Yellow Tang Tank Size

A

Agua

Member
Before I begin, I would like to request that this tread remain completely civil, and that no one, including myself, be overly criticized.

I would like feedback on the following situation:

I am about to set up a 60" x 9" x 24" tank. That's 55 gallons, but it is, of course, different from the typical 48" x 13" x 20".

The planned rockscape is minimalistic (about 40 pounds). Planned corals are mostly LPS.

I would like to hear opinions about the addition of a yellow tang, Zebrasoma flavescens, as the only fish. The tang would be purchased at 2-3".

The aquarium size is neither temporary nor permanent. I expect to upgrade to a 60" x 30" x 30" 230 gallon tank in 2 years.

I also want to emphasize that a fish will be added only after a fully cycle has completed and the water parameters are pristine.

I would prefer to hear feedback from people who have actually owned yellow tangs and who have personal experience as to their needs.

If a yellow tang doesn't work out, I'll go with a pair of ocellaris clownfish instead. The idea is to have a particularly striking fish or two, but maintain a very light bioload.

Edit: If another fish is recommended, feel free to suggest it.
 
Is the 9" front to back, or the height? If it is the width, I think your tank is too small for a yellow tang.

I kept a yellow tang in a standard 55 before, and the fish was obviously cramped. It was only about 3" long. I know it is not the same length as your 55, but I think that your tank's dimensions are not very different in this case.

I currently have a 5" yellow tang in my 180 and he uses up the entire tank. I couldn't imagine having him in anything smaller.

Though your tank is long enough for a yellow tang, IMO, it is much too narrow. The fish would be able to swim back and forth, but not front to back. Your tank has about 3.75 square feet of usable space, and my yellow tang uses up the entire 12 square feet in my 180. Just my opinion.
 
My rule of thumb is to only buy fish that will fit into my current system at their adult size. Everybody plans to upsize someday, but you can't count on it (and you probably don't want to anytime soon, since you're setting up a new system just now).

If you want a colorful, active fish, maybe you could try one of the smaller Centropyge angels (though you'll have to be careful about reef compatibility).
 
Right - I'm not considering the upgrade in making this decision.

At this point I'm leaning toward the clownfish pair, based on what people are saying, but I'd like some more feedback.
 
Well with the tank and aquascaping you propose, I would recommend a candy basslet. Expensive, but fits in well with what you are planning, and is truly spectacular. A pair of clowns would work, but are maybe less interesting.
 
snorvich said:
Well with the tank and aquascaping you propose, I would recommend a candy basslet. Expensive, but fits in well with what you are planning, and is truly spectacular. A pair of clowns would work, but are maybe less interesting.
Click to expand...

Very cool, but probably out of my price range.
 
Agua said:
I am about to set up a 60" x 9" x 24" tank. That's 55 gallons, but it is, of course, different from the typical 48" x 13" x 20".

The planned rockscape is minimalistic (about 40 pounds). Planned corals are mostly LPS.

I would like to hear opinions about the addition of a yellow tang, Zebrasoma flavescens, as the only fish. The tang would be purchased at 2-3".

The aquarium size is neither temporary nor permanent. I expect to upgrade to a 60" x 30" x 30" 230 gallon tank in 2 years.

I also want to emphasize that a fish will be added only after a fully cycle has completed and the water parameters are pristine.

I would prefer to hear feedback from people who have actually owned yellow tangs and who have personal experience as to their needs.

If a yellow tang doesn't work out, I'll go with a pair of ocellaris clownfish instead. The idea is to have a particularly striking fish or two, but maintain a very light bioload.

Edit: If another fish is recommended, feel free to suggest it.
Click to expand...


As others have said, while the 5' is better than 48"...the 9" depth isn't nearly enough for him. Not only that, but adding one right after the tank is done cycling isn't recommended. You note that you'd add it after the water params are 'pristine', but you should be shooting for pristine AND stable...ie: mature. The tank won't be stable and mature for months...probably about a year in. At that point you might as well wait until your upgrade for a tang.
 
Re: Yellow Tang Tank Size

I've had a yellow tang in my 215 (72x24x30) for about 3 weeks now. He's a little less than 3", so not near fully grown. One minute he's at one end, the next he's at the other. He uses all of the front-to-back room, too. Very active fish. I have to agree with the others that the 9" dimension will be too confining for this species.
 
snorvich said:
Well with the tank and aquascaping you propose, I would recommend a candy basslet. Expensive, but fits in well with what you are planning, and is truly spectacular. A pair of clowns would work, but are maybe less interesting.
Click to expand...

I'm probably biased, since I have clownfish, but I think they're behaviorally pretty interesting, even without a host. It's true that they aren't as colorful and exotic as a candy basslet, though.

ETA: Agua, I just saw that you're planning to keep LPS--scratch my earlier suggestion about a dwarf angel. The tank would become a buffet for him!
 
Last edited:
A few thoughts -

The overwhelming opinion has been no tang, so I'll go with the clownfish.

Also, TampaReefer79 -

Are you really sure that a tank should be set up for a year before adding any fish? That sounds extreme to me... I've always thought that once a cycle is done and water parameters stay perfect for a couple of weeks you're good to go. This isn't my first tank.

Thoughts?
 
Agua said:
Also, TampaReefer79 -

Are you really sure that a tank should be set up for a year before adding any fish? That sounds extreme to me... I've always thought that once a cycle is done and water parameters stay perfect for a couple of weeks you're good to go. This isn't my first tank.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I think that waiting a year before adding fish is way overboard. I have always started adding fish (albeit cheap ones) as soon as the cycle was finished. I think you only need to wait to add fish if you are adding very sensitive fish (achilles tang, for example) or fish with special care requirements such as mandarins. Just don't add too many fish initially and you will be fine.
 
I think maybe what TampaReefer79 meant was that even after the end of the cycle, the system won't have matured and stabilized until much later; and therefore wouldn't be ready for fishes like tangs, which really do require pristine water quality. Captive-bred clownfish are much more robust than tangs.

I've kept three marine tanks so far (all of but one of them with captive-bred clownfish). I've always added my pair of clowns a week or two after the cycle was completed, with no problems (but I didn't add any more fish until months later). You seem pretty cautious and conscientious to begin with and you have experience, so I think you should be fine. Have you decided on a species?
 
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