blue tangs in very small tanks... what compells people to do so...

GregsReef28 said:
And even with a planned upgrade( et al tank in your possession) what if something happens? what if you lose your job? get hurt?tank cracks? What im getting at is why can't people just get fish sized for their tank, not buy tanks sized for their fish they already purchased. It is like me coming home to my tiny one stall garage with a Surburban. Can't fit? ok I'll build a bigger garage. After the garage upgrade I come home with a Semi truck. Won't fit? looks like another garage upgrade. Just buy a big tank to begin with if you wanna house large growing fish. Don't buy the dam fish first. Not fair to them to be shuffled around etc...
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very few harlequin tusk get over 6 to 7 inches in captivity... and blue jaw triggers usually stay below 6 to 7 inches as well... they do not grow nearly as fast as blue tangs, and again, the requirements are different...

and as far as "what if", all i can say is this pertains to everyone here if you look at it that way, but i have the resources to easily replace the 125 should anything happen to it...

most of us as serious hobbyist have backup plans in the event anything should go wrong... however, to the people who keep these blue tangs (not yellow, or sailfin, or any other tang or fish) i am simply inquiring why you do so... again, i was not goin to and am not goin to bash anyone, but some of you certainly get defensive about it all rather than explaining your own back up plan...

at least i have a plan, and curently have the tools to carry it through whenever i may wish to do so...

i am here to create awareness on one particualr species that i feel is the most overlooked and neglected as far as the proper care goes...
 
What Tangs for a 48" x 36" x 27" 200G tank? I'm limited to the 48" tank. Otherwise, I have to put the tank on an exterior wall. Not to mention rearranging my entire living room.
 
GregsReef28 said:
I believe a tuskfish needs a HECK of a lot of swimming room!! Very active fish,voracious eaters, huge bioload.
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and yet again, its 2" or a little more long, and my skimmer is a monster... filtration is not an issue... nor is the upgrade needed when the time comes... blue tangs get much larger in captivity overall, and eat jus as much if not more due to their high metabolism and appetite...please specify a little more about your system and its filtration plz
 
Just leave the tangs in the ocean. Case closed. Unless anyone has a mile long tank? mmmm? just got an idea for a new build thread.
 
I am enjoying this thread, I would appreciate it if the conversation would be kept civil. Leave the sarcasm and critcal attitudes outside please.. I don't want this informative thread to be closed down! =)
 
Pallobi said:
imo, it is ok for a yellow... however, my concern here is no other species other than blue tangs and blue tangs only... and a plant is a very bad comparison... plants do not move... blue tangs swim and NEED that swim area which covers a very large area in the wild...
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i agree that the bonsai comparison is a bad one, but if you think about it: trees do not move but they grow. Their roots are being trimmed every year to keep them in small pots. So the people keeping bonsai are interfering with the tree natural growing path. Where as the blue tangs are still growing to the same size whether they are kept in a 30 Gal or a 300 Gal tang.

I am not defending my action. I am just saying either you think it is OK to keep an ocean fish in a tank, or against it. Don't tell me it is justifiable because you have a big tank. no tank is comparable to the ocean.
 
greg, i see your biocube and goby.. good choice... but remember, we are talking about a high requirement for space and food blue tang, not a goby... i have experience with many fish, so i jus want to share my thoguhts and views...
 
My system? 14 biocube. Homemade refugium, mostly zoos, a few acans. 1 yellow clown goby. 2 sexy shrimp, 1 astrea snail,2 blue leg hermits. Weekly 10 percent water changes. I have previously had much larger systems but with a 1 year old daughter and a new house, no time. I have had tanks ranging from 2-210 gallons. Only in the 210 did I house any fish that reaches over 8 inches(eel)
 
And i cmpletely agree with you about the tang. I am just trying to point out that in my opinion(opinion being the key word) A lot of people keep fish species(not just tangs) that reach large adult sizes, because those are some of the most eyecatching,interesting species. And everyone needs to b e willing to pony up the dugh to properly house them as adults. People have a hard time visualizing a 8-10 inch fish even
 
Im actually glad this thread is going becuase I have always been curious on this topic myself. Dont let my post count fool you I have had my tank for about a year and I have been trolling this site just as long but just recently became a member. I am a member on another sw forum.

So I have a 75gl with a medium size yellow tang, a lawnmower blenny, 6line wrasse, pair of true clowns, a yellow and purple fish lol not sure exactly what he is and a approx 2 inch hippo as well as assorted crabs, snails, and a serpent star.

Is my tank too small?
 
Pallobi said:
very few harlequin tusk get over 6 to 7 inches in captivity... and blue jaw triggers usually stay below 6 to 7 inches as well... they do not grow nearly as fast as blue tangs, and again, the requirements are different...
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I feel it's odd that you admit keeping the tusk and triggers will keep them from growing to their natural sizes and questioning other people who keep blue tangs in smaller tangs. Is it not cruel to keep a fish from its natural habitat and impeding its growth? If you think so then you should not keep any fish at all.
Myself I think it is OK to keep any fish as long as you make sure it is comfortable. You are proving it food and protection from predators. In the wild the fish may not make it to adulthood.
 
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GregsReef28 said:
My system? 14 biocube. Homemade refugium, mostly zoos, a few acans. 1 yellow clown goby. 2 sexy shrimp, 1 astrea snail,2 blue leg hermits. Weekly 10 percent water changes. I have previously had much larger systems but with a 1 year old daughter and a new house, no time. I have had tanks ranging from 2-210 gallons. Only in the 210 did I house any fish that reaches over 8 inches(eel)
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thank you for sharing your hobby experience and current system setup... you seem to have the knowledge and experience to not buy or add fish unsuitable for your habitat... this is very commendable...
 
mrwonderful said:
Im actually glad this thread is going becuase I have always been curious on this topic myself. Dont let my post count fool you I have had my tank for about a year and I have been trolling this site just as long but just recently became a member. I am a member on another sw forum.

So I have a 75gl with a medium size yellow tang, a lawnmower blenny, 6line wrasse, pair of true clowns, a yellow and purple fish lol not sure exactly what he is and a approx 2 inch hippo as well as assorted crabs, snails, and a serpent star.

Is my tank too small?
Click to expand...

Your tank is on the marginal side for a yellow tang, however the hippo will outgrow it in no short amount of time. Take a look at this video of BrianD's tank. That is a 500 gallon tank for comparison.

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Everything else you list stays small, the yellow and purple fish - is it a royal gramma?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+21+53&pcatid=53

Or a dotty back?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1926+143&pcatid=143
 
twinypalm said:
I feel it's odd that you admit keeping the tusk and triggers will keeping them from growing to their natural sizes and questioning other people who keep blue tangs in smaller tangs. Is it not cruel to keep a fish from its natural habitat and impeding its growth? If you think so then you should not keep any fish at all.
Myself I think it is OK to keep any fish as long as you make sure it is comfortable. You are proving it food and protection from predators. In the wild the fish may not make it to adulthood.
Click to expand...

first off, my tank in which they are housed now is twice the size of the tanks i am questioning...

and at the moment my fish, becuz of their size, are comfortable... i am recognizing the fact that they will grow, and have the housing for them right now if need be... we are talking about my fish, which are juvi's, which dont grow as big as the one (blue tang) i am questioning... nor do they have the same requirements... however, when i logged on recently and saw the 4 to 5" blue tang in a 30' to 36' tank, clearly these folks are not taking the same methods of being prepared, and ready for any change... my fish have a ways to go before they will need any change, where as the blue tangs that are already far to big, are not being given the same precautions if you wana call it that...

again, i am sorry if you think i am a hypocrit, but we are talking about completely different species... i have 3 to 4" fish in a 4' tank... not a 4 to 5" fish in a 2 to 3' tank... on top of it, my filtration is high, and my flow (2 koralia magnum 7's) is much mcuh higher, than the koralia nano or maxijet i see in some of these 30g's with 1 or more blue tangs...

i am not trying to be controversial or get my thread closed, and i am using no sarcasm or calling anyone out... simply debating and discussing views and opinions, which is from my understanding, what RC is here for us to do in an adult, respective manner...
 
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