Blue Tang 40g breeder

Bigsteve

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Knew id never get any responses if i didn't make some people mad:
Can i legitimately put a tomini in a 40breeder?
 
I wouldn't, it won't have enough room to swim and more than likely will constantly be stressed.

It just won't have the length to swim and it will also put a pretty heavy bio load on the tank. So with the required amount of rock it will have a very small amount of open water to swim.

Now if this is temporary, as in the fish is tiny and you plan to upgrade to a suitable tank within a year, then yea it could work but it is not ideal.
 
I have a Blue eye kole tang in my 40breeder that is about 3-4". It is very mellow and not a bully but he is a pig and has very quickly removed all of the algae I wanted him to and I am now giving him nori.
I would say it can be done but not long term, I got him knowing I would be upgrading to a 90g within the year.
 
Tangs really shouldn't be housed in a 40 breeder, unless it's a hospital or QT. I advise against it, for the well being of the animal.
 
I have a little Tomini in my 40 breeder right now. He *looks* happy (I know, that's a little anthropomorphic), moves around all the time, stays well-fed.

I know most people advise against it though, and so when I break down the tank in the next few weeks for an upgrade, I'll be finding him a new home. When he gets bigger, he's not going to have much room. One of those purchases I made without research.
 
75 gal minimal with an open aquascape even for a tomini. Even a small baby Tomini.
 
you're going to get a ton of different answers here, but since you asked...

my answer is, it depends. i have had many fellow reefer friends who say they're going to upgrade and never do because they think the fish is fine where it is at...

that being said, if you truly plan to upgrade soon, and there is currently a lower amount of fish in the tank, and there is a good amount of mature live rock in the tank, and you keep it well fed, and it is on the smaller end size-wise, you'll be good to go... if not, i would suggest passing.

just my 0.02$
 
But about the "swims many miles" idea, they have to in order to find sufficient food on a REAL reef. Most reef tanks have plenty of food to go around, so they don't have a reason to swim miles to find it.

In public aquariums, studies have been done showing that tangs will swim within an area few feet long of the tank, even if there is plenty of room to swim. Search RC for Jay Hemdal's write up about the "many miles" myth, it's a great read!
 
I'm not saying it is ok in a 40 btw :) I have a 40B and would not put a tang in it, it's just not big enough for an adult tang.
 
I have a Blue eye kole tang in my 40breeder that is about 3-4". It is very mellow and not a bully but he is a pig and has very quickly removed all of the algae I wanted him to and I am now giving him nori.
I would say it can be done but not long term, I got him knowing I would be upgrading to a 90g within the year.

My Kole now resides in a 125!
 
I have a tomini tang in my 390 gallon, he is super happy, 4 inches long and appears very content with his home. He certainly doesn't swim miles every day, likes playing in the rocks and playing with his other tang friends.
 
Funny, no one has asked if you committed to taking care of it of it the 40 or so years it's capable of living. If you are only going to keep your tank a few years stick with damsels.

To quote Dr. Scot Micheal "Of course, juveniles and adolescents can be housed in smaller tanks.". Marine Fishes pg 17

As far as being skittish and not doing well that can be an indicator of disease, not adjusted to seeing people outside the tank, or housed with an aggressive fish (like an exceptionally dominate damsel or clown), not being in too small of a tank. When "Elvis", http://youtu.be/x-Ycbwc7xnA, was moved into his 240 gallon tank from a 90 gallon corner bow he'd been in since 2000 he was about 12" long TL and it took him over a month to settle in and stop spazzing out whenever someone walked in front of his tank. Just like with our cats and dogs fish have different personalities and we have to be ready to accommodate them.

(After all the times I've had a 4" or 5" or 6" fish settle in and start eating and swimming normally in a 20 gallon QT in a day or two I'm inclined to think acting skittish is much more likely an indicator of disease and not a fish feeling confined by too small of a tank. Having also taken care of a tank in a house that sat empty for 3 years while it was being remodeled and sold and all the fish would hide as soon as I stepped into the room has only reinforced this conviction.)
 
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Pretty sure this person is just trolling to get people fired up...Don't waste your time, folks. He hasn't posted anywhere since 3/20/13....
 
See, I guess I see it differently than most. I have a Blue Tang in my 40 (got him as a baby), with that being said he has done better and looked better in my tank unlike the large display that he was in at the LFS. I am cognizant of the fact that he WILL need a larger home, that is why I also have a 120 FOWLR ready and waiting for his time to shine, but as long as he is happy and has plenty of room I will not bother him. Oh and there is NO certain amount of LR needed in any tanks. Successful minimalist tanks have proven that. Just my opinion though......carry on.
 
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