Blue tang

[ElitePirate]

Hi guys

I have a 15g tank with 2 clowns and 1 blue devil so I'm not planning to add any more fishes.

But I really like blue tang (dory) that's one of my favourite but I was worried that my 15g tank s small that's why I never add that fish.

Let's say if I'm gonna setup a new tank just for this blue tang, what's the minimum requirement? Like tank size etc. Thanks in advance

 

[Huff747]

Here's an article that covers some of those questions - https://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=326

 

[ElitePirate]

thanks for that line but id like to get some direct input from tang owners. Also as you can see here

In order to create an environment at home large enough for a Blue Tang to grow, swim, hide, and thrive, your family would need to invest up to $1,000 in a 180-gallon saltwater aquarium. That's an aquarium over 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, 2 feet tall, filled with water and weighing nearly one ton

Don't you think they are exaggerating a bit? lets just say im only going to keep 1 single tang.. do i really need a 180G tank?

 

[ElitePirate]

thanks for that line but id like to get some direct input from tang owners. Also as you can see here

In order to create an environment at home large enough for a Blue Tang to grow, swim, hide, and thrive, your family would need to invest up to $1,000 in a 180-gallon saltwater aquarium. That's an aquarium over 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, 2 feet tall, filled with water and weighing nearly one ton

Don't you think they are exaggerating a bit? lets just say im only going to keep 1 single tang.. do i really need a 180G tank?

 

[4FordFamily]

I definitely would not put one in a tank of that size. They do really need 180+. Truly, they'll outgrow even a 6 foot tank, rather quickly. They're fast growers and get very large.

If one of few tangs, a 180 will suffice for much longer.

 

[nereefpat]

Standard 180 - standard 240 gallon. 6-8' tank at least 2' wide.

They get large, and they behave strangely and develop health problems in smaller tanks.

 

[Jesterrace]

Agreed. Blue Tangs get around a foot in length, 6-7 inches tall and are very active. Even a 180 gallon is pushing it a bit for a full size tang. A 15 gallon is still nothing more than a temporary holding tank for a baby Blue Tang (ie needs to be out in less than a month). Tangs are open water swimmers in the wild that swim miles between reefs so even a large tank really isn't adequate for them but it can work if the Tang grows up in it.

 

[REEFIN RIOS]

Ok yes all tangs get big, id go atleast a 40breeder it’s not impossible, I had a hippo in my 14 for about 8 months ( I got ahold of a hatchling reason why I put it in a 14) if You start small and upgrade as you go your fine. But a 6ft tank is optimal and a 8’-10’ is best FOR ADULTS. Now most people buy a small hippo 2in and smaller they will be fine in a 3’ - 4ft tank. But after they reach 3.5” they are gonna need an upgrade. If you keep it in a small tank to long it may stunt it’s growth which you may think is good but the inside don’t stop growing so it’s life will be pretty short. That why people say go 6ft+ so that tang will live for its normal life span.

 

[Marco S]

thanks for that line but id like to get some direct input from tang owners. Also as you can see here

In order to create an environment at home large enough for a Blue Tang to grow, swim, hide, and thrive, your family would need to invest up to $1,000 in a 180-gallon saltwater aquarium. That's an aquarium over 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, 2 feet tall, filled with water and weighing nearly one ton


Don't you think they are exaggerating a bit? lets just say im only going to keep 1 single tang.. do i really need a 180G tank?

This is from a company that sells fish for a living...that's what they do. Why would they exaggerate when their goal is to sell fish? They have a ton of experience with Tangs and have done their research and come to the conclusion that this specific fish needs a "Minimum" of 180 gallons. I would take them at their word.

Of course there are those that choose to keep this fish in smaller tanks and they will probably even tell you their fish is perfectly happy...but why would you go against the recommendations of the subject matter experts when it comes to what is best for your fish? That's like trying to run Windows 10 on half a GB of RAM when Microsoft says the "Minimum" is 1GB. It will not end well...

 

[cancun]

I agree! I had a purple tang in my 80 gallon four foot tank for about six months before I upgraded to a 200 gallon six foot tank. Before that at various points not all at the same time I had a yellow tang, and another time a convict tang. All became very agressive. I rehomed the yellow due to agression, and also later on the convict. My purple was also starting to get agressive too, but as soon as he was moved over to my 200 gallon no more agression. Tangs are happier in a six foot tank. IMO they need the swimming room. The bigger the better. I didn't listen yrs ago with the yellow, and again with the convict. Lesson learned though! Listen to these guys, it will save you stress and money in the long run! [emoji3]

 

[REEFIN RIOS]

Obviously when you put multiple tangs In a small tank there’s gonna be aggression! It’s like if you had to share a small bedroom with an annoying 7 yr old! Your gonna be mad all the time! But say you have nice little place to your self for a little while your happy! It’s the same thing, I do not advise to keep multiple tangs in a small tank that you need a big tank to equal out the aggression. But one tang in a smaller tank is fine. Keep it fat and healthy and don’t make it feel like it has to compete for food and it’s a happy fish! But an upgrade is gonna come if not then you have to rehome it. It’s just that simple ahaha

 

[ElitePirate]

Thank you very much for all your replies. for the time being im planning to upgrade my tank to a 130L one.. so i will hold for now and will introduce a Blue Tang when i have a bigger tank

 

[Aardvark1134]

You can keep a single blue tang in a 4x2x2 120 for a while. I had one in there but gave it to a friend when it got about 6 inches long as I thought it would be happier in their 8 ft tank...that was 2 years ago and I saw him a few weeks ago...holy cow that thing is huge it's way bigger now lol. I am in the process of getting a larger saltwater setup (6 things left to buy)...but I knew I would not have it in place in time so I let him go to a bigger home that he would be happier in. So I would say Dory can be happy in a 120 for 2-3 years. If you want to keep one forever I would say get at least a 180.

 

[Jon Fishman]

The powder blue and brown don't get quite so large I believe, but Kole tangs are also very nice. Either way, a much larger tank is needed to consider any of these. And don't expect to "stunt its growth" in a smaller tank..... the thing is gonna get stressed/sick and die before you'd have to worry about that.