10gal QT tank

I have a tang in a 55g... I have had it for years... In fact, I had several tangs and none of them died of HLLE... I always fed a variety of food but only lately I have been feeding algae. There is no clear connection between HLLE and food.

I also do not think that keeping a tang is a problem in terms of food requirements. They do eat a lot, but a 55g with enough LR and adequately balanced should be sufficient to support them.

The two problems with tangs that usually preclude them from being a good fish for a small tank are the fact that they like to swim a lot, and the fact thay they are mildly aggressive.

A yellow tang is a beautiful fish, which swims gracefuly and has a captivating personality. Not exactly a beginer's fish, but a most-have for any reef tank...
 
I have had my 75 setup for two years and have enjoyed and researched a great deal. I would not say I am totally inexperienced. I put my yellow tang and sailfin together in the 55 and they are buddies. I put the sailfin in first and then introduced the yellow a few hours later. I left the lights off for about 12 hours, and it was the easiest introduction I have ever done. They are very happy together and the only one that has a small attitude is the velvet damsel. I put the blue tang in the Qt until my 75 in real stable, it is doing well. The yellow puts the damsel in his place, and he dont even look at the sailfin. SO Far so good. I think it is going to be fine. They are eating vegies delights like pigs. When my 75 in cycled I am going to put the sail in it. Here are a few pictures.

pdrm0070sailfin, yellow tangs.jpg
 
As those tangs get older, turf wars will occur. It is inevitable. Tangs are not know for being tolerant tank mates. Guy is correct in his predictions I'm afraid.

Be wise and listen to those that have been there and done that a few times already. It is a sign of being a responsible keeper. We've all done dumb and impulsive things with our tanks, the trick is not repeating them ;)
 
The sailfin will be put in my 75, My LFS guy showed me his personal tank and his sailfin is huge . He has had it for 4 years in a 75 and it is awesome. I will do the responsible thing and put the fish in a bigger tank.
 
A 75 is still not big enough for an adult sailfin. A 75 is nothing more than a fat 55. Sailfins need a tall tank with lots of swimming room. The 135 previously suggested would be the minimum to consider.
 
When I see posts like this it makes me think of many many things...


Will a fish get old enough to outgrow his/her tank? if it does not, and dies before "its time", are we being cruel to it? Should we return all our fish to the ocean because they will be happier there?

If someone buys a fish, which has the potential to outgrow the tank, should I tell them to return it?


Anyway, enough rambling...

I advised this person that tangs are aggressive and that because of shape differences, his best bet was to mix the sailfin with another tang. IME Yellow tangs are mild mannered fish, only partially aggressive until they either outgrow their tankmates and become more aggressive or a more aggressive fish arrive.

Tanks are biological system, thus they are subject to changes in the social structure of its population. Corax is right, it is possible that this fish will fight... However, the tank-keeper should be always looking at his/her fish and determining the level of aggression in the tank.

I do it with all my tanks, both in home and at work. I am always looking at this social interactions. They are ever-changing.

If your sailfin ever outgrows your tank, you can sell it back to your LFS. Someone with more budget can buy it.

There are very large fish which should only be kept in really big tanks. This fish are for the aquarist with money or for research and public aquariums... IMO Tangs are not included in this group.

My tang is happy in its 55g. It has been there for at least two years, perhaps three. Scott Michael is someone I respect, but this is something I just cant agree. I have to check his book again, but if he is saying to keep yellow tangs in 75 ... I dont know... Maybe it was a mistake ;)

I admit that I can not talk about the sailfin with a lot of first hand info. I did not keep my fish for very long. Who kill my fish? It was not a tang.. I had a pair of spawning clownfish... The lights went out because of a hurricaine... My tank was without lights for a few days... Clowns kill it...

Which brings me to another point... There is more to consider when you talk about aggressive fish... Spawning clownfish for example, are very aggressive fish. The female will kill anything that comes close to its clutch.

...and the other lesson learn from this experience is: anything that alters the balance or even physical aspects of your tank can and will alter the social structure of your tank. After this event, I was more careful with keeping the tank when I had long blackouts..

Sorry for the long post, but I had to really make my point... I am not inexperienced. I am not an irresponsible fish keeper ;) Maybe I just have a different point of view, as a scientist-in-training and as a student with limited budget. I see a post that says 135g as a tank recomendation and I say, "wow!", not me. I dont have that kind of money....

Oh, if I only had that much.. A 350g would do fine, thank you.


(and BTW Corax, I do understand your point, I only hope you understand mine ;) )
 
The way I look at it, putting tangs in inappropriate sized tanks is like getting a horse for an apartment. Will a horse fit in an apartment? Sort of...But not comfortably. Does that mean you shouldn't get a horse, if that's the best you can provide for it? Yes.
 
I have to say , I didnt think this would start a debate like putting a kid in a box, but it did. My yellow tang and sailfin are getting along great, they are not darting they are swimming peacefully, and I think they will be just fine until my bigger tank is ready. They are not running into anything everyone is very peacefull.
 
skooby, that is pretty normal.. But the concern is that tangs, much like triggers, are very unpredictable critters... By the time you realize you got a problem, you'll probably have a dead or seriously injured fish. There is someone on Reff Central that has in his quote something along the lines of "strive for the optimal environment, not the minimum" and right now you are striving for LESS than the minimum.

It's your fish, yer going to do what you want, so I'm not going to bother trying to convince you otherwise. The lessons will become self-evident in time, you'll just hafta learn em the hard way.

Good luck..
 
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