Minimum tank sizes and selection of animals.

The one that really shocked me was the Orbiculate Batfish in an 80 gal. I've never seen a full size one but I understand that they can reach over 20 inches, poor thing would look like a shark with no place to turn around in 80 gallons.

P.S I know the book is a little old, but I haven't found a newer one that I liked yet.:-/ Probably because I spend most of my free time browsing fish stores rather than book stores.

 

Having a safety net whenever possible as I am sure you would agree (and have by the looks of your reply) is really the main goal.To some extent we do tend to feel as humans that our feelings are shared by other animals and from the research I have seen on mammals such as Whales and Dolphins they are more like us then some would have dreamed years ago. The main thing I am trying to impart is that the more you can make your fish feel comfortable the longer they will survive and thrive. I also agree that Tangs swim miles a day in search of food and in an aquarium there is no need to do this. My reply to that is absolutely; however a fish has developed over the years to do what they do; because you have taken away that need does not mean they can remain healthy.Its similar to asking a marathon runner to suddenly become a couch potato.What happens to them? They become lazy, fat, and unhealthy. Can they survive? Yes I am living proof.;D While I realise that even in the largest tanks the need to search for food is not there I have never seen a Tang stop swimming for more then a few seconds hence their need for adequate room to do so.As we do not know exactly what is really going on inside their brains, hormone levels are only one indicator of a complex organism.

 

I do agree that a safety net is NEVER a bad thing and the bigger the better (tank and safety net). Remember whales and dolphins are highly complex mammals like humans, much more closely related to us than a fish. They form families lasting bonds and communication systems which I am sure fish do to some extent as many could prob provide me with an example.
I understand you comparison with a marathon runner, but you dont have to go from a marathon runner to a coach potato maybe the Tang goes from a marathon runner to a sprinter, equally healthy but different lifestyles

 

I definitely was not trying to compare whales and dolphins to fish but my point was we don't really know the capabilties fish have as far as emotion or communication.You still need room to be a sprinter and they didn't evolve to do that.Does this change affect their health? I don't know.LOL

 

Good points for discussion as always Vinny;D

I am not disagreeing with you exactly just offering a slightly different twist on things. Something else to think about and stimulate discussion.

BTW I do have a small blue hippo in my 46gallon, healthy as can be and very active. Would I want to keep him in there full grown, nope he would look to cramped, but then again small 1/2 juvies are almost never known to reach the full size listed on most websites maybe this is related to being kept in an aquarium in general or tank sizes thats up for debate. I am hoping it takes many years for him to reach a 4-6inch size because at that point I would feel the need to move him or upgrade. I would not suggest stocking a tank with 5 or 6 fish that you cant keep at adult size which is why I refused to allow my wife to pick out those beautiful looking juvie angels she loves so much.

 

Yeah like I said not touching that one. I was just pointing out the book may be a little old and outdated but by no means do I base this on anything more then the new discoveries that happen every day and new technologies that make those discoveries possible. I am sure there was plenty of research done by the author.

 

The truth is that we probably don't know enough to play God as you put it. Therefore if we choose to do so, we owe it to our captives to err on the side of caution. Now I will point out the hypocrisy of this statement coming from a man that has a Desjardini in a 135. knowing what I do now, I would never buy that fish for that sized tank but I'm too lazy and selfish to rectify the situation.

 

This also brings up another good point. Stunting...IME Tangs grow extremely fast. I have never heard anyone call them slow growers until I joined here. What I quickly realised is that the people calling them slow growing were housing them in small tanks.I am sure it also depends on species and since I have never owned a Blue Tang I just assumed they grow slower then any of the others I have owned but I do know they have one in a DT at my LFS and it grew at least 4 inches in a year.It is housed in a 300 gallon aquarium.

Heres an example of how fast my Tomini grew in my 90. Forgive me if you already saw this.
7/14/2011



1/05/2012



He is pretty much full grown right now will get some recent shots of him soon.

 

Totally agree with you Vinny! The size of the fish, and how quickly they get to their adult size, can be different between breeds. The 4 inches of fish you started out with will change per each individual species you house. No one usually has just one type of fish in their tank.

Then, as they grow, the feedings grow in turn, causing more changes to the "system" as a whole. We not only need to worry about how large a fish will get compared to our tank, we need to be aware of what our whole habitat will look like when it matures.

 

I am an avid scuba diver and PADI Dive Master and one of the best things about my job is being able to go and dive and see the huge variety of fantastic marine animals in their natural habitat.

I was drawn to the hobby to attempt to make as realistic a scenario as I possible could. Thats why in my 55g tank, I will only have approx 6 fish. A persons determination of what is realistic is obviously different but I aim for when my set up is finished is for it to be as realistic as possible.

Basically we are trying to bring our hobbies from the ocean to the home. If you change that by cramping species, through over crowding or getting a fish thats to big for its aquarium, its not really bringing the ocean home, your re-making something that is unrealistic and IMO alittle bit cruel.

Just my 0.02.

PS. Fantastic thread. This topic definately doesn't get good enough debate.