tang question

being honest I have never had a fish that reached what most books/articles etc list as max tank size and thus agree that max size in the ocean is going to be typically larger than max size in a tank
although to counter that, I have never kept a reef over 100 gallons
so cannot say with any certainty if the fish I had would have grown larger in a larger set up

I think another point you make is very valid
in that if someone has a 100+ gallon tank with large fish and a 40 gallon tank, and wants to grow on a small Tang so that it can then move into the larger tank when its big enough to take care of itself etc
the upgrade situation I refer to in many of my posts is the hypothetical one that people with moral quandries often use when they show their new tank with the Yellow or Hippo in it "Im going to upgrade later" is what they feel they need to say in order to justify the purchase that they are obviously agonising over

I would totally agree, if the OP had a bigger tank already and asked "I want to put it in here for 6 months and then move it to my 120"
my previous responces would have been different

I "feel" what you say from your perspective
a seasoned aquarist with experience is almost certainly able to predict issues and the fact you monitored the Tang as you did once again convinces me that what you have in your tank is your business and as such I would mind my own business on that aspect

but having said all the above
my view is unchanged in that advising newcomers with more questions than answers in the hobby, to err on the side of caution when it comes to min tank sizes for fish species is still a sound / damage limitating philosphy IMHO

in a couple of years time, with experience under their belts
they will not need other peoples opinions
they will have hopefully learned their own capabilities and may well decide to extend them

and I will be happy for them when that time comes

Steve

 

thanks for the help everyone!;D K+ to all!

 

I also found a tank thats fully cycled and has a very few corals and 2 clown fish along with 4 chromis. My LFS has a kole and yellow tang both around 3-4 inches and are colorful and healthy. could they fit into the 55 I found on craigslist?

 

anyone?

 

I would say pick one of the two tangs. Not a good idea to put two in a small tank.

 

yes I know.

 

I made the mistake of placing a blue hippo tang in my 55 gallon. The fish was fine for four months, then developed ich. My belief is that the fish got sick because the tank size. I placed the fish in my quarantine tank, treated with hyposalinity. The fish recouped and was sold to a 250 gallon system.

In short i guess I am saying I wouldn't do a tang (of any kind) unless it was a 90 or above. Given I was new and I didn't listen to others here the fish got sick. I am lucky that it got better.

This is only my experience and my opinion.

 

uhhhhh.... +1 thats alot. haha

 

one tang would be pushing it in that tank with all those fish but 2? thats over the top now.... if you put a yellow or kole or any tang similar in a 55 make sure you put barely anything else in the tank.

 

so one tang and another fish. sure fine with me, what fish would you
recommend? I like clownfish and wrasse.TIA!;D