Blue tang

JamesWeaver · Apr 24, 2018

So I have a 55gal set up and my son has been begging me for the “Dory” fish since we have clowns. LFS store has said I could get them small about 1-2inches and then later on get rid of them when they start to get bigger. And everything online has been giving me mixed advice as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Michael Llabona · Apr 24, 2018

It will outgrow the tank pretty fast and they are harder to keep overall. Live aquaria says you would need a 180. I've seen people say 240 or larger. A responsible lfs will only sell to people with 180 or larger because of the Nemo and Dory craze. Are you actually willing to swap out a fish every year or two just to have Dory?

Swoody · Apr 24, 2018

I can’t even imagine putting the fish through it... just no reason. If you want to do it right buy a proper sized tank..... it will make the experience much more enjoyable and positive. You can find a plethora of tanks with gear on Craigslist.... that’s where I got my 1st tank from at a fraction of the cost of new.....JMHO....

rkpetersen · Apr 24, 2018

I've seen them doing fine in 100g systems but yes, 55g is probably a bit too small. Also they are relatively delicate and prone to disease, which makes them a less than ideal choice for a new tank. However, when healthy, they are great fish, active swimmers and feed enthusiastically. A difficult decision. You can get a small one now, and in a year or two when your son is no longer particularly interested in it, take it back to the shop or give it to another aquarist. It's not such a disaster, as long as you commit to rehoming it properly when necessary.

tdileo · Apr 24, 2018

Look at yellow tail damsels. If your son is young I doubt he could tell the difference.

Jesterrace · Apr 24, 2018

JamesWeaver said:
So I have a 55gal set up and my son has been begging me for the “Dory” fish since we have clowns. LFS store has said I could get them small about 1-2inches and then later on get rid of them when they start to get bigger. And everything online has been giving me mixed advice as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It's never a good idea to buy a fish that gets too big for your tank (unless you have a bigger tank already setup or will in the not too distant future. Any time you transfer fish it puts stress on them (never a good thing for a velvet/ich prone fish like a Tang). As for the mixed results online, the only online source that consistently makes an attempt at a realistic minimum tank size is liveaquaria. I swear the other guys just throw darts at a dart board and go with wherever it lands as it has no realistic bearing on the max size of the fish or it's level of activity. Furthermore people make it sound like it's super easy to remove fish. Sometimes it is and sometimes you will never get the fish out of your tank no matter how hard you try.

JamesWeaver · Apr 24, 2018

I have made the decision to not get one and explained it to my son who was set on getting one and he was surprisingly understanding (he’s only 3). Just going to take him to LFS and have him pick something out. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Jesterrace · Apr 25, 2018

There are plenty of other cool fish out there. You might want to start steering him towards wrasses as the peaceful Halichoeres Wrasses, Fairy Wrasses and Flasher Wrasses will work with your tank.