Blue tang! which tank size is better?
 

I've seen this question asked everywhere but doesn't have the answer I'm looking for..
I will be setting up a fowlr or a small reef soon. (Currently have a 20 gallon tank with 2 Clowns , 1 Bicolor Dottyback) .
It'll be either a 90 gallon (not standard dimensions , it'll be 4x2x1.5) or a 85 gallon (again not standard , it's a 5x1.5x1.5) with Sump filtration.

So my question is this , which size tank suits a Blue tang better? I'll be keeping Clownfish , Cleaner Shrimps and the like as tank mates)

Is it better to go with 5x1.5x1.5 since it's longer or with the 4x2x1.5 since it has slightly higher footprint?

Note : I know both tanks are not suitable for a blue tang for life , I have the option to trade it at my LFS anytime I want. So what I want to know is which tank is more suitable for a Juvenile for , say 2 years or so?

Thank you in advance! :)

Look up the requirements on liveaquaria most tangs need a tank 6ft long or they stress. I don't thing the Blue does but the bigger the tank the better.


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I'm sort of in the same position, looking at how ethical it would be to put a tank bred blue in a 5x27x27. I think if you went tank bred it might be ok in the 5, definitely not in the 4ft though.

Longer the better..

They need at least eight feet long tanks

With tangs, longer is better. You really want a minimum of six feet even for a juvenile, and 8'+ for an adult.

Jesus, the amount of "advice" in tang threads always make me laugh. I have a standard 90G, which i've raised a quarter sized blue tang in, up to a 4" with NO problems. He's been in there for almost 2 years as happy as can be. He's fat and healthy. I'm in the process of a 240G upgrade at my new house. But don't listen to the neigh-sayers. You'll be fine with a tiny/small one in a 90G for a LONG time. If you want it, and can keep it healthy, go for it. 8 foot tank??? LOL

You don't have the fish or the tank yet?

I would just set up the system needed to keep the fish you want then. You will be happier and more successful in the hobby if decide what you want to keep, then setup a system to meet its lifetime requirements.

Here is a good guide. In most cases length is more important than total size as most tangs love to swim back an fort and hit high rates of speed.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1946079

You will always hear from someone who "bet" the odds with a tang in a smaller than recommended size tank. Good for them, but there are many others factors to also consider - how many total fish, how many tangs, how much live rock, aquascape allowing for unrestrcited swim room. Go by the recommendations from those wh are concerned for the overall benefits of the fish.

After two years I can't believe a 4 inch blue tang is happy to be so slowly growing.

Mine is in an 8' tank.


With 8 other tangs. ;)

Thinking, could I really do an 8 foot tank? I have already gone from 40 to 90 to 180 over about 15 years. Hey, what's one more upgrade? NO! I'm too old (73). What if I lost all my corals? But, all those beautiful tangs. What ones do you have?

Purple x2, Yellow x2, Chevron, Tomini, Convict, Hippo, and a huge Desjardini.

Id be intrigued to know how many people actually have an 8' plus tank on here?! It gets banded around like every other reefer has a 8' tank and when I worked in the inds. a few years ago, not one customer had an 8' tank.

If Photobucket lets me, I'll get some pics or a quick video after work. :)

I have a 4' tank (120g) with a Kole and Yellow Tang. I have a fairly open aquascape with plenty of swim throughs and I see absolutely no problem with keeping them. When looking at Blue Tangs, I did not feel comfortable putting one in this tank.

QUICK STATS

Minimum Tank Size: 180 gallons
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Reef Compatible: Yes
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max. Size: 1'
Color Form: Blue
Diet: Herbivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Fiji, Indonesia, Maldives, Solomon Islands
Family: Acanthuridae

What do these Quick Stats mean? Click here


yes... your tank that is half the size of the MINIMUM tank size will work fine....

:debi: :debi: :debi:

see the problem?

Neither!!!

Inevitably people chime in that they had a 14" long tang in a 75g or whatever for "years" with "no problems" and act as if there should be some obvious visual problem that the tang would indicate it was not ok in their tank. That's not always the case. This is about having a happy healthy animal. Can you keep a tang in a tank too small and possibly have "no problems"? Sure. But that doesn't mean the animal is happy. Could you keep a golden retriever in a cage all its life that is only 4' by 4' and have "no problems"? Sure. But does that mean that dog will be happy? Do people even think about these animals before they put them in tanks too small? No, they just want their tang and they don't give a damn about the animal. :rolleyes:

I waited 8 years til I could have a large enough tank for the tangs I wanted. Think about these fish, not just yourself.

Depends if you can catch and move it and have a minimum 6' tank ready for it when it gets to that size. It really only needs 36-48" until it's multiple years old (takes two years to grow from a .75-1" size to a 5-6" size)

But don't plan your tanks around catch and move unless you really have the resources in place already, please please please

The amount of these fish on the market and those of us who can house them properly are vastly outnumbered. There has to be some sort of compromise. I guess we could just stop keeping saltwater fish altogether, (problem solved) but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. :rolleyes:

Looks like I will not be keeping a blue tang anytime soon :)

So it'll only be Clowns , Gobies and other small fish..

put him in. All tanks are too small for a tang anyways. They swim like they are in jail. Back and forth back and forth even in a 8' tank. So it really doesn't matter if it is a 2' or 8' tank. just more laps

This is horrible advice. Just because other people make bad choices with fish does not mean it's ok

Holy false equivalence Batman!