sooo I'm sure this thread has been made a million times but the other day at my job an elderly lady called me and asked if we sold dory fish for her grandson. I explained that we did but that I wouldn't be selling them for the next week due to the movie. She wanted more specifics about the blue tangs we sell and when I said how large they get she asked if we sell any that stay the size of a QUARTER. This lady obviously is out browsing for a blue tang but knows nothing about what she's getting herself into. Anyways! I made a video about blue tangs and tried to explain things like I was talking to a 5 year old.
I'm sure most people on here know about the blue tang but just in case any beginner aquarist are strolling around for a blue tang I highly recommend you look into what exactly you're thinking of getting, and hopefully choose something else haha
But I thought Dory was a hippo tang? In that case I have three that live quiet happily in my kitchen tank for the past year. They school and bicker just before lights out. Fun fish to own-- My tank? its 440 gallons and the two sumps that service it are 120 gallons each. So volume and swimming space is very important. As is the type of coral you use. They seem to like dead coral species they can wedge into at night. finally, as complete a job as this young lady did, I do think she is exaggerating when she says they swim hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles each day--- they are not pelagics. They are schooling territory species. IF they swam for 300 miles a day that would equal ( in a ten hour day) 30 miles an hour? ). Most tangs I've seen in the wild ( 30 years of diving all over the world) graze or/and explore the reef. And often work a wall of or sections of dead corals. I'm down with the idea that they might swim 10 miles a day or even 20. But not 200-300. My tank is 8 feet long and 3 feet wide and they are quiet happy to swim in the middle 5-6 feet-- back and forth, back and forth. For what its worth . JR
