Full grown tang/fish thread...?

[joey123]

Good afternoon everyone! I'm curious as to what are some of the BIGGEST specimens are out there of each species.

This idea started around tangs specifically--people say some zebrasomas get to nearly 18"(!!!), but I've never seen a yellow tang over maybe 7" tops.

All that to say... What fish do you have that are getting to be real big, and how long have you had them/know they've been around? Pics are always welcome!

I think it'd be great to create a bit of a library on this thread as far as max sizes people are actually seeing out of their fish!

 

[BighohoReef]

I'd message @4FordFamily. He wrote a good article on Tang Aggression (below) he has good collection of them an might be able to help you identify larger max sizes. @LiveAquaria also has good details on tangs and size as well. I don't know how comprehensive their tang listing will be, I think they remove them from the site once they sell out of a species. It would be a good starting point though.

Tang Aggression - Understanding and Combating

Tangs tang aggression mean nasty evil injured stab surgeonfish killing killed kill beat hide hiding why help remove sump new addition

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Fishurama]

We have a similar thread called "Chunky tang showoff" if you want to see a some large tangs.

Chunky Tang Show off thread

But because we all like pictures, this is big boy. About 9 inches, had it for over 2 years.

 

[4FordFamily]

Good afternoon everyone! I'm curious as to what are some of the BIGGEST specimens are out there of each species.

This idea started around tangs specifically--people say some zebrasomas get to nearly 18"(!!!), but I've never seen a yellow tang over maybe 7" tops.

All that to say... What fish do you have that are getting to be real big, and how long have you had them/know they've been around? Pics are always welcome!

I think it'd be great to create a bit of a library on this thread as far as max sizes people are actually seeing out of their fish!

Well, some tangs get much larger than others. Sailfin and Desjardini sailfin are the behemoth of the Zebrasoma genus -- some exceeding 1 foot in length and will get to that size relatively quickly. I've seen them grow to 8-10 inches in fewer than 5 years! Some can exceed these sizes, but not often and not quickly.

Rarely will you find a yellow, purple, scopas, black tang of that size. I've seen gem tangs push similar sizes to sailfin but they fall short. I'd say max size expectation for those is 8-9" and that's over a period of a decade or two, maybe more.

 

[joey123]

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We have a similar thread called "Chunky tang showoff" if you want to see a some large tangs.

Chunky Tang Show off thread

But because we all like pictures, this is big boy. About 9 inches, had it for over 2 years.

Thanks for the pointer! That's kinda down the alley of what i was looking for!

 

[joey123]

I'd message @4FordFamily. He wrote a good article on Tang Aggression (below) he has good collection of them an might be able to help you identify larger max sizes. @LiveAquaria also has good details on tangs and size as well. I don't know how comprehensive their tang listing will be, I think they remove them from the site once they sell out of a species. It would be a good starting point though.

Tang Aggression - Understanding and Combating

Tangs tang aggression mean nasty evil injured stab surgeonfish killing killed kill beat hide hiding why help remove sump new addition

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for the reply. My point is kinda more as to what people are actually seeing in their tanks, not just what people "say" a fish can reach. Like the sailfins, LA says 15" I believe, but I've sure never seen one that big. Just interested to see what some of the bigger ones in home aquaria are.

Thanks again for the reply!

 

[4FordFamily]

Thanks for the reply. My point is kinda more as to what people are actually seeing in their tanks, not just what people "say" a fish can reach. Like the sailfins, LA says 15" I believe, but I've sure never seen one that big. Just interested to see what some of the bigger ones in home aquaria are.

Thanks again for the reply!

I have seen one or two sailfin tangs at or exceeding 12 inches in length. Typically at zoos and public aquaria.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sohal at 11", Dussomieri at 11' and Vlamingi at 15" and someone's Unicorn tang at 16"

 

[joey123]

Sohal at 11", Dussomieri at 11' and Vlamingi at 15" and someone's Unicorn tang at 16"

Thanks for sharing! Man, that Dusso looks great! Thats exactly what I was looking for, thanks. Love seeing them happy and healthy and getting big!

 

[RandyT5]

Here's my foot long vlamignii tang, we have nick named him " crop duster" for obvious reasons. In a reefer 900 3xl, I adopted him from my lfs to give him some room. I have no idea how old he is, but I've had him about 6 months, put on like 4 inches and Developed nice streamers. Love this fish , gonna be sad when I have to re-home him.

 

[Gustavofos]

Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Sailfin Tang