Desjardini sailfin

[greg1786]

Each fish is different, but usually they adapt to their environment so it shouldn't grow too big too quickly. 125 is plenty big for a small sailfin and even if it doubles every year (2"-> 4"-> 8") you have a couple of years to do your upgrade.
After much contemplation I just added one to my 120gal a couple of days ago

How big is he? Hows he doing? Are there any other tangs in there with him now?

 

[dax123]

It has its adult colouration and is about 3" long. When I put it in I figured it would hide or be shy but it went swimming around the tank quite freely. It did not bother any fish and with its fins expanded all the other fish seem to leave it alone. So far it's starting to look comfortable in the tank and at the current size is perfectly fine in there.
I have a couple of large Clarkii clowns, a Foxface and a Regal tang that I was unsure about with the mix but all seem to get along. The Regal tang was about 1-1/2" when I got it close to a year ago; it is now maybe 3" long (give or take the same size as the sailfin). I'd get a picture but it pretty much looks the same as Finksmart's post.

 

[dax123]

Mine started in a 125g when he was 3/4", fast forward a year and 4 months he is 5.5" long and 2" thick

There you go, figure 6" in 1 1/2 years. Remember they grow faster when small and then continue slowly. Any bigger than this and the tank will start getting small but that is still a long time. If you are thinking about upgrading now, you will either do it or start losing interest by them. Either way, based on your concerns about adding this fish, sounds like you will be getting it a new home.

I had a desjardini for years in my 210, and just recently sent him off to live in a local 1000g tank after deciding my new 520 wouldn't be big enough for him to be happy long term. Sailfins get ridiculously wide if properly fed, and grow very, very quickly. It is ill-advised to put one in a 125g IMHO. I was very attached to that fish, but 9" long and 3" wide is just too much for even an 8' tank.

I'm curious how long it took the fish to get this big in a 210.


Greg1786, my feeling is that you are a conscientious aquarist and want to get this fish otherwise you would not have started this thread. You will always get someone to say go for it and someone to say you cannot do it. Fish are confined no matter how big the tank, the only question is at which point does it constitute abuse. For example, Rea17 thinks a 520 will not be big enough for a growing Sailfin and I personnaly disagree. End of the day, Rea17 got to enjoy the fish for a considerable period of time and I'm sure the fish was fine. All I'm saying is not to deny yourself the pleasure as long as you can do it with a clear conscience.

 

[cloak]

I had one of these as well. Kind of a rescue actually. My tank was only about 3 feet from where I lay my head at night. It seemed like everytime I would wake up in the morning, (actinics came on) that fish was eyeballing me... Cool fish. Great personality.

It did eat valonia btw. FWIW.

 

[johnike]

finksmart, beautiful fish.

 

[DopeCantWin]

When the little guy was first introduced. Tomorrow I'll try to post a 6 months later video.

 

[ca1ore]

I was very attached to that fish, but 9" long and 3" wide is just too much for even an 8' tank.

Jeez, that must have been a 5 cube/day fish just by itself!

 

[Rea17]

Jeez, that must have been a 5 cube/day fish just by itself!

Yeah, no kidding!

 

[greg1786]

I greatly appreciate all the photos, stories, and advice guys!

There you go, figure 6" in 1 1/2 years. Remember they grow faster when small and then continue slowly. Any bigger than this and the tank will start getting small but that is still a long time. If you are thinking about upgrading now, you will either do it or start losing interest by them. Either way, based on your concerns about adding this fish, sounds like you will be getting it a new home.



I'm curious how long it took the fish to get this big in a 210.


Greg1786, my feeling is that you are a conscientious aquarist and want to get this fish otherwise you would not have started this thread. You will always get someone to say go for it and someone to say you cannot do it. Fish are confined no matter how big the tank, the only question is at which point does it constitute abuse. For example, Rea17 thinks a 520 will not be big enough for a growing Sailfin and I personnaly disagree. End of the day, Rea17 got to enjoy the fish for a considerable period of time and I'm sure the fish was fine. All I'm saying is not to deny yourself the pleasure as long as you can do it with a clear conscience.

I like to think I'm a pretty responsible reef aquarist. I do my best to give everything I select for my tank the optimum living environment and life. I keep my water params rock solid, provide the best equipment I can afford, try to feed the highest quality food I can, and keep my water quality as pristine as possible. One thing I will say is that deciding on whether or not my tank is suitable for the fish I would like to have is very tough for me.

I know the desjardini will grow to be a very large fish. The consensus on most websites, including live aquaria is 180 gallon min tank size. My future plans will consist of a tank 40 gallons larger than this. As a small fish my 125 should provide plenty of room for a juv. Sailfin to stretch its legs when need be. That being said, I have reservations which is why I'm here on RC with this thread, and why I have yet to get one to this point in time.

My biggest concern is that I dont want to compromise the environment in which my current tank inhabitants are enjoying, nor do I want to throw a new fish into a bad situation. While I have yet to have a life size problem complicate, delay, or force stop upon a previous upgrade, I've heard enough horror stories from fellow members to give me second thoughts. I will continue to toss the idea around in my head and on this thread as long as it stays active. Below I will post a picture of my current tank. I hope you guys can look at it and tell me if you think it is, or is not suitable for a juv sailfin as a temporary home for say about a year. Thanks again for all the help!View attachment 248366

 

[dax123]

Since your tank is probably the same size as mine, here is an overall picture of my tank showing the Regal tang which is slightly bigger than the Sailfin. IMO it has plenty of space and it has been there about a year now. My expectation is that at this pace the sailfin should be good for at least 2 years. My rockwork has a lot of arches and caves and behind the wall is a 4' gap from the glass. From your picture, the tank does not look overcrowded but could use more arches. Hope this helps with your decision.

 

[Rea17]

Sorry I just saw your question, it took about 2.5 years for my sailfin to reach that size in my 210. Growth rates have much more to do with proper diet than tank size in tangs ime.

Picture of your tank isn't showing up for me dax..

 

[greg1786]

Pic isnt showing up for me either dax

 

[dax123]

Pictures did not attach because my files were too big.
Here are some to give you an idea of the space and size. The regal is slighlty bigger so you can use it as a comparison.

 

[roni]

Here's mine. He's a big one and going to an 8 ft 320 (back to his original owner) from my 6 ft 270.
Grew from about 4.5" to 6.5" in a year, easily 2.5" thick. Can consume a sheet of nori and 2-3 cubes by himself.

 

[greg1786]

Wow! That guy is massive! Not to mention so beautiful. All these pictures are teasing the crap outta me, keep em coming!! Haha, how active are desjardinis in comparison to some of the other more active tangs like say the acanthurus??

 

[dax123]

Mine has been in less than a week and is very active. It is already competing with the other fish at feeding time but only goes for the flakes. Very happy with this addition. Based on some of the other's comments, looks like I'll be getting a bigger tank in the next year or so; as if I needed an excuse.:dance:

Some pictures to tease you further. Plus you can get an idea of the current size.

 

[greg1786]

Mine has been in less than a week and is very active. It is already competing with the other fish at feeding time but only goes for the flakes. Very happy with this addition. Based on some of the other's comments, looks like I'll be getting a bigger tank in the next year or so; as if I needed an excuse.:dance:

Some pictures to tease you further. Plus you can get an idea of the current size.

Gorgeous fish dax! I hear you on the tank upgrade, any excuse we can find lol. At what age/size do desjardini sailfins generally begin the color change? Whenever I decide on getting one I'd really like to get it as a juv. And watch it change colors. The only issue with that is, how do you tell a juvi desjardini from a juvi regular sailfin. I'd be totally bummed if I thought I bought a desjardini only to realize it never changes color and turns out to be your run of the mill sailfin tang. Another concern I have is that my yellow tang is about 4-1/2 inches and very fat. How do you think the desjardini would fare in the tank with the yellow tang if I bought it with juvi colors say > 2"?

 

[dax123]

Now that I've seen more adult pictures I can see that mine still has juvi colours. When I got it there were a lot of regular sailfins around and it was pretty easy to tell them apart. The anal fin is considerably more yellow.
From what I've read, Yellow and Blue tangs are fine with sailfins and I have the Blue with no issues.

 

[Mike S]

I was worried about being able to tell the juveniles apart also. I recently picked up a juvenile desjardini and after seeing juvenile Pacific sailfins in a store the differences are obvious. The juvenile pacific sailfins have coloration very similar to adults with the wide brown body stripes. I have seen it mentioned that the pacific's tails are yellow and the desjardinis have clear tails, but mine has a yellow tail with white spots and I've seen several pictures of similar specimens. I guess there is some variability related to the tail color.

 

[greg1786]

My buddy and I are taking a road trip tomorrow morning to a LFS about an hour and half from here in baltimore. I get emails from them time to time updating their stocklist and it appears they recently got in two juvi desjardinis so I'm looking forward to seeing them in person! I have only been to this store once but the coral selection is insane so thats a nice bonus. I likely will not buy either of the tangs but I really want to see a juvi up close and in person. I wonder if i'll be as intrigued by it as I was by the adult at pacific east. Ill look at the tails on both of them and let you know if they are clear or yellow. Thanks for the heads up on that!