Do New Born Babies Sleep in a King Size Bed

Lionfish Lair · May 11, 2016

You haz cheeseburgerz? Food is the almighty motivator. I had seahorses, anthias and my orange Spotted Filefish that all ate from nets.

scchase · May 11, 2016

Nope saltwater pond, once I finish my 1200g display it will be a 600g refugium

Lionfish Lair · May 11, 2016

One of my little guys started in a HOB CPR Fuge. I also started a hawaiian lionfish and another scorp in here.

The volitans started in a 5g. Here he was getting ready to come out to a bigger tank.... his first tank upgrade of 4.

I love buying super small juvies and I rarely start them in their "forever tank".

RyanCSGO · May 11, 2016

This basically boils down to you posting on a forum full of people passionate about fish and corals asking for their approval of something thats not right in proper care for the tanks inhabitants.

In the end it is your tank and you can do with it as you please, Bur you cant expect people that have devoted large chunks of their lives into reef and fish keeping, and learned what does and does not work for the health of the tank and inhabitants alike to approve of your ideals about fish keeping.

Lionfish Lair · May 11, 2016

I do it because I feel it is better for the fish.

Lionfish Lair · May 11, 2016

The OP and I have different motivators, but basically he's talking doing what I already do. He plans to grow them up and give them away to someone with a larger tank. I grow them up and move them to my own larger tank.

AdamNC · May 11, 2016

I do see the OPs point of a 1 inch sized fish in a full recommended sized tank. Another 2 types of animals I can think of off the top of my head are Emerald Tree Boas and Green Tree Pythons. When they are neos(newborns) it's almost always a bad idea to place them in their adult recommended size caging of 4ftx2ftx2ft. They feel insecure and 90% of the time will not eat. Instead they are placed in shoe box racks, yes the size for actual shoes. As they mature they move to a juv. sized cage. Then to a sub adult size and finally to their adult caging.

A large cage or box can be extremely intimidating for a small animal with everything a possible predator. Starting in a small tank does not make it cruel, just be sure to upsize at the proper stages of life.

tj w · May 11, 2016

Seems most who complain about the "tang police" are people with small tanks. I understand both sides of the spectrum here. But if you want to keep the larger reef fish then plan to have the appropriate tank and equipment to do so.

Lionfish Lair · May 11, 2016

The pic of the fish in the HOB fuge is actually ON his intended tank grow out tank. He's even too small to even go in there.

scchase · May 11, 2016

Here is my perfect example, when this angel arrived it was around dime sized, would have been murder to introduce it to its current home. Spent the first year of its life with me in a 29g growing and today lives in my 480. As you can see it is a good sized fish these days.

ludnix · May 11, 2016

This is really an ethical question so I don't think you're going to find a clear cut answer. If you put large tangs, or tangs that grow large in a 75g or less aquarium you're going to get remarks on the internet. This is everywhere. That said, I think there's something to be said for whether or not your fish are tank bred or wild caught, what particular species it is, what your rockscape is like, what it's tank mates are. You can do the restaurant style fish swap where you grow out the cute the young fish, but trade them back to the fish shop when they outgrow your aquarium. Having worked in a pet shop for 2 years, my experience is that these large fish are very difficult to sell. For every person that has a tank big enough for a full grown regal tang, there were another 100 who want the juveniles to keep until they grow up. If we could chuck the fish back in the ocean when we were done it wouldn't be a problem but that's not how it works.

For me personally, if you're dealing with fish that are bred in captivity this issue disappears unless you're vegetarian. There's the ecological concern of taking exotic animals from the wild which are not nearly as common as food fish. The least I can do is try and provide them a home where that most closely replicates a small section of their environment. If I am keeping fish that shoal together in the wild, I like to keep them in a tank big enough to replicate that at home. This is just personal opinion though, I wouldn't judge you for going a different path, but it's food for thought.

RyanCSGO · May 11, 2016

Lionfish Lair said:
The OP and I have different motivators, but basically he's talking doing what I already do. He plans to grow them up and give them away to someone with a larger tank. I grow them up and move them to my own larger tank.

All i was getting at is you cant get upset over asking for peoples opinions and not liking what feedback was given. This hobby isn't really cut and dry with how to operate your tank. some people do things that others would never consider doing but have great success with it. From a general perspective the way the tank in question is to be operated is not "recommended". not saying you cant do it. just saying i would never. if you ask for an opinion, take it with a grain of salt and do with it as you please

Lionfish Lair · May 11, 2016

I don't think he's getting upset by the feedback. This conversation is going pretty well, IMO.

van7271 · May 11, 2016

It all depends on the fish and the temperament of the fish you put with them. I have had a yellow tang in a 55 gallon tank for almost ten years with no problems. Most of the fish he is housed with are of like temperament and are almost as long lived. Just like people fish can adapt to many different environments as long as the environment is appropriate for their temperament.

hybridazn · May 11, 2016

zLaEcEh said:
Like the OP I once listened to the hype going on about tangs and tank size. Its mostly . Most people won't even keep a fish, let along keep it alive, long enough for it to reach full size. Notice I said most people. But if you have a good lfs and you do somehow keep that hippo tang long enough for it to outgrow your tank then your lfs should have no problem selling you a bigger tank or rehoming your fish.

I have a 90 gallon and I got not just one but 2 tangs in there. OMG some call the tang police these fish will surely die and never be healthy. Only they already been in there for months and they are perfectly healthy.

P.s. I don't qt fish either. If I had a really big tank I would but with my setup it's more trouble than it's worth.

Moral of my story. If you do good maintance and keep good warter quality then as long as the fish has room to swim and ain't stressed you good to go imo