newb question about tangs

[Chipie]

Well i was at the LFS a few days ago and there was a very nice Naso tang there. I would say about 7-8 inches long. It was a beautiful thing to see. I have a 65 gallons tank so i knew very well that fish was not for me.
There where other people looking at him and i told them that they get very large (i think it's 18 inches) and need a very large tank.
The salesman intervened and said , well yes they can get big but it will only grow big if put in a large tank.

He said that tangs (or any fish for that matter) only grow as big as the tank allows. He also asked me have you ever seen a 12 inches blue regal tang?

Well i have to say that i haven't seen any 12 inches Blue Regal Tang.

I don't beleive what he said but i would really know what is the size of your Blue Hippo Tang and how long have you had him and the size of your tank.

Help me put a stop to this myth and have a good answer to this LFS guy next time i go there.

Thanks

 

[SteveJakubiec]

Well, it could be possible that it'd grow to the tanksize, but highly unlikely. It would get stunted and shorten it's lifespan, and live in a cruel environment. You can have a dog, but you shouldn't leave it outside and tie it to a 1ft chain, you should let it have the whole yard.

Oh, and the other day, in my LFS I saw a 14" Blue Regal Tang that had HLLE, might've not been healthy, but it was 14" and the worker there told me she was around 14 years old. They do grow big, but keeping them in small tanks shortens their lifespan.



-Steve

 

[snorvich]

I think I would change LFS. Clearly they are out to sell fish whether it is appropriate to the environment of not.

Steve is right. In addition if you put highly aggressive tangs in small glass cages, they become even more aggressive.

 

[Chipie]

LOL i wish i had the choice to change LFS. It's the only one around here and it's a 3 hours drive from my place , lol

I agree with all of you and what i'm looking for is exemples of Blue hippo tangs growing very large in aquariums so i have munitions to answer the guy of the LFS.

Don't worry about me, i take my informations from people like you not the LFS.

 

[SteveJakubiec]

Why not go to various online retailers and go to their products/livestock and look for the Regal/Blue Tang and find all the Max sizes, and print out all of their requirements and show this LFS representative.

 

[Chipie]

Oh i told him already that the Naso tang would get to 18 inches long and he knows that the Regal tang is supposed to get 12 inches long but he still says that he's never seens one that big.
And he says it's because they will only grow that big in extremely large tanks.

I'm sure someone here has some large Hippo tangs.

 

[h20 freak1]

What he's saying is right, a small fish thats supposed to be big thats in a small tank wont get big. Its a little word called stunting. Ever see that asian culture whos women bind there feet at a young age so that they never grow?Its like that, sure it causes serious damage and is very painful , but hey don't it look pretty?

 

[BrokeColoReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13050249#post13050249 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by h20 freak1
What he's saying is right, a small fish thats supposed to be big thats in a small tank wont get big. Its a little word called stunting. Ever see that asian culture whos women bind there feet at a young age so that they never grow?Its like that, sure it causes serious damage and is very painful , but hey don't it look pretty?

You think that binding feet and keeping tangs in a tank not big enough to let them grow to there fullest extent is the same thing? if that where the case, very few of us would have happy healthy tangs in the relatively small tanks that we keep. My fish are in a 200 gallon tank and will not get more then 6 inches long. They eat out of my hand and will let you pet them. That comparison is ridiculous.

 

[jthao]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13050249#post13050249 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by h20 freak1
Ever see that asian culture whos women bind there feet at a young age so that they never grow?.................but hey don't it look pretty?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Chipie]

Brokecoloreefer, why do you think your tangs will only grow 6 inches ? How long have you had them ?
By the way, if anybody is not confortable answering here, you can aslo pm me. I just can't beleive that there's not more Hippo tang owners here. I'm not here to juge anybody or have anybody juged, just trying to see if there's any truth in the saying that tangs only grow according to your tanks size with some exemples.
Thanks

 

[cl2ysta1]

I bought a yellow belly hippo at about 1.5 inches. in 6 months it was six inches. It did this in a 72 bowfront. I was finally able to catch him and move him to a 220 cube.

if fed correctly and given good water quality fish grow.. fast

 

[smurph1415]

i have had my blue hippo for a while and he is now about 9 inches

 

[BrokeColoReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13051891#post13051891 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Chipie
Brokecoloreefer, why do you think your tangs will only grow 6 inches ? How long have you had them ?
By the way, if anybody is not confortable answering here, you can aslo pm me. I just can't beleive that there's not more Hippo tang owners here. I'm not here to juge anybody or have anybody juged, just trying to see if there's any truth in the saying that tangs only grow according to your tanks size with some exemples.
Thanks

i absolulty believe they grow as large as they can in a given tank size. some have the potential to grow too large for the system (like the unicorn) and some just seem to grow just right (like the hippo and purple tang) all i was saying is that just because a tang is in a 250 gallon tank and can only reach a 6-8 inch potential in a captive tank does not mean that we are torturing the fish. The simply just stop growing. If my tangs where in pain from not growing to there fullest potential, i think i would see this based on observation of the given species.

I have a hippo, tomini, and two purple tangs (that sleep togther :eek1: ) I am not endorsing this combination, it has worked for me. All my fish get along and eat well and overall seem happy considering there locked up in a glass jail house. My mix of tangs are not intentional, they all came from other reefers in the area that broke down there tanks and needed homes for there fish.

My hippo i got about 2 years ago, he was the size of a silver dollar. He is now 4-5 inches and does not seem to be growing to fast any more. My two purple tangs came in at different sizes. the first was about the diameter of a pop can (added about a year ago and the second was small, (added about 2 months ago) about the size of a silver dollar. They are both about 1/3 larger now. The Tomini was added very very small (2 months ago), and he is the fastes growing one by far. He is about 2.5 inches long now started off about 1.5 inches. They are all well fed with nori every day and rods food twice a day.

I know this is not the answer you where looking for but its what i got.

 

[BrokeColoReefer]

oops double post.

 

[Landolakes]

Because a the rate of growth for a fish slows down dramatically does not mean that it has grown to the right size. There are many variables that effect growth (tank size being one of them) but fish do not grow to the right size for your tank. Comments like that can make someone believe that they can keep any fish in any tank. By the way I have a hippo and an orange shoulder that have eclipsed 8" in less then 2 years in my 180 and have seen a foot long hippo in a 220.

 

[sean48183]

I have a sailfin that is 4 years old and only 7". I feed frozen and flakes twice a day as well as 2 sheets of seaweed selects a day. I believe regardless of tank size that a fish bought small will only reach half it's wild size. It's all about food and you just can't duplicate the vast resources of food in your tank that the ocean can offer.

 

[sufunk]

Technically, i'd say he is right. A Blonde Naso or whatever tang is never going to grow to 15"+ in a 65g tank. It will be stunted and probably die much younger than it should because of the cramped quarters,imo.

Even though he is right, that mentality is completely wrong. The fish wont grow as big because it wont be healthy and wont live long enough to reach max size. Your lfs makes it sound like you could have a perfectly healthy and happy 6" tang for 15 years and that isnt the case.

 

[Chipie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13054662#post13054662 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sean48183
I have a sailfin that is 4 years old and only 7". I feed frozen and flakes twice a day as well as 2 sheets of seaweed selects a day. I believe regardless of tank size that a fish bought small will only reach half it's wild size. It's all about food and you just can't duplicate the vast resources of food in your tank that the ocean can offer.

Humm.... diversity of food ? Maybe a good explaination but some people have some tangs that grew pretty big in large tanks.
When others have tangs that stayed small.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13054796#post13054796 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sufunk
Technically, i'd say he is right. A Blonde Naso or whatever tang is never going to grow to 15"+ in a 65g tank. It will be stunted and probably die much younger than it should because of the cramped quarters,imo.

Even though he is right, that mentality is completely wrong. The fish wont grow as big because it wont be healthy and wont live long enough to reach max size. Your lfs makes it sound like you could have a perfectly healthy and happy 6" tang for 15 years and that isnt the case.

Well maybe the longetivity of tangs in small tanks would explain why so many people have small tangs.

I'm really surprised that i'm not getting more answers from Tangs owners.
I'm going back to the LFS next week and i'm going to have another discution with the salesman for sure. Although i know he's not going to listen to me, i'm still going to tell him what i think about his selling practices.

 

[BrokeColoReefer]

I think that there are many issues at hand. bottom line, i do not think it is good for any marine vertebrate to be kept in captivity, psychologicly, phisologicly or any thing else. We all choose to keep these animals for our pleasure, and try to take care of them the best we can in return. My fish likely will have a shorter life span then if they where in the ocean. The will likely grow to a certain size, and die prematurly. All i can do is take care of them, feed them, give them good water and shelter and call it good. The other option is to not keep fish, and in this hobby, thats really hard to do. After all, we are making a "hobby" out of keeping living things in a small enclosure. There has to be consequences.

 

[sean48183]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13055774#post13055774 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BrokeColoReefer
My fish likely will have a shorter life span then if they where in the ocean.

Who to say my rusty angel that is 5 years old would not have been eaten by an eel 4 years ago. Or died from an oil spill. In some ways our tanks might be better than their natural enviroments.