Tang for 3 foot cube

Status
Not open for further replies.
it's been my experience any Tang fish need an incredible amount of linear swimming space even in a6 foot 8 foot tank for any tang species I think that is a minimum existtable space nowhere near an ideal living environment if I was going to have another tank with tangs in it I would want a 12 foot long tank a good portion of the joy of watching tangs is their activity level of course that's just my opinion as to the swimming space I have had Many tangs in my 8 foot tanks and I can tell you that they don't often thrive in an 8 footer all that often either
 
I love tangs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibwJVHb4r6Y

Honestly I think they are better off in a large cube rather than a 12ft long skinny tank filled with rock from end to end lol. BUT, at the end of the day, you won't know till you try it. If I listened to what everyone said....jesus! I would still have my biocube 14 with just a firefish and a goby AND a whollata rocks because of the ridiculous rule: 1.5-3 lbs of rock per gallon LOL. Just pull the trigger and run wild :)
 
I love tangs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibwJVHb4r6Y

Honestly I think they are better off in a large cube rather than a 12ft long skinny tank filled with rock from end to end lol. BUT, at the end of the day, you won't know till you try it. If I listened to what everyone said....jesus! I would still have my biocube 14 with just a firefish and a goby AND a whollata rocks because of the ridiculous rule: 1.5-3 lbs of rock per gallon LOL. Just pull the trigger and run wild :)

I used to own and operate an LFS I sold a lot of tangs and kept a lot of tangs I'm not saying that my experience is a rule or better or more than anybody else I'm only saying that this rule about tangs should be followed it is extremely good rule to see a 14 inch or 16 inch Tang even in an 8 foot tank is a very sad thing if you're the type of person that looks at his fish as disposable well then that's a different topic entirely best of luck
 
It really gets me how selfish people can be. Think about the fish as something disposable that if it doesn't work out they can just get rid of it. The best advice I have received so far starting out in the hobby is to first determine the biggest tank you can afford. Then determine what you want... ie, FO, reef, etc. Then with the size of the tank and equipment you plan on buying figure out livestock and their needs, NOT like it appears most people do.

Buy a tank get it cycled then say " what kInd of tang can I get in a 3x3 cube". You definitely bought the cart before the horse. Best of luck but it's unfortunate that people do this.
 
I'd say a kole tang would be fine in a tank that size.

It seems minimum tang tank sizes are constantly getting bigger and bigger. The sticky above says a kole, mimic, tomini would all be fine in a 75 gallon tank. Which is a 4 foot tank. Now every tang NEEDS a 6 or 8 foot tank. I have never understood why tangs get so much attention over tank size where there are many other fish that act similarly that don't.

Here's an interesting article.

Removed
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It really gets me how selfish people can be. Think about the fish as something disposable that if it doesn't work out they can just get rid of it. The best advice I have received so far starting out in the hobby is to first determine the biggest tank you can afford. Then determine what you want... ie, FO, reef, etc. Then with the size of the tank and equipment you plan on buying figure out livestock and their needs, NOT like it appears most people do.

Buy a tank get it cycled then say " what kInd of tang can I get in a 3x3 cube". You definitely bought the cart before the horse. Best of luck but it's unfortunate that people do this.
 
Sorry about the repost there I was just refreshing this thread on my iPhone and it apparantly sent the reply again????
 
I'd say a kole tang would be fine in a tank that size.

It seems minimum tang tank sizes are constantly getting bigger and bigger. The sticky above says a kole, mimic, tomini would all be fine in a 75 gallon tank. Which is a 4 foot tank. Now every tang NEEDS a 6 or 8 foot tank. I have never understood why tangs get so much attention over tank size where there are many other fish that act similarly that don't.

Here's an interesting article. i was going to post up this article. everyone who likes to police the size of tanks that tangs are housed in should give it a brief skim, if not read the entire article. it has gotten me thinking.......

Removed
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i would not put any tang in a tiny little 36 inch cube... when i had my kole in my 75 it would swim the length of the tank all day long. . now i have a 6 foot 180 gallon and it swims the entire 6 feet back and forth. and now that i have him in this tank i feel bad that i even stuck him in my 75.
 
he's looking for a species that could live unstressed in the cube. i don't think anyone recommended that species

+1

Adding a tang to your tank size isnt a great idea. They tend to be very aggressive as there is not enough volume of water for the fish to swim through. Why are you looking at only a tang? There is other sweet fish to fill the void. :) Believe me, once you add that tang, forget about adding other tankmates.
 
I'm not sure who said anything about a sailfin, that was a different thread.

I read that article from Coral Magazine and it sounded like a whole lot of justification for keeping tangs in small tanks - based on the fact that it isn't convenient for the average marine aquarist to accommodate a tang. Everyone should be able to own a Dory, right? If you don't have the space or cash for a large enough tank, don't get a tang! It's that simple, I'm not sure why people don't get it. You don't see many people trying to keep a horse on their front lawn, do you? I'm not trying to criticize anyone, but I really do believe that people think a surviving fish is a "happy" fish. I agree with his point that when comparing to the ocean, a 4' tank vs a 6' tank is really a silly argument. It doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't place a tang in anything less than a 6' tank. A 6'x6' cube would be even better! I also own a parrotfish, and I believe he is even MORE demanding than several of my tangs. I am not under the impression that tangs are the only fish in the aquarium trade that have these magical tank size requirements. Be conscientious when choosing your fish and pick fish that will thrive in your tank.
 
I'm not sure who said anything about a sailfin, that was a different thread.

I read that article from Coral Magazine and it sounded like a whole lot of justification for keeping tangs in small tanks - based on the fact that it isn't convenient for the average marine aquarist to accommodate a tang. Everyone should be able to own a Dory, right? If you don't have the space or cash for a large enough tank, don't get a tang! It's that simple, I'm not sure why people don't get it. You don't see many people trying to keep a horse on their front lawn, do you? I'm not trying to criticize anyone, but I really do believe that people think a surviving fish is a "happy" fish. I agree with his point that when comparing to the ocean, a 4' tank vs a 6' tank is really a silly argument. It doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't place a tang in anything less than a 6' tank. A 6'x6' cube would be even better! I also own a parrotfish, and I believe he is even MORE demanding than several of my tangs. I am not under the impression that tangs are the only fish in the aquarium trade that have these magical tank size requirements. Be conscientious when choosing your fish and pick fish that will thrive in your tank.

+1 well said!
 
I dunno! Certainly wouldn't put a potentially large tang or a big swimmer into a 36 cube, but a Kole could certainly work as could a smaller yellow, at least for a while.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top