Keep sailfin? Or should I get a yellow instead

[neltel_7]

Hey guys, so I’ve had a sailfin I bought on live aquaria. He is In QT and hes doing great! The only problem is I didn’t do enough research and now upon doing more research I’m finding that he will outgrow my tank very fast ( 100-110 gallons). Should I trade him into my lfs and buy a yellow tang instead? Or should I keep him?

Or maybe get a hippo? Idk about that one tho

 

[Gablami]

Yes. It will outgrow your tank quickly. Those suckers get big fast! It’ll save you the trouble of having to catch it later if you trade it now.

 

[Gernader]

Yellow tangs are much better. For blue tangs, they grow pretty quick and need a much bigger tank than sail fin tangs.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Yep, Sailfins get enormous. Check out Tomini or Scopus tangs.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I really like the bristle tooth tangs, kole and tomini. They are less aggressive and stay relatively small.

 

[X-37B]

I have a tomini and a convict in my 120. They are constantly picking at the live rock and coralline back and bottom.
Want a sailfin but yea they get to big for the 120.
Got lucky and just snapped this one.

 

[neltel_7]

I have a tomini and a convict in my 120. They are constantly picking at the live rock and coralline back and bottom.
Want a sailfin but yea they get to big for the 120.
Got lucky and just snapped this one.

Those are cool! And they chromis is massive! It’s almost the size of the tangs haha

 

[OrionN]

I would trade him is for a Yellow or one of the smaller Ctenochaetus tang.
Somebody mention Scopa tang; I would avoid this tang also because Scopa tang also get big.

 

[X-37B]

Those are cool! And they chromis is massive! It’s almost the size of the tangs haha

Yea I have 6 chromis and the convict tang swims around with them and breaks up any aggression.
The chromis grow very fast.

 

[Wolf89]

For blue tangs, they grow pretty quick and need a much bigger tank than sail fin tangs.

This is not true. Sailfin tangs grow significantly bigger than hippo tangs and imo need bigger tanks.

 

[X-37B]

This is not true. Sailfin tangs grow significantly bigger than hippo tangs and imo need bigger tanks.

True, and I would not even consider either unless my tank was a "minimum" of 8' and something like 10x4x2 would be better.
That said I have seen both of those tangs in <50 gallon tanks. Very sad in my non tang police opinion.