tank too small for kole tang?

[dayth]

I have a 40 gal with a 4" Kole tang, a 2" foxface, and a coral banded shrimp. It's been up abou 6 months. I want to add some LR and live sand but am first worried that the tank is too small for the Kole. should i find a fish more suited to this sized tank? also any reccommendations for adding LR and sand to an established tank? thanks!

[FishDaddy]

Hi Dayth,

Glad you found us!
Yes, I'm afraid the 40 is too small for the Kole, with our without LR/LS. Though the Kole is one of the smaller Tangs, they do require more swimming room. Most recommend at least a 75 gal. for any Tang. That Foxface is going to get fairly large as well.

Great fish for a tank this size are Percula or Ocellaris Clowns; Gobies; Blennies; Grammas and Firefish.
Scott Michels' Reef Fishes is an excellent book for fish info. Robert Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist has a lot of info on suitable reef fish as well as comprehensive info for setting up and maintaining your aquarium.

Adding LR to a tank usually causes at least a small Ammonia spike and sometimes a new cycle with large amounts of rock or rock that hasn't been fully cured. It's a good idea to keep the rock in Rubbermaid tubs, with saltwater circulated and heated to your your tank conditions, for a week or two until there are no traces of Ammonia or Nitrites in the water.

You can add sand; Aragonite; Southdown Play Sand; etc., and spread a couple pounds of Live Sand on top to seed the bed.
Here are some excellent sites with info on LR and LS: http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm http://www.reefkeepers.org/faq/cache/33.html

Again, welcome!
Dick

[Minnreefer]

Welcome
Your instincts are correct a Tang, any tang is tooooo big for a 40 gallon, someone once told me this a person can live in a small 5X5 room but they won't be happy. I would recomend getting a couple of small fish to go along with the foxface which is going to be a little big for the 40 also.

I feel that I am not giving a very warm welcome but everything that I have read, seen and heard has told me that most fishes need large areas.

Welcome again
Jonathan
P.S. please ask as many questions as you have we have all been there and are still going through, so we are here to help.

[dayth]

Wow thanks for the prompt answers.

I've read up some more and found the Kole can be kept in about 55 and up. My 60 gal is being medicated for ich, but once that's cleared up, would it be moved there? ah, I hope I'm not being buggy; it is a goregeous fish and I'd love to keep it, but I would trade it in for a firefish or percula if I knew is just wouldn't do well. Thanks again!

[Doug1]

I have seen several Kole or cheveron tangs 6+ inches so the bare minimum is a 4 foot tank and even then as they get older they may not deal with small spaces well.
The foxface is a cousin to the tang and while usually mellower its relative and they may not do well in the confines of a smaller tank. I realize a 55-60 gal seems huge esp if you come from a FW fish background but I consider my 75 with 55g sump a big nano and its already looking small for the 4 fish I have in it(biclor blenny, pair of skunk clowns and a 5" sailfin tang(Z. veliferum)
FWIW