New salt water tank HELP

[bludwig10]

I would like to get my grandson a saltwater tank for Christmas... He wants Nemo and Dori (Blue Tang and Clown Fish) My question is can they live together and what size tank would I need?

[D Z]

Most people are going to recommend a minimum of a 150 gallon tank for a blue tang. They naturally swim very long distances in the wild, therefore, require a somewhat large tank. As far as them doing well in the same tank as a clown, that is not problem. I would highly stress that you read up a lot on the hobby as there is a lot that goes into succesfully keeping a salt water tank. This would be a good resource to start with:

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/107552-new-people-read-me/

 

If you are serious about learning all there is to being successful in the hobby, then you are in the right place. This forum is very diverse, with a lot of kind and generous people willing to give advice. You will not see many blue tangs here, as this site caters more towards nano tanks(under 60 gallons), but pretty much any question you may come up with can be answered here.

[lkoechle]

Another option instead of going with 150 gallon tank to accommodate a tang, is you can get smaller tank (20 at the minimum but 40 would be easier to keep) and get a blue chromis or a yellow tail damsel which are similar to Dory in appearance. Not exactly, but close enough most kids wouldn't mind.

 

But like the previous poster said, you should really read up on the hobby. Saltwater is a lot more particular then a traditional freshwater set up, but you're in the right place.