Tang in a small tank

[ChrisAnator03]

well i want one more fish in my tank and i know this is iffy but is there any tang that could be in a 24x24x12 tank jw it will be my last fish and 3rd fish so i need some help i have always loved tangs but don't have the 180 gallon tanks like a lot of you guys do.

 

[rogersb]

Look at the sticky in this forum, none go in that tank

 

[fish042099]

The smallest tang is the kholes tang, but it needs a 75 gallon at least.

 

[asim58]

Agreed, put a tang in a tank that size and prepare for a flame war, but really don't even think about it. Find some fish that are more appropriate for a tank that size, gobies, basslets, clowns etc.

 

[ChrisAnator03]

okay i was stupid even posting that i was just seeing if there was some tang i didn't know of i could put in there but thanks

 

[R_Hudson]

You could always do a dwarf angel or a pair of wrasses or even a smaller anthias all are very active fish that are not aggressive. Beware of angels with lps corals tho. They can have an aquifer taste for big fleshy polyps

 

[cadre]

What is it that you like about tangs? There are none that will work in your tank, that's just the way it is. I have a customer that really wanted a yellow tang (mostly because of the color) so I suggested a lemon peel angel. If you want something active then dwarf angels are great and they are colorful. Smaller Anthias are also an option.

 

[fish042099]

Tangs also are susceptible to ich.

 

[sandwi54]

I don't really understand people's obsession about tangs too. I like them personally, but only in large tanks. They just don't look right in small tanks (< 4-foot length). tangs are very active animals and cruise around all day long looking for food, and they look great in when they do that in large tanks. In a small tank, they have no space to cruise and get behavioral problems like pacing up and down along a side of the tank, or constantly circling around a certain object. That scene just doesn't look good and I sure wouldn't want such a scene in my living room.

The bottomline is, get small fish who will feel at home in a small tank and let it display its natural, interesting behaviors. Both you and the fish will enjoy life better that way.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Every fish is susceptible to ick. Tangs just have a bad track record with it because they stress more easily than others meaning their immune system is lowered. With an immune system that is running as well as it can, it invites diseases and parasites to attack or show themselves. With proper QT there is no reason why any fish, even tangs, should get ick unless you skipped QT for your first addition which is a really bad ideas. An ounce of prevention will go a very long way in this hobby. Trust me there is no way you can keep your fish long term with ick because it is simply a ticking time bomb waiting to blow.

Now to the OP. Like others have said, there is no tang that will work out in your tank. I would suggest looking at dwarf angels. The most reef safe ones are flame and coral beauty angels. If you start a thread for info on them there are plenty of people, Todd especially, who could help you decide if you can't.

 

[sandwi54]

Every fish is susceptible to ick. Tangs just have a bad track record with it because they stress more easily than others meaning their immune system is lowered. With an immune system that is running as well as it can, it invites diseases and parasites to attack or show themselves. With proper QT there is no reason why any fish, even tangs, should get ick unless you skipped QT for your first addition which is a really bad ideas. An ounce of prevention will go a very long way in this hobby. Trust me there is no way you can keep your fish long term with ick because it is simply a ticking time bomb waiting to blow.

Now to the OP. Like others have said, there is no tang that will work out in your tank. I would suggest looking at dwarf angels. The most reef safe ones are flame and coral beauty angels. If you start a thread for info on them there are plenty of people, Todd especially, who could help you decide if you can't.

Well said! Every new fish should be quarantined and treated for diseases before being placed into the DT. The statement of "tangs are susceptible to ich" shouldn't even exist. Without proper QT, it's only a matter of time before a nasty disease is introduced into the DT and causes massive loss of fish. Check the fish disease forum; everyday there's at least one or two threads that could've been prevented by the use of QT.

To the OP, I also own a flame and a lemonpeel angel in my 225 DT. they are very active and swim along with my large angels and tangs. sometimes i think they should belong in smaller tanks since I think they look better in there. I think they are great options in your 24x24x12 tank.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Well said! Every new fish should be quarantined and treated for diseases before being placed into the DT. The statement of "tangs are susceptible to ich" shouldn't even exist. Without proper QT, it's only a matter of time before a nasty disease is introduced into the DT and causes massive loss of fish. Check the fish disease forum; everyday there's at least one or two threads that could've been prevented by the use of QT.

To the OP, I also own a flame and a lemonpeel angel in my 225 DT. they are very active and swim along with my large angels and tangs. sometimes i think they should belong in smaller tanks since I think they look better in there. I think they are great options in your 24x24x12 tank.

Thanks. It really does bug me that people say certain fish are ick magnets so you shouldn't get them unless you want ick in your tank. The actuality is that any fish can introduce ick to your tank that you don't QT. I am not going to say that prophyatically treating is the only way but IMO it is the best way to reduce your chances. If done properlly with cupramine of hyposalinity you shouldn't even have to think about ick going in your tanks unless there are some fish that need special attention like mandarins(with whom I would suggest tank transfer).