Tangs VS Tank size - A never ending fued.

kar93

kar93

Active member
Well, For as long as I can remember people have always wanted a Tang in there tank. They are certainly a beautiful fish but due to new reefers being misinformed many of these fish have died. There was a thread a long time ago which gave a list of Tangs tank sizes which alot of people have trouble finding.
So, here is the list

Acanthurus achilles, Achilles Surgeonfish, 200 gal (760l).
Acanthurus coeruleus, Atlantic Blue Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus japonicus, Powder Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus leucosternon, Powder Blue Tang, 120 gal (540l).
Acanthurus lineatus, Lined or Clown Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus nigricans, Whitecheek Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus olivaceus, Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish, 135 gal (510l).
Acanthurus pyroferus, Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus sohal, Sohal Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus tristegus, Convict Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus tristis, Indian Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis, Chevron Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Ctenochaetus strigosus, Kole's Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Naso brevirostris, Spotted Unicornfish, 180 gal (685l).
Naso lituratus, Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Naso unicornis, Bluespine Unicornfish, 200 gal (760l).
Paracanthurus hepatus, Pacific Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Zebrasoma desjardinii, Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma scopas, Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma veliferum, Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma xanthurum, Purple Tang, 100 gal (380l).

Please, If you have anything to add to this thread then do. This list doesn't include every Tang but it does include the more commonly available Tangs. If anybody has any problems with this list or would like to discuss anything please post here or PM me. Any posts and discussion will be greatly appreciated.
And dont forget to post pictures of your Tangs here - Show off your Tangs
 
Thanks! this is useful...

just wondering why is 75gal enough for powder brown tang and not for powder blue tang?
 
The Powder Brown can get up to 8" and the Powder Blue can get up to around 10". It might not seem like a big difference but the Powder Blue is a little more sensitive to diseases such as Ich.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12835244#post12835244 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AngeloM3
another great post kar93

to bad this will get buried in a day or so
Click to expand...

Yes, I say this should be made sticky, added to the Newbie threads, and/or setup as a tang FAQ on the left. :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12835363#post12835363 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HumanIMDB
Yes, I say this should be made sticky, added to the Newbie threads, and/or setup as a tang FAQ on the left. :D
Click to expand...

kar93 and someone else made terrific noobie threads... answering a lot of questions that people post each day... i even PM'ed the mod's to sticky the threads... they never PM'ed me back and never stickied them.
 
Good idea but some of the suggested tank sizes for many of them are off the mark. sohal in a 180, naso in a 135? These are BIG fish! Just my $.02
 
ill make my own version of this but with tank lengths

Acanthurus achilles, Achilles Surgeonfish, 6' long tank
Acanthurus coeruleus, Atlantic Blue Tang, 5' long tank
Acanthurus japonicus, Powder Brown Tang, 5' long tank
Acanthurus leucosternon, Powder Blue Tang, 6' long tank
Acanthurus lineatus, Lined or Clown Surgeonfish, 8' long tank
Acanthurus nigricans, Whitecheek Surgeonfish, 5' long tank
Acanthurus olivaceus, Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish, 6' long tank
Acanthurus pyroferus, Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal 5' long tank
Acanthurus sohal, Sohal Surgeonfish, 7' long tank
Acanthurus tristegus, Convict Surgeonfish, 5 ' long tank
Acanthurus tristis, Indian Mimic Surgeonfish, 5' long tank
Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis, Chevron Tang, 5' long tank
Ctenochaetus strigosus, Kole's Tang, 4' long tank
Naso brevirostris, Spotted Unicornfish, 6' long tank
Naso lituratus, Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang, 6' long tank
Naso unicornis, Bluespine Unicornfish, 6' long tank
Paracanthurus hepatus, Pacific Blue Tang, 5' long tank
Zebrasoma desjardinii, Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang, 5' long tank
Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow Tang, 4.5' long tank
Zebrasoma scopas, Brown Tang, 5' long tank
Zebrasoma veliferum, Sailfin Tang, 5' long tank
Zebrasoma xanthurum, Purple Tang, 5' long tank



i think this list seems to be good, if im wrong, pls correct me

having only a 75g, pretty much all tangs are off bounds for me, but a lot of people say i can get a kole or a tomini
 
hrmm i didnt know they made a 75 gallon 4 foot tank..

anyways i have a standard 90 gallo AGA ( 48 inch long ) what tang would you reccomend? just the ones listed as 75 gallon tangs?
 
Well some of those tank sizes are on the conservative side. I kept a Sohal in a 350 gallon tank and it was too large for that tank and became very very aggressive to all inhabitants.
 
way to go kar--I told you this thread would be a hit and useful.
If you can keep it non confrontational it could be your bet for thread of the month
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12835482#post12835482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Neptune777
Good idea but some of the suggested tank sizes for many of them are off the mark. sohal in a 180, naso in a 135? These are BIG fish! Just my $.02
Click to expand...

I feel that being a bare minimum for the Tangs when they are young, I did make a couple of changes such as the Achilles. I feel that should be in at least a 200 gallon tank becausse they are a very sensitive fish and need alot of swimming room. I'm sure alot of people will disagree with it but I hope this will bring alot of discussion. Non confrontational of course. ;)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12836078#post12836078 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zestay
hrmm i didnt know they made a 75 gallon 4 foot tank..

anyways i have a standard 90 gallo AGA ( 48 inch long ) what tang would you reccomend? just the ones listed as 75 gallon tangs?
Click to expand...

Yeah, Most 75 gallons are 48"/4'. I would say a Yellow Tang or a Tomini Tang would make a very nice addition.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12836554#post12836554 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
Well some of those tank sizes are on the conservative side. I kept a Sohal in a 350 gallon tank and it was too large for that tank and became very very aggressive to all inhabitants.
Click to expand...
exactly.

The aquarium sizes listed at the top of this thread are the minimum size recommended. This information was gleened from one of Scott Michael's books.
Many of those recommendations are not good IMO- the Sohal is a prime example.

Tip for finding info on Tangs and aquarium size: use a specific keyword (such as the fish's scientific name) in a search.
Or just ask.
 
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