Tank size for yellow tang?
- Thread starter rdaled
- Start date
I thought a Yellow Tang did not require the same amount of space that other tangs require:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=392&N=0
It recommends a 50 gallon tank.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=392&N=0
It recommends a 50 gallon tank.
I think they, along with many other vendors, undersize tank requirements. I'm not sure why, but some may do it just to sell more fish.
I think a YT could be kept in a 75 or 90 for most of its life. A wild-caught, full grown YT can be big though, and you would want to have a 6-foot tank for them.
Tank sizes can be a sensitive issue with many people. You just don't want to keep the fish in an uncomfortable environment.
Good luck.
Teremei
New member
A yellow tank in a 52 gal might be ok. As long as you only have a couple other small fish and not too much live rock so it has alot of place to swim. .
But if you have 100lbs of live rock and like 6-7 fish then I would say no. I personally want a blue tang but I had a 4 foot 120 gallon and didn't want to get it. Now that I am getting a 6 foot 125 gallon I might rethink it. But that's just, MY opinion. I just want to have as much swimming space for my fish so they are happy.
But if you have 100lbs of live rock and like 6-7 fish then I would say no. I personally want a blue tang but I had a 4 foot 120 gallon and didn't want to get it. Now that I am getting a 6 foot 125 gallon I might rethink it. But that's just, MY opinion. I just want to have as much swimming space for my fish so they are happy.
Dan Thrash
New member
Since this is somewhat of a hot topic here on RC, i suggest you read this:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=739380
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=739380
Andrew
Active member
Thats wrong. LA wants your money and will tell you they need a 10 gallon if they could. A yellow tang needs atleast a 4' tank. Most tangs require atleast a 6' tank. I would worry more about how long your tank is rather then how many gallons it is. LA would have it listed as ( requires atleast a 4 foot tank )
im wondering how bad is it on my YTs . . . i have 3 little YTs in a 6ft 90g and they are all happy i suppose . . . all nice and fat and eating and grazing . . . I was told i have enough room and they all get along except for a few run ins once a day or so . . . they all play together and are not constantly at each other . . . they seem very content . . . they are only 3 inches long . . . i put them in together at the same time and after maybe an hour or two of sorting themselves out when first put into the tank have settled down now . . .
cato
New England
Wish I had seen this thread before I bought my blue tang.
It's only a baby now but it will grow. Hopefully by then I will have upgraded to a much larger tank. Future plans are for a 200-300gal room divider tank. The 54 gal tank now is my first reef learning tank. And boy do I have alot to learn.
Anyone have an idea what the approx annual growth of a blue tang is.
It's only a baby now but it will grow. Hopefully by then I will have upgraded to a much larger tank. Future plans are for a 200-300gal room divider tank. The 54 gal tank now is my first reef learning tank. And boy do I have alot to learn.Anyone have an idea what the approx annual growth of a blue tang is.
markandkristen
Active member
i think a 4 foot tank should be minimum. 6 foot optimal
however most people on here cannot keep a fish for 3-5 years without it dying for various reasons. i know the optimum is for a tang living 10 years but very few can thats my 2 cents
however most people on here cannot keep a fish for 3-5 years without it dying for various reasons. i know the optimum is for a tang living 10 years but very few can thats my 2 cents
I think Scott Michael's book is a better resource for fish guidlines. He recommends a minimum size of 75 for a yellow tang. Bigger is probably better for such an active fish.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087386/reeflink/102-3323252-4476960
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087386/reeflink/102-3323252-4476960
The biggest reason I don't want a tang is because of all the nightmares people talk about with the tang getting sick of this or that. I really don't feel like dealing with that and would rather get a foxface rabbitfish instead of a yellow tang (even though my girlfriend today mentioned that I need something yellow and flashy in my tank)....
AllenFord_SC
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6569608#post6569608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chirocato
Wish I had seen this thread before I bought my blue tang.
Anyone have an idea what the approx annual growth of a blue tang is.
I am asuming you are refering to the Blue Hippo Tang? if so here it goes.
What is known from keeping these fish in aquariums smaller than several hundred gallons is that the end result is a fish with stunted growth. The extent of the growth stunt is directly proportionate to the aquarium size. Following Choat and Axe (1996) and the understanding that Acanthurids obtain 80% of their growth in their first 15% of life, you can get an idea of how fast they should be growing in your aquarium. Combine this with an expected 35 years of age per Acanthurid (Chaot and Axe, 1996), we come up with 80% growth obtained in 5.25 years. Let's take this a step further and plug in the expected maximum size for Paracanthurus hepatus, roughly 12". After doing the math you should get the answer of Paracanthurus hepatus obtaining 9.6 inches at 5.25 years of age. Following the same reference, which states the first 80% growth is fairly consistent, you can take it yet one step farther to learn that your Paracanthurus hepatus should be 1.8 inches after the first year, and continue to grow nearly two inches every year from then until five years of age, where their growth will slow and nearly stop, at which time it should be nearly ten inches. You could also use this same formula when trying to obtain an age of a newly imported specimen.
At this point you should be adequately prepared to determine if your Paracanthurus hepatus has experienced stunted growth. The decision on how to handle this situation is up to you.
here is the full article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/hcs3/index.php
El Langostino
New member
zimmy,
I'm having the same dilemma on whether to add a yellow tang or foxface. I like the yellow tangs appearance much more, but the ich nightmares also scare me off. Then again I don't want a big poisonus fish like a foxface in my tank either.
I'm having the same dilemma on whether to add a yellow tang or foxface. I like the yellow tangs appearance much more, but the ich nightmares also scare me off. Then again I don't want a big poisonus fish like a foxface in my tank either.
