How long can I keep a Blue Tang in a 55g

[Frost_Hydra]

I always wanted one of these fish, but I know they require tanks around 180g. I was wondering if I got a small one around 1 inch; how long could I keep it before I should give it to my friend (who has a larger tank). Is there a certain size that indicates its starting to get too big for the tank (5 inches?). Or is it simply immoral to even keep a super small one in a 55g?

 

[manilaboy1vic]

you see people do it all the time.. ive seen some very small tangs at the LFS.. but once it gets bigger it probably gonna stress out.. i dunno... up to you.. plus it might be a major pain to catch him...

ive had a kole in my tank (68g), thing ate great, pooped alot and was healthy.. had him for a year or two.. i got rid of him tho.. ive tried to catch him the past but no luck.. i was able to get him out when i deleted my sand bed and emptied the tank out..

just get a yellow tail damsel.. same colors

i actually just got one of those guys..

people say they are so mean.. but my maroon clown is the king of my tank

 

[Trigger Tough]

You can for a little while, but he’s going to be a PITA to remove once he gets bigger. Get ready to take apart 95% of your rockscaping to do it

Having had to remove fish from tanks before, it’s not worth the headache IMO. Find fish that can be lifers in the tank. If it’s not going to be a reef I’d look into a dwarf angel as the centerpiece fish. If it is going to be a reef maybe reef safe wrasse or anthisas

 

[Frogmanx82]

I went with an Azure Damsel for a nice blue yellow combo. Really happy with it. If you just get one, they are pretty small and won't be too aggressive.

 

[mcgyvr]

"morality" is all relative..
Do what makes you happy..
Don't sweat those that may not have the same beliefs as you..

Until fish start talking I'm not sure anyone really knows whats "right or wrong" here..
I mean.. We are all trapping fish/corals,etc.. that may potentially have a better life in the ocean..
Of course we all seem to be killing the ocean too so the morality line is really faint at this point..

 

[Bent]

"morality" is all relative..
Do what makes you happy..
Don't sweat those that may not have the same beliefs as you..

Until fish start talking I'm not sure anyone really knows whats "right or wrong" here..
I mean.. We are all trapping fish/corals,etc.. that may potentially have a better life in the ocean..
Of course we all seem to be killing the ocean too so the morality line is really faint at this point..

Respectfully disagree

Ethical is relative
Morality is definitive.

 

[mcgyvr]

Respectfully disagree

Ethical is relative
Morality is definitive.

Well... you would be wrong..

 

[Bent]

Well... you would be wrong..

Hahaha.

:uzi:

 

[Joe0813]

Not worth the fight trying to get it out

 

[Frost_Hydra]

A lot of people seem to say no because of the difficulty regarding catching them in a tank, is there really no easy solution/trap to do this?

 

[Anemone]

Sigh. Not one of the tang police. Have kept a Hepatus in a 28 gallon for 3 years, then moved it to a 50 gallon for a couple of years, now living well with a Philippine Yellow Tang and a Purple Tang in an 88 gallon tank(yes, three tangs in a less-than-90-gallon tank).

You CAN keep a tang in a smaller tank. Just realize that it will need to be moved to a larger tank to develop fully. Providing a proper environment (food and water quality) are more important (IMO), than a specific tank size. If we really wanted to be "natural," we'd have 5,000 gallon tanks for a single tang. We do the best we can...

Kevin

 

[Dmorty217]

Not part of the tang police either but I will caution you that when a fish is happy and healthy, they will go from 1” to 7” easily in a year. Rule of thumb is if the fish can’t live it’s lifespan in your current tank then don’t get one to begin with. Most rarely upgrade to a larger tank, but rather leave the hobby all together because of disease or a tank crash.

 

[Frogmanx82]

Can't live its lifespan? We're lucky half survive to make it to a tank. The whole hobby is a bit selfish and hardly considers the best welfare of the fish since that would be to leave it in the wild.

We all live with the fact that the fish we keep are not in their natural environment and that the fish will have to adapt as best they can and losses are part of the hobby. There is hardly a moral high ground here.

 

[RCS82]

Can't live its lifespan? We're lucky half survive to make it to a tank. The whole hobby is a bit selfish and hardly considers the best welfare of the fish since that would be to leave it in the wild.

We all live with the fact that the fish we keep are not in their natural environment and that the fish will have to adapt as best they can and losses are part of the hobby. There is hardly a moral high ground here.

On one hand though, I think I can safely say that the fish in my tank do not wake up each day wondering if a grouper or an octopus or a moray eel is gonna have them for lunch. So my fish have that going for them lol.

As far as the OP is concerned. Get it if you want but I wouldn't plan on keeping it for very long. Blue hippo tangs are a big fish and it baffles me seeing them in small tanks.

 

[saf1]

The right answer is not long, so don't bother. Has noted above a healthy and happy fish will grow and grow quick. Fast swimmers, likes current, constant foraging, large fish, you get the idea. It doesn't sound like you have an upgrade planned so your thought is to catch and give to someone with a larger tank. Trying to catch it in an established tank may be difficult which could force you to drastic measures causing stress on everyone - including you. Removing rock, coral, or draining to catch and remove.

Doesn't sound fun to me. Find a properly sized fish for the tank. Azure or Starcki damsels come to mind. Tangs, especially large ones, require more room. So do the right thing.

 

[Uncle99]

In nature Tangs travel great distances in one day.
They are the race cars of the reef.
if you want to keep a tangs then buy them the correct size home.
If not, there are tons of other fish that will reasonably happy in a smaller home.
It's like putting a husky in a closet.

 

[Bent]

Can't live its lifespan? We're lucky half survive to make it to a tank. The whole hobby is a bit selfish and hardly considers the best welfare of the fish since that would be to leave it in the wild.

We all live with the fact that the fish we keep are not in their natural environment and that the fish will have to adapt as best they can and losses are part of the hobby. There is hardly a moral high ground here.

You can only control your own actions.

It’s entirely possible for a fish to live out more than its typical wild life span, disease and parasite free and without risk of predation.

Whether or not that happens is entirely up to the individual aquarist. What happens elsewhere is of no importance.

So yes in fact, you can take the moral high ground if you are currently standing on it.

 

[Dmorty217]

Can't live its lifespan? We're lucky half survive to make it to a tank. The whole hobby is a bit selfish and hardly considers the best welfare of the fish since that would be to leave it in the wild.

We all live with the fact that the fish we keep are not in their natural environment and that the fish will have to adapt as best they can and losses are part of the hobby. There is hardly a moral high ground here.

We will agree to disagree

 

[RioReefr]

We all live with the fact that the fish we keep are not in their natural environment and that the fish will have to adapt as best they can and losses are part of the hobby.

I believe the majority of fish in the wild spend their day just trying to survive -- finding enough food to eat and avoiding being eaten. If they are lucky, maybe they get a few opportunities to breed. Some reefs are turning into garbage dumps full of plastics, super-bacteria, and other environmental hazards.

That being said, I feed my fish on a regular basis of nice fresh seafood (shrimp, clams, etc.), with some seaweed pellets and nori sheets thrown in. They are clearly not living in fear of being eaten.
And I do my best trying to keep the water quality as pure as possible.

As far as I am concerned, my Yellow Tang is the "king of the castle". He gets to "boss-around" all the other fish. I have introduced things (banded coral shrimp) he did not like one bit and they were gone the next day. I completely redesigned the aqua-scape based on how I observed him swimming around. I must have let him "test out" at least 1/2 dozen types of nori until he found one he liked. Sometimes I think it must suck swimming around in a box, but I do my best to make him "comfortable". A lot people spend most of their day sitting in a cubicle working behind a computer, so in some regards my fish have a less stress-free environment.