Tang growth

[kwpgrooming]

How long does it take for a tang to get full size? I always try to buy my fish young, & most don't seem to get any bigger after a 9 months to a year. I bought a Kole tang in Febuary at about 2" - 2 1/2". He is probably 4". Of course I am not good at judging length without measuring.

 

[Zaita]

Usually a few years, but they have huge growth in the first 18mnths.

My hippo has gone from 4cm to about 16cm in less than 12mnths.

 

[kwpgrooming]

How about their life span? I guess if it takes a few years to reach full size they have a pretty good life span.

 

[luntiz]

I believe most can live up to and maybe beyond 10 years, assuming nothing goes wrong with the tank, they are fed enough, and are given enough room to grow.

 

[kwpgrooming]

Good. He is one of my favorite fish. Of course I love all my fish.

 

[Chibils]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13127001#post13127001 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by luntiz
I believe most can live up to and maybe beyond 10 years, assuming nothing goes wrong with the tank, they are fed enough, and are given enough room to grow.

I'm sure it's longer than that. Tangs aren't exactly the easiest fish to keep (nor are they the hardest), but their friends the anemonefishes have been recorded in captivity up to 20 years I believe. Clowns in general adapt better to captive life, so as our ability to care for our creatures increases, so will their lifespans (to a point).

 

[snorvich]

Part of the difference is in implied territory. Clowns have a territory around whereever they perceive their host to be (anemone, hammer coral, or whatever) of about 25 gallons. Tangs, by nature of their feeding habits, have a significantly larger territory.

 

[Chibils]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13130229#post13130229 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
Part of the difference is in implied territory. Clowns have a territory around whereever they perceive their host to be (anemone, hammer coral, or whatever) of about 25 gallons. Tangs, by nature of their feeding habits, have a significantly larger territory.

By nature, they're much simpler to keep. Their diet is relatively straightforward; they're perfectly happy eating once a day on some flakes or any other carnivorous diet in a small territory. A surgeonfish, on the other hand, grazes on many types of algaes across a very broad territory.

Fiften years ago we could:
-feed once a day
-give them flakes, mysis, brine, etc.
-give them 30 gallons
-keep up with their relatively small bioload with small water changes

Now we can:
-feed many times/day through the convenience of more reliable auto-feeders/understanding of their needs
-give them a greater variety than before, and foods that would benefit them more nutritionally
-offer them 4/6/7/8/10/11/12/14/15+ foot tanks of over a thousand gallons to romp around in
-utilize rdsbs, massive skimmers, refugiums, fluidized sand beds, 200G water changes (utilizing ro/di), vodka/sugar dosing, and all other kinds filtration systems to keep their water clean and suited to their natural environment

Now the boring part is waiting to see how their life spans improve with care more specially tailored to their needs.