Yellow tang minimum tank size

[Tamberav]

I believe it is normal behavior for a tang to be territorial. Some are worse than others.

 

Keep in mind bicolors are coral/clam nippers.

 

Great point on bigger fish making a tank look smaller... To be honest I'm probably going to shoot for one or the other... Any idea if it is majority tangs that get defensive with the nori? Or if it's hit or miss.


I've taken into consideration a Bicolor Blenny! Saw one at my LFS and fell in love with how they just reverse park themselves into the holes of the rock work... I plan on getting Pukani rock so good thing it's very porous for them to park in.

[Angeles]

I will admit, my flame has nipped before, but usually, if I feed him sufficiently, he looks much happier and more peaceful, and he nips much less.

[JaceR]

Most people here have told you to not get a tang but your looking for that one possibility of getting one.. My personal opinion is don't get a fish you know is going to outgrow your tank even if it is "temporarily", because success in this hobby isn't about temporarily, it's about long term success, reefs don't grow over night, neither does your tank.

[Chris!]

I will admit, my flame has nipped before, but usually, if I feed him sufficiently, he looks much happier and more peaceful, and he nips much less.

 

Or nipping much more when your not looking. I fed 4 times a day (fairly heavily by most peoples standards) and once they were removed the PE and overall health/happiness improvement was extremely clear. I only saw one ever nip.... once. But again it was clear they were all doing it once I pulled the last one.

[Icanhazcheeseburger]

Or nipping much more when your not looking. I fed 4 times a day (fairly heavily by most peoples standards) and once they were removed the PE and overall health/happiness improvement was extremely clear. I only saw one ever nip.... once. But again it was clear they were all doing it once I pulled the last one.

 

Thanks for the info Chris. Quick question, was your flame Angel one of the original live stocks that was first introduced into your fish tank?

[Cove]

I'm not even kidding I know someone who put a blue, yellow, powder blue, two clowns, flame angel, a few chromis, Mandarin Goby, lawnmower blenny, and a few other fish in a half moon 30 gallon. Now he's got a blue, purple and yellow tang along with 4 clowns, baby clown trigger and a few other fish in a 65 gallon x__X

[indyjaco]

Just don't put a hippo in the tank, they grow extremely fast. A yellow will do well for a while, they are pretty passive when it comes to tank sizes. Eventually the fish will start to stress as it grows.

[Angeles]

But seriously, are you looking for a cruising open-water fish, or a grazing fish.

 

Cruising- yellow coris wrasse.

grazing- either pygmy angel(pretty much the most "reef safe" dwarf) or maybe a dif kind of dwarf angelfish.

 

If you won't settle for anything but a tang, go with a Kole tang, as they require the lease space.

[Paleoreef103]

Putting a decently large fish in a medium sized tank makes the tank look smaller.

That's why my biggest fish in my 40 breeder is a 4-line wrasse.

 

As for the question, tangs are generally open water swimmers that eat and poop a lot. Part of it is giving the fish enough room to stretch its fins and part of it is giving yourself a big enough to tank to deal with its waste effectively. I wouldn't keep a tang (even a small one) long term in anything less than a 48"x18" footprint (with fairly open rockwork). Tangs are both more entertaining to watch and live healthier if they have a ton of current and tons of space to zip around so don't under do the tank size. I'd say cube tanks are the worst for tangs as they can't get up to speed (which they sometimes love to do). Honestly, there are plenty of really amazing fish of all sizes so it doesn't make a lot of sense to pick a fish that isn't fit for your tank.

[Icanhazcheeseburger]

Thanks for all your input guys, I have decided not to get a tang. As of now, I'm going with my clowns and adding a baby Flame Angel. Follow my build thread if anyone is interested in a JBJ 45 rimless any time soon (Link's in my signature)

[joy13]

Just remember it is easy to put a fish in a tank but a lot harder to get out.

[FlyingHigh85]

A 12" cube should be big enough for a adult yellow tang. That way, you won't need powerheads for water movement. Your tang will just swim round-n-round creating a mini-maelstrom. It'd be fun to watch, too.

 

Have you considered a sunrise dottyback? They're spunky, hardy, beautiful, and only get ~3".

 

edit: the negative sign in the "~3" is supposed to be a tilde meaning "approximately." What the f. It's been awhile now since I've seen a negative 3" fish. They sure are funny looking. And mean.

[anizato]

Hi everybody, as the title suggest, I was wondering the minimum tank size of a baby yellow tang about 1 1/2" in diameter.

 

And how fast do they grow in inch(es)/year p. Thanks!

 

I have a 1.5" Baby Yellow Tang in a 10 gallon reef tank. He lives in there with 2 o.clownfish. I got him about 2 months ago because at the time I was preparing a 50g tank for him (people STILL say that is too small), but due to life happening I am unable to transfer him YET (soon enough though).

He eats EVERYTHING and ALL THE TIME!

 

From the pros (people who assemble tanks and have been in the industry for over 2 decades) I have had conversations with, they say 50g is ok (but not great) for a YT (75g upward is recommended).

All of their suggestions paired up with ONE common denominator: make sure he EATS before you get him. That is the most important fact to consider (:

 

hope this helps

 

(check my thread to see the Yellow Tang in my 10G - super happy little guy - very smart!)

[farkwar]

Lot of hand wringing, panty bunching, gnashing of teeth, and expensive decisions over an inexpensive common.

 

...and lamentation of the wemin.