New to Hobby- YELLOW TANG IN 55 GALLON TANK
- Thread starter carlyrosas
- Start date
anthonys51
New member
Yes sometimes the people on here do get too forward or rude sounding. No think it's because we beat this horse to death. But they should remember to be a little more gentle in there respond. Yes a 2 -3 yellow tang might look ok in a 55 gallon tank witch is 4 feet long if I am correct. But in the long run this isn't good practice and the fish won't grow to its true potential in such a small tank. No hopefully when keeping animals in captivity you want them to have the best and healthiest live possible. Not saying you don't. So if you want advice a yellow tang isn't good for a 55. If you are truly going to get a 120 or 180 tank soon it should be fine in the short term. If not and you want a tang a kole tang is a great choice for a 55. They might not be as beautiful
As a yellow but I have one and fine if is a beautiful interesting fish in its own way. Plus a great algae eater
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As a yellow but I have one and fine if is a beautiful interesting fish in its own way. Plus a great algae eater
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carlyrosas
New member
I guess I kind of took it a little too personal. It does suck when you want the best for the fish and you kind of screwed up. He seems to be thriving and happy for now. Guess I should do a little better research next time when looking into buying something new for the tank. Hopefully upgrade on tank coming soon.
carlyrosas
New member
Thanks, will look into a kole tang for sure. I guess we just wanted a fish that would actually make it look like its a salt water tank. Yellow added the color I wanted. I'll do a little better research next time.
anthonys51
New member
No problem I totally understand. You can get yellow wrasse. It will do great in a 55 as long as you have a couple inches of sand. They like to hide in the sand
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mattgumaer
New member
Not sure if you're returning the tang or not but one other thing to keep in mind is that once the yellow tang has established its territory, it may become very aggressive towards new additions (and sometimes existing tank mates), particularly where confined to a relatively small space and/or the other fish have similar shapes or appearances or feeding habits. I would suggest always trying to add fish from least to most aggressive.
Matt
Matt
CStrickland
New member
Most of us have been there. It's really crazy how many different things can affect a fish's quality of life. Besides just tank size, there's the other fish, the available food, the order you add them, and even how your rocks are arranged; I've even heard that some tangs need more oxygen so the strength of the current is a factor too. The best part of this hobby is that there's always more to learn, but it is def a steep curve in the beginning. That's what's great about the forum, there's generous and experienced folks around to help us make as few expensive mistakes as possible 
I really think the best recipe for success is to pick out all the fish you'd like to ultimately keep in your tank, make a list and check it twice for tank size, compatibility and reef-safeness, then make a thread asking for advice about how well that'll work. Then add them in order of aggression, with proper quarentine.
I really think the best recipe for success is to pick out all the fish you'd like to ultimately keep in your tank, make a list and check it twice for tank size, compatibility and reef-safeness, then make a thread asking for advice about how well that'll work. Then add them in order of aggression, with proper quarentine.
skiingfast
New member
I remember quite well a tank that was kept which I witnessed for over a decade . From the dental chair you could watch a Yellow Tang, Tomato Clown, Clown Trigger and a Parrot Wrasse. All in a 55gallon with minimal rock and a HOB filter. I can clearly remember those 4 fish who were all similar in sizes.
CStrickland
New member
how did the clown trigger even turn around? A healthy adult is a foot and a half long, and a standard 55 is like exactly that wide. i don't see how a tomato clown could get that big.
Idk, maybe you get your teeth cleaned more than I do. I doubt I'd notice if my dentist replaced her fish every few months, but it's not how I'd like to treat my pets
This. Also, I suggest not putting fish into a display tank without quarantine.
kmbyrnes
New member
So glad you are listening and learning.
It will make the hobby more enjoyable for you.
Hope that new tank comes your way quickly.
TheFishGuy31
New member
One of the things I've learned is to find a fish I want & then research it instead of window shopping & buying something on the spot.
I'd also recommend getting a quarantine tank setup for all new fish (and do a practice run so you can see if you're missing anything.) After you've had a happy & healthy fish for a couple of years it really hurts when it gets sick because you were lazy & didn't QT a new fish.
I'd also recommend getting a quarantine tank setup for all new fish (and do a practice run so you can see if you're missing anything.) After you've had a happy & healthy fish for a couple of years it really hurts when it gets sick because you were lazy & didn't QT a new fish.
Please try to not take the advice given here as a personal attack, 98% of advice given here is meant as just that, advice we have learned from our own personal screw ups in the past. It's difficult to convey emotions when writing in this format, the vast majority of us are simply trying help, even when our posts seem to be casting blame, that is rarely our intent. There are unfortunately some who do throw out unwarranted insults, but those individuals are asked to move on and find another forum.
Apologies if we did offend you, that was not our intent.
-Mike
hkgar
Active member
A Kole at max would be just slightly smaller than a Yellow, but is a much more deliberate swimmer and feeder. Mine never passes a rock it doesn't stop and pick at. Therefore horizontal swim length is not quite as important. It is not always about size, swim patterns and other variables can enter into the best size of the aquarium.
My Two Barred Rabbitfish is about 7 inches and seldom ventures far from his spot among the rocks - except when the Nori is put in.
While not a fish, and I don't recommend anyone getting one, a Moray Eel can grow to 5 ft and be ok in a 125. They pretty much stay in one spot.
heathlindner25
New member
I've seen yellow tangs as big as my hand opened up., Had to be 25 30 years old.
Bent
I got nothin'
So it's more behavior than size. That makes sense.
Well, I for one did not intend any rudeness; just answering the question honestly. There are some nice yellow fish that will do well in a 55g. It can be hard to overcome the excitement of falling in love with a fish at the LFS, particularly if the LFS tells you it would be fine. I think we can all relate to that for sure. You learn as you go along, we all do.
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