Can I add a powder blue tang?

B

btweymouth1s

Member
Was wondering if I could add a powder blue tang to my tank or if I'm maxed out on fish as it is.

Currently in my tank
-2 clowns
-2 chromis
-blue hippo tang
-2 cardinals
-coral beauty

Tank size is 75 gallon.

Thanks
 
Not so much maxed out on fish as it is a 75 is really too small for a Powder Blue - and for a Hippo, for that matter (unless a really small one).
 
P blue

P blue

Absolutely not , you will kill the powder blue tang. These fish need a lot more area to swim around in. My friend had a 100 gallon set up and it was so stressed out he had to take it back to the Lfs. There are a lot of gorgeous reef safe wrasses to choose from .
 
I would take out the hippo tang and replace it with a tomini or kole tang. You could try another dwarf angel
 
if you dont have shrimp check out the mystery wrasse. A very nice center piece fish; another option would be melanarus wrasse, or midas blenny.
 
IMO you can add one no problem, and keep the hippo. For anyone that says it's not large enough I'd ask them to show the source or documentation that tells that.

Powder Blues have a reputation for becoming stressed easily. That said, many do wonderfully well. Especially when you pick one up from another reefer, so you know it's acclimated to the home aquarium.

PS. It's always good to add more info with this kind of question, like total water volume, etc.
 
dppitone said:
For anyone that says it's not large enough I'd ask them to show the source or documentation that tells that.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by 'documentation' ..... but how about common sense and the collective experience of folks who have successfully kept these fish!

There are lots of things one 'can do' that one probably 'shouldn't do'. I don't know that the Tang tank guideline here must be slavishly followed, but they seem pretty sensible to me.

dppitone said:
It's always good to add more info with this kind of question, like total water volume, etc.
Click to expand...

OP said it was a 75 gallon tank .....:confused:
 
"Documentation" means a scientific conclusion, supported by testing, in contrast to anecdotes and speculation. For example, it has been established through study that very high nitrates are detrimental to livestock in a home system. There is research on this. Tank size and fish happiness has not been rigorously studied.

Tank size recommendations for fish are guestimates and arbitrary. IMO a couple of small tangs can do very well in a 75 gallon. I've done it, I've seen it. That's my experience. If the fish endure and get larger, one can increase system size.

Many folks have sumps and refugiums so the total system water volume is much higher than the capacity of their display tank. My display tanks are less than half of our total system water. Total system water has a bearing on livestock load. Hopefully this explanation settles your confusion. System size is a responsible question to ask someone who is seeking advice, rather than piping off non-supported opinions based on incomplete info.
 
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dppitone said:
Tank size recommendations for fish are guestimates and arbitrary.
Click to expand...

OK, but 'guestimates' based off observation and experience. Sure, you can put small specimens in smaller tanks, but they grow (hopefully) and then can become a problem. But, its a free country so you do what you want ...

dppitone said:
Many folks have sumps and refugiums so the total system water volume is much higher than the capacity of their display tank. My display tanks are less than half of our total system water. Total system water has a bearing on livestock load. It's a responsible question to ask someone who is seeking advice, rather than piping off non-supported opinions based on incomplete info.
Click to expand...

From a 'swimming room' perspective total system volume is irrelevant - unless your fish have magically learned to jump from one tank to another :D Total system volume plays a role in the bio-load carrying capacity certainly, though it depends on what those additional reservoir are, so an extra 30 gallons of water per se isn't going to necessarily add 'capacity', though it will help with stability.

But all this is off point .... 75 gallon tank + Power Blue = Trouble IMO/IME

'nuff said!
 
IMO you're right on the threshold of maxing out, but I don't know what kind of tank you have SPS dominant, softies, FOWLR, mixed etc. Depending on what you're aiming for with your tank and what kind of nitrate removal you have going on you may be ok adding a little more livestock.

Consider some smaller fish though or some with different behavior than what you already have. Wrasses, gramma, blennies, gobies, hawkfish, dottybacks would be some ideas.
 
dppitone said:
"Documentation" means a scientific conclusion, supported by testing, in contrast to anecdotes and speculation. For example, it has been established through study that very high nitrates are detrimental to livestock in a home system. There is research on this. Tank size and fish happiness has not been rigorously studied.

Tank size recommendations for fish are guestimates and arbitrary. IMO a couple of small tangs can do very well in a 75 gallon. I've done it, I've seen it. That's my experience. If the fish endure and get larger, one can increase system size.

Many folks have sumps and refugiums so the total system water volume is much higher than the capacity of their display tank. My display tanks are less than half of our total system water. Total system water has a bearing on livestock load. Hopefully this explanation settles your confusion. System size is a responsible question to ask someone who is seeking advice, rather than piping off non-supported opinions based on incomplete info.
Click to expand...

In other words, if they don't die from being cramped into a small tank.
 
dppitone said:
IMO you can add one no problem, and keep the hippo. For anyone that says it's not large enough I'd ask them to show the source or documentation that tells that.

Powder Blues have a reputation for becoming stressed easily. That said, many do wonderfully well. Especially when you pick one up from another reefer, so you know it's acclimated to the home aquarium.

PS. It's always good to add more info with this kind of question, like total water volume, etc.
Click to expand...

Can he, sure.

Should he, no.

I don't believe researchers are going to waste their time "documenting" fish growth rates in home aquariums.

There are many other fish suitable for a 75g other than large tangs.
 
btweymouth1s said:
Was wondering if I could add a powder blue tang to my tank or if I'm maxed out on fish as it is.

Currently in my tank
-2 clowns
-2 chromis
-blue hippo tang
-2 cardinals
-coral beauty

Tank size is 75 gallon.

Thanks
Click to expand...
No, and the blue hippo will turn into a nightmare in that size tank sooner than later.
 
dppitone said:
He didn't ask if there was enough swimming room. He asked if he was max'd out on fish for his system.
Click to expand...

I would counter that "max'ed out" implies both biological and physical space. Assuming only one or the other is incorrect. And quite frankly, physical space usually max's out before biological space, in a properly set up aquarium.
 
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