Purple Tang slow growth

[CoralsAddiction]

There is a purple tang at a local fish store's 150 gallon display tank. The tang has been in that tank for 9 years since he was a tiny baby. It looks fat but it's size is no more than 4 inches. Why so small? Runt of the litter? LOL

 

[brett559]

I've heard numerous stories of zebrasoma tangs growing very slowly. From my research, unlike blues and nasos, these grow quite slowly.

 

[RealReef7]

My purple tang and yellow tang are also slow growers

 

[Winwood]

Only ones I've seen buck the trend have been sailfins, but even those are few and far between.

 

[ca1ore]

Even though it may be 'fat', I think most Tangs struggle to get enough nutrition in our tanks. Maybe OK to live, but perhaps not enough to grow to wild sizes. Just speculation, of course, but if you watch them in the wild they eat pretty much continuously.

 

[BlueMac92]

I read somewhere that the males stay significantly smaller than the females as well. Idk about 4" though...

 

[snorvich]

Even though it may be 'fat', I think most Tangs struggle to get enough nutrition in our tanks. Maybe OK to live, but perhaps not enough to grow to wild sizes. Just speculation, of course, but if you watch them in the wild they eat pretty much continuously.

I agree. All algae grazers are inefficient eaters and pretty much eat continuously.