Blue Tang to big for 55?

[jmski333]

keeping these tangs can be something you could look forward too in the future. But now the only tang that you could put in your tank safely would probably have to be a Kole tang.

Cycling out baby tangs for the sake of keeping a tang isn't good reef practice. you wouldn't buy a kitten for the sake of having a kitten than trading it in once it becomes an adult just to go and buy another kitten. I can see your point cb711 but encouraging it isn't right.
Putting tangs in a 6' tank is a drastic change as it is from the miles and miles of reef these fish roam in the wild. Giving the advice to put a tang in a 55 can than be taken to do the same for a 40, than a 30 and so on.

 

[cb711]

So, you would put a 1-2" hippo in a 100 or larger tank with fish that could eat him? You wouldn't start him out in a smaller tank until he grew to the size that he would not be threatened?

 

[gofor100]

On to the OP's question... as others have said, I would definitely not add any other tangs... the yellow tang was probably a poor choice, but hopefully you've learned from your mistake and don't continue down that road (and maybe try to find another reefer that will take the tang off of your hands sooner rather than later).

I have a similar-sized tank (a 60 gallon), and although I've been tempted to get a tang because of their beauty and utility (eating algae), I've luckily resisted and am happy I did because I've seen these creatures in their natural environment, and there is no way that they will thrive in a 4 foot long glass cage (even 5 feet would be pushing it unless the tank has decent depth IMO).

Good luck, and I hope you make the right decisions going forward

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

FWIW, hippos can easily quadruple in size in just a year's time.

Have a look at BrainD's hippo. I believe it's over 10 years old.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VHdX0Y-PloE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VHdX0Y-PloE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[gofor100]

So, you would put a 1-2" hippo in a 100 or larger tank with fish that could eat him? You wouldn't start him out in a smaller tank until he grew to the size that he would not be threatened?

1) Well if the OP was doing this, then that would be a different story, since what you're describing is what is referred to as a "grow-out" tank... however, these types of set-ups are dedicated to that fish solely or only include a few other small fish that will not compete with the fish for food or territory. The OP is trying to put 3 tangs in a 4 foot long tank, who will all compete for food and, more important, territories, which will inevitably lead to aggression and maybe a dead fish.

2) This is also where common sense would come into play... since I don't know who in their right mind would put a 1-2" fish into a tank that has fish that might eat it... course there's only a handful of Reef Fish that would fall into this category of "fish eaters"... since most reef fish eat plankton/small shrimp/fry/algae, and a 1-2" hippo tang is not typically on their menu.

 

[jmski333]

So, you would put a 1-2" hippo in a 100 or larger tank with fish that could eat him? You wouldn't start him out in a smaller tank until he grew to the size that he would not be threatened?

No i would not buy a 1-2" hippo and put it in a 100g tank with a fish that would eat him, that would be irresponsible to do so. i would buy the tang larger (3-5") to prevent that. But that was if i kept predatorial fish, in which case any fish under 2" (clowns, damsels, wrasses ect.) would be threatened and i'd have to buy larger species of every fish i buy. Not everyone with tanks 100g+ have this issue. So smaller tangs are for those tanks.

 

[Dino]

FWIW, hippos can easily quadruple in size in just a year's time.

Have a look at BrainD's hippo. I believe it's over 10 years old.

<object height="385" width="480">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VHdX0Y-PloE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></object>

And for reference, that is a 500 gallon tank.

 

[Robka]

So, you would put a 1-2" hippo in a 100 or larger tank with fish that could eat him? You wouldn't start him out in a smaller tank until he grew to the size that he would not be threatened?

A Hippo Tang would outgrow a 100 gal tank (length of tank being the important measure) A fish that can reach more than a foot in length should have a tank 6-7' or longer to give them adequate room to swim. Most "reef" safe fish will not eat each other, so a smaller fish with larger fish would b ok, but if you have species of fish that eats smaller fish you can let the Hippo grow in a well established QT tank (my QT is 40 gal) before moving to you main tank or purchase a larger Hippo.

Have a nice day

 

[DgenR8]

There's a ton of good advice in this thread. My fear is that the OP will only see the one piece of advice that says it's okay to do what he wants to do, and all the good advice will be ignored.

Buy a tank suitable for the fish you want to keep, or buy fish that are suitable for the tank you have. Any other advice you get is misguided.

 

[LukFox]

So, you would put a 1-2" hippo in a 100 or larger tank with fish that could eat him? You wouldn't start him out in a smaller tank until he grew to the size that he would not be threatened?

Obviously not if there are fish in the big tank that would eat it. If someone has a big tank with predatory fish they'll probably go for a larger specimen to start with anyway. But besides that, there's a difference between setting up a grow out tank with a larger tank in waiting and buying one with no plan but "I'll catch it out one day." You have no idea where that fish is going after you remove it, if you'll be able to find a suitable tank for it, or if you'll even want to tear down your tank to get it out. It is irresponsible. If you can't care for the animal then don't get it. There are plenty of cool fish suitable for a 55g, and I'm sure we'd be happy to suggest some.

 

[jmski333]

Buy a tank suitable for the fish you want to keep, or buy fish that are suitable for the tank you have. Any other advice you get is misguided.

Amen

Most clear advice on this thread.

 

[olemiss reb]

I have a 55 Gallon with a Yellow Tang, and a clownfish

I was thinking about getting a Blue Hippo Tang, and a blonde naso tang.

Assuming you are the same cnl83 that asked this same question on LARC on 9-7-10, LARC members gave you the same answer that you are getting here- no tang for your 55. If you ask this question enough, someone will eventually tell you the answer that you are looking for, but if you notice the general consensus on both sites is that these fish are not appropriate for a 55. If this is a different cnl83, my apologies for the confusion.

 

[snorvich]

And what would I gain from having a higher post count? Riches, Fame?

Access to the marketing forums where you already have a lot of activity.

 

[Wolverine]

How many years will it take for a hippo to reach a foot? Many many years.

If kept in a healthy environment, two years, maybe three. I don't know if that qualifies as "many many" to you, but it doesn't to me.

There would be many aquarists that would love a foot long hippo tang.

There aren't that many with a tank large enough to properly house one that big. A 240g doesn't look so big with foot long fish swimming around.

Aside from those issues, there are some other reasons that this is a terrible idea. For one, you have human nature. Many people (not all, but many) get attached to their fish. They may start out with the intention of following through with your plan, but then just keep holding onto that fish long after they should have gotten rid of it.
Next, you have the issue of having to remove a fish from a mature system. That can be tough to do without destroying your aquascape, even in a smaller tank like this.
Next, you have the potential to introduce disease from the LFS each time you make the switch. Obviously that can be mitigated by a good quarantine, but, IME, people taking this approach to the hobby don't tend to be that diligent about quarantining.
Next, you're trusting the LFS that they will take it back. Many won't do it once, much less multiple times. You may be surprised to learn this, but large fish can be hard to sell. They take up a lot of display space that could go to other fish, they eat a lot of food until they are sold, etc, so they're an extra drag on store resources. Even if the store tells you to go ahead and bring the fish back when it's too big I've seen many, many people getted burned by this when the store just won't take it when the time comes, for a whole variety of reasons, some bogus some not.

 

[Wolverine]

I should mention that what I listed above leaves out the moral question of treating these pets as disposable, which would lead into a whole other discussion.

 

[duncaholic]

1 amendment to my earlier post. I never meant to suggest that anyone should buy an unsuitable fish just because they know they can trade it in later. But I also know the allure of these fish to newbie's. That's how I got in my current situation with my 75g. I'm just saying do research here and don't rely on your LFS to give you the guidance you need. They can be un-reputable and in some cases staright up money hungry BLEEP BLEEP. The people on this site have made my life much easier and the hobby more rewarding. Thanks to all BTW.

One other note. When new to this hobby it is difficult to understand the cascade affect that any addition can have to your tank. everything in there affects evrything else. Imagine if a 4" fish dies in your tank, and you can't find the body. This can and in a 55g most likely will cause total tank shutdown. There's nothing more heartbraking than a tank full of dead fish/coral.

Go slow and definatley no more tangs IMO.

 

[velvetelvis]

I should mention that what I listed above leaves out the moral question of treating these pets as disposable, which would lead into a whole other discussion.

As the kids used to say, "WORD."

 

[jmski333]

As the kids used to say, "WORD."

haha kids still say that