Tangs in a 75 gallon Reef?

Golgi Aparatus · 06-22-2008, 03:26 PM

I need some help here on deciding what Tang to get for my new 75g reef. I have read alot of stuff from the "Tang Police" on how Hippos and Powder Brown, and Yellow Tangs all need "at least 150 gallon" tanks. I have such are hard time believing this.

How is it that we see so many Yellow and Hippos in the LFS around town? I know there are not that many 150 gallon tanks in Jax!!

I know that a 75 gallon may not be "ideal" for one of these types of tangs, but honestly what are my options for a good looking tang in a 75 gallon reef tank?

I won't name the LFS , but one very respecable one in town told me that the powder brown tang would be OK in anything larger than a 55g. Is this true?

Does the Powder Brown need more or less space than either a Hippo or a yellow?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

jph · 06-22-2008, 03:41 PM

if you really want to put a tang in a small tank, pick a small tang

i would suggest to get a tomini. they do not get that big, and he seemed plenty happy in my 90.

oh, and buy it as small as you can find!

J.

Loverotties · 06-22-2008, 04:03 PM

A yellow is the only tang that can be in 75 or larger all other tangs need to be over 100.

tsouth · 06-22-2008, 04:17 PM

It all depends on size and whether or not you plan on upgrading within the next couple of years. You could get any tang you want as long as it's juvenile and you will upgrade to the suitable size tank when the time comes. If not, then stick to the smaller species of tangs such as the tomini or kole.

marineduud · 06-22-2008, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loverotties

A yellow is the only tang that can be in 75 or larger all other tangs need to be over 100.

You know I have a few tangs and that statment is bogus, if you have a tang that is small you can keep it for a long time untill it grows out of the tank, I,m not with the tang police and believe if you take care of the fish you have untill they are at the size they need more room then you are doing a great job of reef keeping !!

jph · 06-22-2008, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loverotties

A yellow is the only tang that can be in 75 or larger all other tangs need to be over 100.

when i checked on liveaquaria. com (they tend to have somewhat correct info), it lists this:

- yellow tang : min. tank size 100, grows up to 8"

- tomini tang : min. tank size 70, grows up to 6"

J.

aquawolf · 06-22-2008, 06:23 PM

I am now, and always have been, a prime candidate for the Tang Police.

Here is one shot of my 75 gallon reef tank:

With that being shown, there is no way that I recommend everyone do this. I happen to have a very good LFS, that I have built over a 15 year relationship with, that has a great trade-in policy. I buy the tangs as juveniles and grow them out in my system. When they start getting too big for my tank then I am able to take them back to the LFS for 50% store credit on the price he is going to sell the fish to someone else for.

As stated, I do not recommend this approach for everyone. If you already know that they are going to outgrow your tank someday, and you have a plan on what to do when that happens then it is really up to what fish you want to get that can be happy in your system for a while.

Best of luck choosing a new tank inhabitant.

Edit: I just noticed in the picture and thought I would let all of you know for reference. The upright rods for my acrylic rock lifts are 3/4 inch rods so you can get a rough estimate on the size of the Tangs in there.

marineduud · 06-22-2008, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aquawolf

I am now, and always have been, a prime candidate for the Tang Police.

Here is one shot of my 75 gallon reef tank:

With that being shown, there is no way that I recommend everyone do this. I happen to have a very good LFS, that I have built over a 15 year relationship with, that has a great trade-in policy. I buy the tangs as juveniles and grow them out in my system. When they start getting too big for my tank then I am able to take them back to the LFS for 50% store credit on the price he is going to sell the fish to someone else for.

As stated, I do not recommend this approach for everyone. If you already know that they are going to outgrow your tank someday, and you have a plan on what to do when that happens then it is really up to what fish you want to get that can be happy in your system for a while.

Best of luck choosing a new tank inhabitant.

Edit: I just noticed in the picture and thought I would let all of you know for reference. The upright rods for my acrylic rock lifts are 3/4 inch rods so you can get a rough estimate on the size of the Tangs in there.

Iguess my thinking is boguss !!! Sorrry for saying anything

aquawolf · 06-22-2008, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marineduud

Iguess my thinking is boguss !!! Sorrry for saying anything

I don't understand, I thought this picture was showing exactly what you were talking about and I was agreeing with you.

I am keeping them until they get too big for the tank, or seem to be unhappy, then I will trade them in for store credit.

marineduud · 06-22-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aquawolf

I don't understand, I thought this picture was showing exactly what you were talking about and I was agreeing with you.

I am keeping them until they get too big for the tank, or seem to be unhappy, then I will trade them in for store credit.

Sorry took it the wrong way but your right you can keep them for a good while before they get to big for there environment. And those are some very nice tangs you have there !!!!! Makes me envy you !!

aquawolf · 06-22-2008, 09:05 PM

Thanks Robert, the only trick was to make sure each one of them was from a different species. They Yellow Eye Kole Tang was in the system first and the Yellow and Powder Blue were added together. The Kole gave them a little hassle the first couple of hours the night they were introduced but they all get along well together now. My female GSM Clown is the one I really had to keep an eye on, but she has accepted everyone as tankmates now as well.

Jadinop · 06-22-2008, 10:43 PM

I have always disliked the "gallons required rule" for fish. It is outdated just like watts per gallon. The following is strictly my opinion so please take it for what it's worth and make your decision based on your best judgement. Tangs need more swimming area than most other fish. They are very active and sometimes fast swimmers. My recomendation is not to keep tangs in a tank that is less than 6ft long. A 6ft 125g is a better long term home for a tang than a 4ft 120g. The 5 gallon difference between the tanks is minimal but it's the 2ft of extra length that makes it better in my opinion. With that being said there are things that can be done in a smaller tank to make more room. Keeping your live rock off the back glass in an island formation will allow them to completely circle the tank and essentially gives them more swimming room.

I don't see why anyone would suggest that a yellow tang is the only acceptable tang for a small tank. A purple or scopas or many other tangs in fact will reach the same full grown adult size. Why would only the yellow be acceptable? Advice like this has little factual basis and should be disregarded.

With all this being said, I did keep many different tangs in my fish only 75g for years before getting more involved in the reef side of the hobby. While I may not recomend it anymore, I certainly wouldn't stop anyone else from doing it or harass them for trying it. If it works for you it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or says.

grochmal · 06-23-2008, 07:26 AM

So how do you know when a fish has outgrown a tank?
Several people have stated that if you keep a tang in a smaller tank you should remove it once it gets too big.
But when is that?
Fish grow so slowly that it is very hard for me to remember how big they were when first introduced vs. current size.

tsouth · 06-23-2008, 01:31 PM

I would say 1-2 years. Tangs are very fast growers as they eat all of the time. 7+ inches is when I would take him out but thats just me. I've seen a full grown sailfin tang in an 800 along with a full grown regal and let me tell you, the fins on the sailfin when fully spread are atleast 14+ inches. They get monstrous!

Golgi Aparatus · 06-23-2008, 06:31 PM

Wow. Great dialoge on this one guys. Thanks for the responses. I'm leaning towards the Kole at this point.

Can anyone tell me a little about these fish? Are they attractive, fun fish to have in your reef? How about their hardiness? Are they as much of an Ich magnet as other tangs?

I definatly plan on QT'ing any new arrivals for inspection and possible treatment.