Biggest Fish I could put in a 55 gallon reef!

[sdogatvman]

Hey guys and gals, what is the biggest possible fish I could put in a 55 gallon reef tank? I currently don't have any fish in the system.

And I don's have any corals in the system but i will be making the system a reef tank so the fish need to be reef safe. I would be fine with a fish that a person would say "add with caution" to a reef tank.

The tank will not be a predator tank because I will have a normal reef setup.

Thanks guys and I am open to all sorts off answers.:smile:

 

[evoIX_njreefer]

That is somewhat backwards. You want to select what fish you want to keep and build your tank based on the fish with the highest requirements. Either way, wrong type of question as well. Who cares on biggest possible fish if you don't know what fish you want to keep? They have different requirements because of swimming needs and amount of waste they can produce.

 

[sdogatvman]

That is somewhat backwards. You want to select what fish you want to keep and build your tank based on the fish with the highest requirements. Either way, wrong type of question as well. Who cares on biggest possible fish if you don't know what fish you want to keep? They have different requirements because of swimming needs and amount of waste they can produce.

I don't know what fish I want to keep but i do know that I would like a fish that looks like a tang and that i could have in my tank. i would want it to be big. I know this is a strange question, but i really like bigger reef fish. what is one i could have in a 55 gallon system (lots of swimming space).

 

[Joeganja]

yellow or purple tang or hippo tang

 

[Tahoe61]

^ Why would you even suggest those choices for a 55 gallon tank for an individual new to the hobby? All are prone to Marine Ich, none of those listed even comes close to be appropriate for a 55 gallon. New hobbyist rarely buy fish and actually carry through with upgrading to a larger tank as a large fish type grows and matures.

 

[tyler1503]

Agree with Tahoe. No tangs in a 55.
Sometimes the tang police need to step in lol.
All those tangs, especially the hippo need at least a 6 foot tank IMO.
Certain wrasse would work, anthias too. Some clown species can get pretty big, but they can also be highly aggressive too.
I would personally look into which you like best, then research particular species and ask here if they would be suitable

 

[haleyf1024]

How about a gold stripe maroon clown? One would probably host a RBTA, and are very pretty

 

[evoIX_njreefer]

If you want a tang get it small. Move it when it gets too big for the tang. People who say don't get a tang in a 55 are somewhat disillusioned by the idea of requirements. The requirements are full grown. Obviously don't put multiple fangs but if you get a tang when small and plan to sell it or upgrade appropriately than it is fine. A tang takes years to grow out of that size of you get them when small. Especially a yellow.

 

[sdogatvman]

Thanks guys, I don't think I will be getting a Tang for my system. But are there any other larger fish that I could put in my 55 gallon that don't need lots of swimming space like the Tangs.

 

[haleyf1024]

The only one I can think of is a marine betta or clowns, most big fish need swimming room. Maybe a dwarf angel?

 

[Joeganja]

Well I'm just being honest I've successfully had two tangs In a 55 gallon and they have lived for 5 years and no problems.

 

[haleyf1024]

How about a flame angel or coral beauty?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Rhinopias get large and are not active, but are highly predatory and will eat anything the size of its body. Dwarf lionfish species get to 4-6in depending on species, but also are highly predatory. Kole and Tomini tangs stay small enough to live in a 55g. A large bodied anthias such as a pink square or bimaculatus would work. A longnose butterfly would be fine as well.

 

[Joeganja]

I've been in this hobby for about 10 years now and I've successfully kept many tangs in a 55 gallon for over 3 years and I haven't had any problems. As long as you have good flow for aeration for oxygen and a strong skimmer you'll be fine. I've seen many people have yellow tangs in 40 gallons and smaller. I now have a juvenile hippo tang in a fluval edge 6 gallon and he is fine. I have a blue naso and a yellow and a dogface puffer and 3 mono Argentus in a 55 gallon with no skimmer and I have no nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia problems. Now some may disagree with the way I've done it but that's what this hobby is. There's different ways to do something and they may work and they may not. It's a great big experiment that teaches you a lot.

 

[eatbreakfast]

There certainly is more than one way to be successful, but success should be defined more by satisfying the fish's needs and it growing, and developing in ways where it can stake out and defend a territory, show proper color, be of proper dimensions, not by "I didnt kill it so I have succeeded".

Experimentation and trial and error have done a lot for our hobby, but ultimately we are caring for living creatures. We have a responsibility to care for them to the best of our abilities not"lets see how small of a tank I can keep a tang in" and if we cant at least plan out what we will do if a fish outgrows what we can provide for it than we really need to reconsider keeping it in the first place.

 

[haleyf1024]

There certainly is more than one way to be successful, but success should be defined more by satisfying the fish's needs and it growing, and developing in ways where it can stake out and defend a territory, show proper color, be of proper dimensions, not by "I didnt kill it so I have succeeded".

Experimentation and trial and error have done a lot for our hobby, but ultimately we are caring for living creatures. We have a responsibility to care for them to the best of our abilities not"lets see how small of a tank I can keep a tang in" and if we cant at least plan out what we will do if a fish outgrows what we can provide for it than we really need to reconsider keeping it in the first place.

+1000. I couldn't agree more or have said it better than that. Love that last sentence

 

[Tahoe61]

. I have a blue naso and a yellow and a dogface puffer and 3 mono Argentus in a 55 gallon with no skimmer and I have no nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia problems. Now some may disagree with the way I've done it but that's what this hobby is. There's different ways to do something and they may work and they may not. It's a great big experiment that teaches you a lot.

That is nice. It's providing the best husbandry for your dependents before it's your experiment.

 

[13jake]

Alright just to put my two cents in tangs are fine in a 55 as long as you choose smaller ones like cole,and yellow tangs. Also you could try to find a bigger wrasse that's reef safe or a anthias.and I agree with finding a place for when it grows out

 

[jdl513]

I look at a fish as though buying a dog or cat meaning I plan to care for it for life.
Buying a fish like a hepatus or naso with the thought that I would trade him/her in as though a car seems wrong to me but I won't judge anyone for feeling differently.

Larger fish I would consider for a 55 gallon would be a dwarf angel and a bristletooth tang or a rabbit fish.
Yeah I know the angels are "with caution" but I can't imagine keeping a tank without at least one angel.

 

[tyler1503]

I look at a fish as though buying a dog or cat meaning I plan to care for it for life.
Buying a fish like a hepatus or naso with the thought that I would trade him/her in as though a car seems wrong to me but I won't judge anyone for feeling differently.

Larger fish I would consider for a 55 gallon would be a dwarf angel and a bristletooth tang or a rabbit fish.
Yeah I know the angels are "with caution" but I can't imagine keeping a tank without at least one angel.

+1. Would you keep a few border collies in an inner city apartment? If so, would you take them to the pound as soon as they stopped being cute little puppies? Great analogy jdl513.