Kole/Tomini in 40g?

[ckb2023]

I recently started a 40g(48x18x12) (have a frag rack on one side and rockwork on the other) and am looking into getting a tang, I have a yellow watchman goby and lawnmower blenny in quarantine to go in soon once it is fully cycled and not much else will be added. Does anybody know how long a small Kole or Tomini possibly stay small enough in it until I upgrade/get another tank or move it to my siblings 90? Any insight is appreciated.

 

[fishguy242]

hi welcome to the reef ..depending on how small you can get? 2" ,year,year and a half at most,happy reefing

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Hello and welcome to the channel. These two tangs are on the smaller size with respect to other tangs and can be housed in smaller tanks. Yout tank is 48" long and would give the Tang room to swim back and forth. You mention upgrading to a larger tank, that will be a good idea. Just keep in mind, they are active swimmers and need room to swim or you can have a higher flow, such as a powerhead, for the tank to swim into. Just a few more thoughts...

 

[ReefPig]

I have a white tail bristletooth in a 50G, he's fully grown.
He's absolutely fine, happy and well behaved.

Fish don't come with a care label with a minimum tank size, and in reality, they swim for many miles every day in the wild, no fish tank, regardless of size, can compare.

Too many people give recommendations for tangs "they need a minimum of 6 foot etc etc". Utter nonsense.
Yes, the bigger the better, but this is not true.

Granted the smaller the tank, the greater the chance of aggression, and likewise, don't have multiple tangs, otherwise you are asking for trouble.

All of the bristletooth tangs are fantastic algae munchers and they're the smallest tangs, most are also not too aggressive, so it's a win win.

My opinion, for what it's worth, a kole in a 40G is fine, just watch out for bad behaviour and give them plenty of rocks to hide/play/nibble at.

 

[nereefpat]

I have a yellow watchman goby and lawnmower blenny in quarantine to go in soon once it is fully cycled and not much else will be added.

There will possibly be a compatibility issue between the lawnmower and kole/tomini.

 

[Alchameth]

Yep, a tank that small with limited algae to graze on with a lawnmower and tang is asking for trouble.

 

[secret_reefer337]

Lawnmower blenny and tang in my tank doesn’t have a good result. Bristletooth will do fine in 40gal, I used to have one in my 40 breeder for two years until I upgraded to 120 gal, and it is fine, swimming and grazing all day.

 

[ckb2023]

Lawnmower blenny and tang in my tank doesn’t have a good result. Bristletooth will do fine in 40gal, I used to have one in my 40 breeder for two years until I upgraded to 120 gal, and it is fine, swimming and grazing all day.

Did it do much cleaning?

 

[ReefPig]

Did it do much cleaning?

All bristletooth tangs are constantly grazing, literally their lips are in a constant state of sucking on rocks and stuff. They don’t stop, even after feeding.

Will they clear away a major algae issue on their own, no, of course not, but I basically consider mine to be part of my CuC.

 

[User1]

I have to say that what @kingy138 said above about bristletooth tangs constantly grazing is, for you anyway, the truth. Aquarium or real world the tangs do not stop moving until it is lights out and bedtime. They remind me a lot like Six Lines who constantly forage. Kole / Yellow Eye and Tomini will out grow the 40 breeder in less than a year if they are properly fed.

I know this isn't the answer you want to hear and you are probably thinking here we go again, tang police or net nanny. Couldn't be further from the truth. They are active tangs and all tangs need a good proportion of swim lanes and food.

Outside of emergency, QT, isolation, and hospital a 40 breeder although it has a good footprint is not a tang friendly aquarium.

 

[secret_reefer337]

Did it do much cleaning?

As other said, they are non stop grazer but to expect they will eat all algae in your tank is too much of an expectation. They will help making your rank cleaner but not totally eradicate the algae.