My new Red Sea Reefer 425 is coming today and I am wanting to know if I would be able to keep a yellow tang, blue tang, and a blue Caribbean tang in that tank. The tank is 47”x22”x22.6”. The display is 88 gallons, the sump is 24. I have a simplicity 240DC skimmer to go with it. I would also have a pair of clowns and a coral beauty.
3 tangs?
- Thread starter ChaseB143
- Start date
- Tagged users None
CC13
Valuable Member
88 gallons is a little small for 3 tangs to be honest. Total water volume of your system is irrelevant really, tangs like to swim and need room to move around. You might be able to get away with a small yellow if you know when he grows you'll have to trade him in (at which point catching him might be a challenge).
Recommended size for a tang is usually around 100 gallons minimum and that's for the ones that don't like to swim as much as lets say a Sohal which need 250 gallons or larger.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Tank size is an issue, especially with the blue tangs. My blue tang is on the verge of outgrowing my 187g system. There is also a high chance of aggression issues between the blue tangs because they are so similar. The yellow tang would be borderline. I would consider a yellow Foxface as a more appropriate tank addition for the bright yellow.
MSB123
Someone out there put something smart here.
MnFish1
10K Club member
This is a question I've had as well. What is this based on? (i.e. tangs compared to other large fish or fish in general)? Clearly many fish 'seem' to stay in a relatively small area (clowns with an anemone, for example) - but I would suggest that the 'range' of many of the fish we keep is unknown - and even the smaller fish we keep probably swim in a range larger than even a 100 gallon tank. Is there really that much difference between a 4 foot 88 gallon tank - and a 5 foot 100 gallon tank?
If the argument (which I've heard) is that tangs have a huge home range of miles - then keeping them in a 100(or 400 ) gallon tank is probably not good either. My opinion is that the chosen tangs will do just as well in the 88 gallon tank as another other similar sized fish does in an aquarium of that size.
MnFish1
10K Club member
Curious - what would happen to a tang in a 5 foot tank that would not happen in a 6 foot tank? I ask this because I have a large perhaps 4-5 inch purple tang that has no problem in my 5 foot tank. He is quite good friends with a large gold flake angel - they both swim together throughout the tank. Again - no argument here - just curious why people are 'worried' about tangs - but you dont hear the same concerns with large angels or butterflies, for example.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
I base it on observation of fish along with anecdotal evidence.
If you watch my aquarium, my Blue Tang and Convict tang are the most active at swimming the full length. The Yellow tangs have their moments, but they spend quite a bit of time grazing. My Kole tang spends a lot of time grazing and rarely swims the length of the tank which matches well with my Foxface. My anthias and damsels almost never go into the right half of my tank. My flame angel used to swim actively in and out of the rocks but rarely swam the length of the tank.
From a strictly anecdotal perspective, it seems that tangs in smaller tanks cause more aggression issues when they get a bit larger. They are seem to grow slower which is a sign of stress.
My personal belief is that tank size does matter, but so does the tank layout. A 4' tank with lots of swimming room would be better than a 6' tank packed with coral.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,518
- Reaction score
- 2,854
Agreed. I had one Yellow Tang in my 90 gallon (no other tangs) with 3 other fish, it wasn't half grown and it tried to take over the entire tank in a month. I can't imagine adding one along with two others. @ the OP, Live Aquaria (one of the few sources that makes a real attempt at minimum tank sizes for fully grown fish) lists the following MINIMUMS:
Blue Tang: 180 gallons (and that is being generous)
https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+330&pcatid=330
Blue Caribbean Tang: 180 gallons
https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2730+328&pcatid=328
Yellow Tang: 100 gallons (and it really should be 125 as they do best in 6 foot long or larger tanks)
https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+392&pcatid=392
Your tank is really only suited to the smallest bristletooth tangs and only 1 of them at that:
https://aquarium-fish.liveaquaria.c...nd&view=grid&af=minimumaquariumsize:75gallons
CC13
Valuable Member
I am no expert but I do know that tangs in general are pretty territorial and also graze ALL day looking for food. Apart from the swimming aspect, and from what I have read. From my understanding, smaller tanks don't provide the swimming room, food requirements and space they need to live comfortably.
I have tangs, and I also have a Foxface Lo. My largest tang is still smaller than my Foxface and there is a noticeable difference on aggression, swimming patterns and feeding.
In part I would agree with you though, a 600 gallon tank packed with liverock would offer just as much free swimming space as a smaller tank. You need to lay your tank out right.
MSB123
Someone out there put something smart here.
I am saying the i would not keep in a tank smaller then 5 feet.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,518
- Reaction score
- 2,854
No concerns with large angels? I don't know many folks on this site (or any other site with experienced folks) who would recommend the larger angels f0r a 4-5 foot long tank (maybe with the exception of the Bellus or Singapore Angels which are right between a large dwarf and a large angel for size). Butterfly fish I have seen similar although Butterflyfish do have the added benefit of better dispositions than Tangs when it comes to aggression. I agree though that with the exception of the smallest butterflies, tangs and the couple of angels that I mentioned that none of them are well suited to 4-5 foot long tanks. The other reason is simply that people tend to gravitate more towards Tangs in smaller tanks for some odd reason. How many threads do you see about putting Emperor Angels or Auriga Butterflyfish in their 4-5 foot tanks? How many do you see about putting one or more Tangs in the same size tanks? Huge difference in the number of people asking about the different types of fish working in a given size tank, hence the perception that it's all about Tangs.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,518
- Reaction score
- 2,854
I wouldn't call a Purple Tang large at 4-5 inches as they get about 10 inches when fully grown (same for the GoldFlake Angel). Also how long have you had them? My YT was added to my 90 gallon at about 4 inches in size and was a model citizen for the first month and hung out with my Coral Beauty. Then I noticed a chunk missing from my CB's lower fin and white "scratches" on it's body. Then I saw the butthead YT backup and slap my CB with it's tail scalpel and cause a new white scratch to appear. I gave him the boot and replaced him with a similar sized Foxface who has caused no issues with his tank mates after several months in the tank.
These are suitable options for OP's size tank.
https://www.liveaquaria.com/categor...15+43&r=3127&s=ts&start=1&page_num=1&count=24
https://www.liveaquaria.com/categor...15+43&r=3127&s=ts&start=1&page_num=1&count=24
.... My bad...
MnFish1
10K Club member
Have had both for over a year. I am not sure why - but I have never had aggression issues with any fish in any of my tanks *(except when first introduced) - and that tends to sort itself out quickly. I agree with you about the size of the tang - the body itself is about 5 inches. I have never seen fish grow to their 'natural' size in a tank (including large tanks) very often - perhaps that because most die (i.e. in zoos, etc) before they reach 'full size'. In any case its an interesting discussion
Brew12
Electrical Gru
It was a great question. I believe we don't question enough and it gets us into trouble. It's important for people to understand the "why" behind what are often laid out as rules.
Not every fish will reach "Full Size" and it isn't necessarily because the are living in an aquarium. In dogs, a full size healthy yellow lab can reach around 120 pounds. The typical yellow lab is under 80 pounds. Just because a fish CAN grow to 10" does not mean that every fish of that species WILL grow to 10".
I'll post two old photos from my 5' tank. Yup.. that's right... 5 tangs in a 5' tank. You can get an idea of how quickly a blue tang can grow. These pictures are 10 months apart.
MnFish1
10K Club member
Yes - for some reason some of the larger tangs on live aquaria say 125 some say 180. Either way - those are for 'full grown fish' - and you just dont see that many 'full grown fish' - I mean - it can take years for a lets say 2 inch tang to grow to 6 inches (especially in an aquarium). I think the key is having large amounts of swimming area - and a longer tank - rather than the 'gallon' size - JMO.
MnFish1
10K Club member
That was one of the reasons I asked - I have a friend who just set up a tank - I think its about 4.5 feet - he has 4 tangs - and they play together and seem to be doing fine. I mentioned that I thought the tank was 'a little small' that many tangs... He said 'why' I was like well its the conventional wisdom - needless to say - I cant repeat he word he used in response to that here lol. PS nice tank and tangsIt was a great question. I believe we don't question enough and it gets us into trouble. It's important for people to understand the "why" behind what are often laid out as rules.
Not every fish will reach "Full Size" and it isn't necessarily because the are living in an aquarium. In dogs, a full size healthy yellow lab can reach around 120 pounds. The typical yellow lab is under 80 pounds. Just because a fish CAN grow to 10" does not mean that every fish of that species WILL grow to 10".
I'll post two old photos from my 5' tank. Yup.. that's right... 5 tangs in a 5' tank. You can get an idea of how quickly a blue tang can grow. These pictures are 10 months apart.
