Will my tangs grow if.....

[zacharytrimble]

I've got a hippo and a yellow in a 75 that have been about the same size for 2-3 years (about 3 inches long)....I'm about to upgrade to either a 125 or 180...will they grow...or do they reach an age where they will stop growing?

 

[zacharytrimble]

hello?

 

[TomRep]

I believe saltwater fish are different than most freshwater fish where they do not "grow to the size tank they are in". Saltwater fish will grow to their adult size whether in a 30 gallon or a 400 gallon. Both Tangs you mentioned should still have some growing to do, especially the Hippo.
tom

 

[lowendmelody]

"Should" .... ??

of course they are gonna get bigger. That hippo tang itself will grow to be bigger than 1/4 the length of his 75g at at least a foot in length.

so yeah, your gonna need a bigger tank and soon if he is starting to get to 4 or 5" or so.

 

[zacharytrimble]

Well, he's been 3" for 2 years now...with no growth in that 2 years...so....I dunno...same with yellow tang...hasn't grown for about 3 years

 

[lowendmelody]

juvenile blues should grow quite quickly, not so much the yellow. What do you feed the blue? and how often? ..... if I may

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Right now you are stunting their growth. Its really not healthy for the hippo being in the 75g tank. Ive had mine for 3 years now. When I got it, it was the size of a nickel. Now it reaches about 7". I would strongly suggest getting the 180. My 125g has already gotten to small for it.

 

[dcombs44]

If you have two tangs at that size that are not growing, they are not as healthy as they could be.

A healthy fish is a growing fish IMO

 

[zacharytrimble]

Lowendmelody....I feed him thera A pellets once a day and clip green marine algae once a day.

Dcombs and aquareefer....yes, I think you may be right...tangs grow like it's their job...and the fact that mine haven't grown is kinda wierd...it may mean they aren't as healthy and happy as they could be. Usually, the story is somebody's hippo outgrows their tank and they upgrade...I'm upgrading mine..partly...because he's not growing...and I'd like to see if he grows when I do upgrade...

but to get back to the main question.......they haven't been growing...and they are a few years old now...is there a point in their life when it's too late to grow? Or does such a day not exist?

 

[paulallen]

Fish only growing to the size of the tank is a horrible misconception. And you should be feeding a lot more than nori and some pellets. I'm kind of a freak about feeding my fish. I feed plankton, krill, spirulina enriched brine, nori, formula one, formula 2, pigmy angel formula and spectrum on a rotation. The spectrum is basically a snack if I am pressed for time. I also add marine C, zoe marine and selcon to all the food except nori and spectrum. Occasionally I use garlic extreme as well. Mostly, just for new fish in my Qt.

 

[Untamed12]

For whatever reasons..(poor nutrition, confined living space...), a fish can have "stunted" growth. If this persists for some time, the fish will never achieve normal size even if the conditions that caused the stunting are removed.

I've seen older fish with bad histories, quickly outgrown by younger fish in the same environment. The only difference is the history the old fish has.

I think the same is true of people, actually.

 

[zacharytrimble]

So, perhaps we'll have to see...maybe my tangs will not grow a whole lot more even after the upgrade if this is true...

A note I've gathered about tangs...by the way. I think that most of us who have tangs probably shouldn't....I've often felt guilty about having my two tangs...and I've of course...had tang police on me before...but I would also like to state that I think it's funny (present company accepted) when people with like a 300 gallon tank with tell me that my 3" tang is dying in my 75...when they have like 5 12" tangs in theirs....the principle is kinda the same...putting a tang in a glass box probably isn't the best...no matter how big your tank is...some theories say they need miles of linear swimming space......