. You need the right tank for the SPECIFIC fish. You cant lump all tangs in together. Theres not an issue with having a small specimen in a smaller tank and then getting rid of it as it outgrows the tank, as long as you have prepared for that in advance, get rid of it BEFORE it outgrows the tank and getting rid of it doesnt include letting it get sick and die or flushing it.
Aren't fish subject to indeterminate growth as well? I know freshwater fish are. So really NO tank would be right since the fish never actually stop growing lol.
I would think if you had to have a tang it would be better to get it very small and let it grow into your system vs. kerplunk a full grown monster into your tank no?
I would think if you had to have a tang it would be better to get it very small and let it grow into your system vs. kerplunk a full grown monster into your tank no?
OP
OP
johnnyb
Non-member
This post was more about the attacks people get for saying they are putting a 2 inch fish in a 4 foot tank because the book says that the min. tank size is 6 feet. My point isn't really can a fish survive in a small tank as we can all point to some example off a large fish living years in a small tank or a small fish dying of stress in a large system. I just see people putting a picture of a 2 inch tang in a 75 gallon tank and everyone starts tooling on the poor guy. But yes i do agree with your assesment of the fish types and their specific needs. I also agree with johntan about letting little ones grow.
Matt L.
Non-member
The tang police are as old as the hobby.
That said, there are two important things to consider:
1. There are no scientific studies on the tank size requirements for tangs in captivity.
2. The accumulated body of experience in the hobby strongly suggests that most tangs (excl. Ctenochaetus spp.) require large (6 ft. and over) systems.
Matt
All this talk about what size tank these fish need, I've always wondered what is said with fresh water fish tanks, I've seen them filled with huge fish and never hear of anyone saying the tank isn't box enough. I myself had a blue tang in a 55 and he was very happy, once I saw he was growing I made the decision to trade him for a smaller one. How about doing that instead of telling people off who want this fish.
step johns
Non-member
How could you tell it was happy though? In your opinion was it happy or you just saying that by looking at your fish you just knew it was happy?
Again I ask, who's being caustic and aggressive here?
Haha 
Bad manners stink no matter what perspective is driving them.
IME a critical ingredient in many/most tang police flare ups or arguments is the inevitable response to initial polite but cautious replies, "just go for it", or "if you can afford it go for it" exct.
It's a very common process;
OP- can I keep 3 tangs in a 75 G?
Reply #1- That's a lot of fish to put in a 4' tank, I would suggest you only consider one tang for that tank. Ideally that would be a smaller species of tang
Reply #2- Agreed, take it slow
Reply #3- Just go for it, it's only money
Reply #4- enter tang police with apparent bad attitude
Replies #5 to "thread closed" - trainwreck
Honest attempts to share cautious and humane advice are often answered by fairly reckless and irresponsible responses. This tends to get people fired up pretty quick, particularly when someone takes the time to attempt to articulate their concerns only to be responded to with inarticulate off handed careless remarks. (yes, this can go both ways, but as a cautious advice guy It looks to me like the trend goes in that direction more than the other way around. Maybe it's just my bias?)
Bad manners stink no matter what perspective is driving them.
IME a critical ingredient in many/most tang police flare ups or arguments is the inevitable response to initial polite but cautious replies, "just go for it", or "if you can afford it go for it" exct.
It's a very common process;
OP- can I keep 3 tangs in a 75 G?
Reply #1- That's a lot of fish to put in a 4' tank, I would suggest you only consider one tang for that tank. Ideally that would be a smaller species of tang
Reply #2- Agreed, take it slow
Reply #3- Just go for it, it's only money
Reply #4- enter tang police with apparent bad attitude
Replies #5 to "thread closed" - trainwreck
Honest attempts to share cautious and humane advice are often answered by fairly reckless and irresponsible responses. This tends to get people fired up pretty quick, particularly when someone takes the time to attempt to articulate their concerns only to be responded to with inarticulate off handed careless remarks. (yes, this can go both ways, but as a cautious advice guy It looks to me like the trend goes in that direction more than the other way around. Maybe it's just my bias?)
Last edited by a moderator:
acrofragger
Non-member
theres nothing wrong with growing the fish out but thats problematic .i for one have kept a fish in a smaller aquarium before but i refuse to ,ever againg .i have seen the difference in health and swimming strides and fin movements of tangs in large aquariums and its completely different , not to mention the lateral line ,or faded color .i also have seen the overseas youtube videos with angels and tang all crammed in together it is very unpleasing, i keep fish to enjoy them and atleast have them enjoy the home i replicate for them . dont keep a wait let me be specific ,4 inched tang in nuthing less than a 75 gallontank so it can atleast enjoy swimming back and fourth
The River Reef
Non-member
Kungfu I am not picking on you but please post something using your brain, "go swim in a pond with 200lbs alligator" lbs is plural use lb next time. And what does that have to do with this, bad analogy... I am sick of the I paid for it attitude, so I can kill it or watch it suffer!
We are the dedicated fish keeping community. If we don't push for studies and what seems to be right (some fish need room to swim) then who will? It is no different than all the other animal rights groups in the world. You and everyone else took on a responsibility when you "paid for the fish".
Now I agree some are too pushy about tang and tank size. I am all for pushing on some research. Until then, we go by the experience of other responsible reef keepers, where the majority seems to say they need large tanks. Understand, many of us including myself have not owned these amazing animals due to small tank size. It upsets some people to see others packing them into small tanks. In which many tangs run themselves into the glass and die.
I would love to have a calm intellectual conversation but get aggravated by ignorant blabber!
The River Reef
Non-member
Again... Did you know the court forced Michael Vick to run a positive PR campaign after serving time? This way when he returned to the NFL all the young children wouldn't think animal abuse is okay. I didn't bother looking at your link but I would bet that is where/ how it was made...
