Do people overexaggerate tangs

[i cant think]

Thanks! Bigger tank means bigger and more fish!

Yeah!!

 

[Zionas]

I think some of you have brought up a very good point that many tend to neglect, the point being what kind of movement you’d want to have in the tank. Since I assume for 99% of us we see our tanks as a source of relaxation, I wouldn’t want a tank with lots of fast swimming, nervous fish that do laps back and forth or worse, pace. I would much rather have fish that don’t look oversized and out of place, and on top of that, swim in a calm and managed sort of way. This is why I am not a fan of Acanthurus and Paracanthurus Tangs, I just feel like their swimming style requires far more room than the average or even above average sized tanks can provide.

What we end up with are fish that get all jerky because they’re used to a much longer and more linear swimming path in nature, which then leads to aggression (especially with the Powder x Tangs) and on top of that, many Acanthurus and Paracanthurus have thinner slime coats compared to say Zebrasoma Tangs so it increases the chances of disease.

From the videos I have seen of Angelfish, both large and dwarf, their swimming style is more of a criss-cross where they swim, stop to graze, twist and turn their away out of rock work, then swim again. That’s far more relaxing to watch, plus if one has a pair or harem of Angelfish, if we can get them to spawn (usually only possible in not so huge tanks with Centropyge / Paracentropyge and sometimes the smaller Genicanthus), their spawning dances and the way a male courts one or more females is superbly interesting compared to most Tangs which we can’t get them to spawn unless the tank is huge.

It wouldn’t bother me if I could only ever have a small selection of Tangs, because Cthenochaetus (except the Chevron, they get ugly) and the non-Sailfin Zebrasoma (and not Rostratum, not a fan of them) are about the only ones I’d consider.

But then there’s just something about Tangs that lacks in elegance compared to an Angel or butterfly.

Of course this doesn’t mean I’d go for any angel, for example the large Pomacanthus and Holacanthus simply don’t belong in the majority of tanks. Some of them not only get large but very tall so the average 24” high, or even 30” high tanks IMO aren’t enough for them. But then the dwarfs, Chaetodontoplus (some like the Scribbled and Personifer get large), smaller Genicanthus, Apolemichthys, Majestic, and Pygoplites are where it’s at for angels IMO.

I love how when one forms a pair or small harem of angels, the kind of thing where they split ways then join up again is really cool. Especially a harem of dwarfs or maybe smaller Genicanthus where it’s 1 male and 2 females, and they sometimes go their own way but then come together to swim and graze.

When we look at many Tangs in the genus Acanthurus (and perhaps the Blue Hippos too), as well as Tangs in the genus Naso and maybe Prionurus (however that’s spelled), we see that not all, but perhaps a majority of them do two things:

1. Are found in large or huge shoals in the wild

2. Are more pelagic / open water compared to the more reef associated Cthenochaetus and Zebrasoma

When a fish has these two characteristics, IMO I’d think twice before putting it in an average sized or even large home aquarium.

 

[Squidward]

I have 13 Tangs and every one of them swim and use the whole 8ft of the tank. I've never seen a tang only use 2-3ft of a 4ft tank.

 

[Squidward]

This is very true!! Tangs are overrated! They’re cool if you have a job for them (loosely keeping algae under control) and can manage the disease but but beyond that, there are better fish, that are more interesting and colourful and aren’t anywhere near as dumb haha! I’d prefer a bustling reef with smaller fish of all sorts over a couple of tangs, all day everyday!

I disagree. Tangs are the coolest SW fish. As long as they're not the boring common yellow tangs.

 

[Chrisv.]

I had a beautiful pbt for about a decade in a 4 ft tank. It actually stayed smaller than I thought it would, growing to about 5 inches. It was a model citizen for the first 6 years or so. Then it snapped and killed everything else in the tank other than a royal gramma within a few months, and any new additions within hours. It was my favorite fish in the tank, so I just had those two fish on their own for like four years. Eventually I gave him to a person with an 8ft tank. Apparently he was still murderer when he got to them.

It was a beautiful fish. I hope I get to see one in the wild some day. As for me, I think I will avoid that genus from now on.

 

[Tony Tanks]

I have two yellow , one hippo , one viamingi and just added a gem tang to my 425 gallon tank . I was worried that the other tangs would go after the gem , so i over fed them for two days . I don't know if this helped but after the first day they left him alone .

 

[redfishbluefish]

Felt compelled to reply....and I haven't read all 8 pages....but here's my two cents:

1. No matter what experts/people say, you'll never convince people on how happy their tang is in their disgustingly small tanks.

2. Tangs are the fast, sporty cars of our fish tanks.

Are you able to drive your Lamborghini Aventador in lower Manhattan during rush hour? Or would you prefer to hit the Autobahn in Germany?

What opened my eyes were two experiences.....Seeing tangs in a 12 (or 14) foot tank and watching them race the full length of the tank....it was amazing to sit and watch a truly happy tang buzz the length of the tank. The second thing was when our local club helped a business break down a 450 gallon tank that had all of four fish...a full size Sailfin Tang (it had to be close to 2 feet high), and three enormous Yellow tangs. The 450 gallon tank looked too small for the Sailfin, which didn't fit in a five gallon bucket....needed to use a fisherman's net and a large tote to move the fish to the LFS.

 

[Zionas]

I wonder how big were these four Tangs?

I’m considering a Biota CB Yellow Tang but now that you said how Tangs speed back and forth in a 12 and 14 foot tank, I worry whether 8 foot would be enough even for a Yellow lol.

Do you think Tangs even Zebrasoma are a lot more active than angels both large and dwarf?

 

[Chrisv.]

I wonder how big were these four Tangs?

I’m considering a Biota CB Yellow Tang but now that you said how Tangs speed back and forth in a 12 and 14 foot tank, I worry whether 8 foot would be enough even for a Yellow lol.

Do you think Tangs even Zebrasoma are a lot more active than angels both large and dwarf?

Most dwarf angels are actually really well suited to aquarium life. They weave in and out of the rocks in a way that makes me think that they don't feel as confined. All of this pacing that people mentioned earlier in the thread is really important to consider. For me the ideal circumstance is that fish in a tank act like there is no glass. Therefore, I tend to keep smaller fish and far fewer of them. There is nothing as beautiful as a nice saltwater fish living a happy life in your reef, and nothing worse than trapping one that spends all of its days at the viewing panel.

I only had a large angel briefly, but I think they are somewhere in the middle.

 

[Zionas]

I completely agree with you. The centerpiece of my 300 will be a pair of large angels, and I am choosing between either Blue Lines, Regals, or Black Velvets. Not the huge ones. If Tangs indeed pace a lot, even the Zebrasoma, I guess I’ll stick to the angels (pair of large and harem / trio of dwarfs).

How big is your tank and what fish do you have in it? And what large angel did you keep?

 

[Zekireef]

I disagree. Tangs are the coolest SW fish. As long as they're not the boring common yellow tangs.

Haha! Different strokes for different folks. My favourite fish are angelfish, especially those in pomacanthus (as fur and blue face are my fav) and chaetodontoplus (scribbled and Meredithi here). I have no doubts that there are cooler fish than big angels, but I love the colours, grace and personality of big angelfish, oh and they also grunt which is cool!

 

[elcoley]

Thoughts on like tang in 40 gallon cube? Don’t actually have one just looking for thoughts on it.

 

[Zionas]

A 40 is too small for even the smallest of Tangs, which are the Tomini, White Tail, Kole and Squaretail Bristletooths.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

It is interesting.. I have found that the fish in ALL of my tanks, tend to spend most of their time in the general area of where I drop the food in. Yes, they use the entire tank, but most often can be found in the "feeding area"

Thats probably because they recognize you as the food provider and go to the feeding spot when you go to the tank...

My fish do the same thing.. but if I watch them on the reef cam, they use the whole tank.

The more aggressive tangs are hit and miss. Some will kill all your fish, others will not... Different fish of the same variety have different personalities. As such, I don't think the stories are over exaggerated.

My current powder blue is not overly aggressive.. but it is not a nice fish and seems to be getting meaner. But it is darn beautiful!

 

[Zionas]

What do you think of the way in which Tangs use space compared to say, large angels or dwarf angels and butterflies? Do you think even the smaller Tangs like the Yellow need a lot more space than our average tanks can give?

 

[i cant think]

I wonder how big were these four Tangs?

I’m considering a Biota CB Yellow Tang but now that you said how Tangs speed back and forth in a 12 and 14 foot tank, I worry whether 8 foot would be enough even for a Yellow lol.

Do you think Tangs even Zebrasoma are a lot more active than angels both large and dwarf?

I find the angels seem to have a more perfected speed with graze every 2-3 flaps of a fin (3-4” of tank) then swim the rest, they also seem more reclusive but tangs definitely are race cars

I disagree. Tangs are the coolest SW fish. As long as they're not the boring common yellow tangs.

haha, “common yellows” never heard of that, I’ve only heard of the incredibly expensive yellows.

 

[Zionas]

Interesting perspective.

 

[sfin52]

if i put you in a meter square box with food youd survive would you be truly happy with the leg room im not so sure lol

With that why keep tangs at all?

 

[flashsmith]

Maybe it's just me but when I add a tang I always wonder how many died just so this one could make it to my tank? I'm not thinking about whether or not this tang would be unhappy in my 5ft tank. I buy small and always have a plan to re-home if needed and start the process again. Upgrading tanks especially with costs isn't an option for everyone. That shouldn't keep someone from enjoying fish. There are limits but if a thought out plan is in place who are we to judge how someone else approaches the hobby. After all it's their money.

 

[Zionas]

The only Tang I’d consider that’s not a Bristletooth would be a CB Yellow. Actually a CB Yellow is about the only Tang I’d consider but I’m much more in favor of angels.