Tangs

Besides the size , also how old is your set up Ive heard that immiture tanks can be tough on tangs.

 

That makes that about a 31g tank and that is not large enough for most tangs. They need a lot of swimming room to stay healthy.

 

That is not an imperial gallon though. That's a metric gallon. Unsure of US gallons. Also, i dont mean to steal the thread by any means, just add to it.. i was looking online at tang tank size requirements because i am trying to decide how big to go this summer when upgrading my tank. I noticed a VERY wide variety of tank requirements.
For example,
Purple Tang - Red Sea (Zebrasoma xanthurum)

Purple Tang RED SEA

Any thoughts? 20g to 90g is a pretty big jump... Someone's info is not so good.

 

I think your LFS was just trying to protect you from possible Ich. Those tangs are ich magnets and can bring out ich harboring silently in your tank. Thats what happend in my fish only tank with a Regal and Powder Blue despite the fact that I QT the fish and did FW dips and copper treatment for 2 weeks. It took me over a year to rid the tank of ich with the loss of my Regal tang and CBB.
Also, your tank is too small for those fish unless they are very small. Then you will have to trade them in when they get bigger. They need plenty of swimming room and will get stress out. Your tank is the equivalent of a 30g.

The minimum tank size for the Purple Tang IMO should be 120g. You can get by with a 75g but they will out grow it. They get large and aggressive and will bother the other fish. They are a very active fish and need lots of swimming room. Mine is almost 8" in size. When I got him it was about 3". Same for my Powder blue. They are almost too big for my tank. I wish I had a 125-220g.

That article stating a 20g minimum must be a mistake or they are trying to sell the fish to unsuspecting customers.

 

Hey all - thanks for all the replys - i think the whole thing about tangs needing lots of room to swim around is a fair point, but is this not the case for all fish?? Do they not all want the length of the ocean to thrive?? Is it not cruel in the first place to take a fish from its natural habitat and stick it in a glass box? After all captivity dramitically reduces their lifespan.

My friend has a 200 litre tank and he has had a powder blue in there for over 2 years! He's very happy and never gets ill, and by no means is he a small fish. he shares the tank with 3 puffers a trigger 2 damsels and a clown and an eel - all of quite a large size for species in an aquarium - he never does water changes (i have tested his nitrates and the test turned blood red) does not have a skimmer and certainly doesnt have a sump or a fuge.
Yet he never gets a single death and all the fish in his tank thrive. The damsels spawn all the time.

I am sorry to say that i fell in love with a clown tang today. he's only 2" long and i thought what the heck and he is now a memeber of my aquarium. Straight away he's swimming and eating just fine, i must say tho he's very active.

I think i may have just rambles on a bit ......sorry

edit - sorry just to add i know my lfs guy pretty well and he's always stopping from buying certain fish, im sure he would of told me when i bought if my tank was not big enough for him

 

I dont want ick Never had it never hopefully will. I qt everything In diffrent tanks that way I hope I never infect my main tanks with it.


This guy just got out of qt been in there for about 1 1/2 months

 

I had ich in my tank a while back. After a few months i added a Clown to my tank. I waited two weeks before adding any more fish to make sure I eliminated the ich. Then I added a blue Hippo Tang. The next morning the Tang had ich spots all over him. He lasted two days in my hospital tank and my clown is still doing fine months later. Maybe the Tangs catch ich easier the other fish?

 

Any of the blue colored tangs are more prone to ich. Tangs in general are more prone to it as well, but powder blue, Hippo's and Naso tangs are the most prone. If its dormant in your tank, one of these will surely bring it out. Natural live rock tanks are more prone to harbor ich.

You should always QT and FW dip a Tang before adding it to your tank as well. I even treat the fish with a low dose copper before adding a Tang to my tank.

Make sure you have good clean water. Those Clown Tangs do poorly in poor quality water. And keep an eye on it when it starts getting bigger. They can get very aggressive and kill your other fish. They are a beautiful fish though.

 

I had two clowns and a sailfin tang. I added a yellow tang from the lfs a week ago. The yellow tang broke out with ich, then the sailfin, then the 2 clowns. Lost all of them.

Hated losing my clowns :-(

Don't think I'll be getting any tangs too soon.

How long should I wait before I try fish again? Been running the tank at 80 degrees and drentched it in Ich Attack for about a week.

 

Does Ich Attack have any copper in it?