What kind of tang is this?

It will take several yrs for it to get to large if it ever does ?? We have one here now that was in a 2,800 gallon system that is about 8 inches and started out at about 4 inches and it took 2 yrs of heavy feeding to get this large and we now have another that was in a 90 for the last 4 yr and its about 4 inches long and was about 3 when it went in to that 90.. So I'd not worry to much about it getting large to soon..just enjoy it and for `15.00 I'd buy all I can get I am 1/2 why thinking about taking this little one home for our tank or the shoal tang ??? Reason we have them is client's wanted a different looking bunch of fish ..bored I guess

 

This is bawest's fish:

http://www.3reef.com/photos/data/500/medium/Picture_015.jpg

This is a Vlamingii Tang:
http://www.3reef.com/photos/data/500/Vlamingis.jpg


Are we sure they are the same? :-/

 

i'm pretty sure, and lately at some of the local pet shops they have been quite abundunt and looking very similar. although many are not as brightly colored as in the pic you got of the Vlamingis

 

Thanks Matt the bottom picture you posted is what I always called a Vlamingii Tang.. Thats what we have here at the shop Beautiful fish and do pretty well in a small school we have 3 together in a 200 and they are fine hell aso have 4 yellows and 3 shoals and 1 powder blue in there also

 

If this tang is a Vlamingii and it grows to 23" in the wild, I either need to get rid of it now or magically stunt it's growth. Just like puppys and babies, their so cool when they're young, but they grow up and turn into brats before you know it.

How long do I have to find it a new home. It's only about 2 1/2" long right now. Will it be a year or two before it's too big or will it be 6 months?

I can't believe that it would get that big in a tank when it starts so small.

 

"What is known from keeping these fish in aquariums smaller than several hundred gallons is that the end result will be a fish with stunted growth. Additionally, the extent of the stunting is directly proportional to the aquarium's size. Following Choat and Axe (1996) and the understanding that Acanthurids obtain 80% of their growth in the first 15% of their life, you can get an idea of how fast they should be growing in your aquarium."

i found this on reefkeeping mag.Unicorns: More Than a Myth in Reef Aquariums; The Genus Naso by Henry C. Schultz III - Reefkeeping.com

 

Yep it's a vlamengi which is one of the larger surgeon fish...not good for most tanks....needs a very large one.

 

just take it back.They will give you your oney back.

 

Yeah, I'm planning on taking it back this weekend.

 

Couldn't you trade it in to one of your LFSs? Do yours give you store credit? Mine out here will give us a store credit for half of the price they would sell the fish for. So if that thing is really worth all that much money, you could have a pretty hefty store credit on your hands. Could be useful....