Sailfin tang

jmerideth1 · Jan 26, 2017

I saw a sailfin tang at my lfs and am curious how big a tank you need for a fish that gets that big?

Oscar47f · Jan 26, 2017

How big is the tang you want to get now?? tangs in my experience depending on the type don't get too big very quickly... I've had a sailfin tang for almost a year, first he shared a tank with a yellow tang it was a 40 gallon then i upgraded to a 120 and they both live in there and tbh I've seen little growth from both of them... i do believe a bigger tank around a 100 gallon is nice for them because if its a 100 long or something it gives them ample space to swim, but its your tank and your decision as long as the fish is healthy..

jmerideth1 · Jan 26, 2017

Oscar47f said:
How big is the tang you want to get now?? tangs in my experience depending on the type don't get too big very quickly... I've had a sailfin tang for almost a year, first he shared a tank with a yellow tang it was a 40 gallon then i upgraded to a 120 and they both live in there and tbh I've seen little growth from both of them... i do believe a bigger tank around a 100 gallon is nice for them because if its a 100 long or something it gives them ample space to swim, but its your tank and your decision as long as the fish is healthy..

Its about 3 inches right now. I'm just concerned because it sounded like they may get huge.

Oscar47f · Jan 26, 2017

Yeah they can get pretty big lol but it can take a long time for it to happen..

eatbreakfast · Jan 26, 2017

They get quite large. Afull grown n one will eventually need a 150, preferably larger.

PatW · Jan 27, 2017

Oscar47f said:
How big is the tang you want to get now?? tangs in my experience depending on the type don't get too big very quickly... I've had a sailfin tang for almost a year, first he shared a tank with a yellow tang it was a 40 gallon then i upgraded to a 120 and they both live in there and tbh I've seen little growth from both of them... i do believe a bigger tank around a 100 gallon is nice for them because if its a 100 long or something it gives them ample space to swim, but its your tank and your decision as long as the fish is healthy..

My experience has been somewhat different from Oscar's. It might be because I have a larger tank, or it could be other factors like food availability, water colony or something completely different. I have a 300 gallon tank. My Kole Tang is about a year old. He has grown a bit but not that much. He has certainly gotten considerably thicker. But he used to be the biggest fish in the tank by far. I later purchased a yellow tang that was about half of his size. I think the yellow tang might have been 3" long and the Kole Tang about 4" long. The yellow tang is now almost 6" long and again he is far thicker. Later I got another yellow tang that was a bit less than 3" long. He is now just about the same size as the Kole Tang. All three fish are avid eaters and are constantly grazing on the rock.

So the Kole Tang has grown a moderate amount although he has added a fair bit of weight. Both yellow tangs have gotten considerably longer and heavier. At the rate they are going, I expect them to reach about maximum size this year. Most fish have what is called "indeterminate" growth. What that means is they keep growing their entire lives. However, their growth rates slow down as they increase in size and age.

Empress · Jan 27, 2017

I bought my Sailfin in 2006 and he was about the size of a quarter and as thin as a sheet of paper. Today, 11 years later, he is about 6 or 7 inches and as thick as a fluffy pancake. He's been through hell and back with ich, velvet, worms, and a bacterial infection. Today, King, is very healthy and loving life in his "castle" of 240 gallons. [emoji225]

Oscar47f · Jan 27, 2017

PatW said:
My experience has been somewhat different from Oscar's. It might be because I have a larger tank, or it could be other factors like food availability, water colony or something completely different. I have a 300 gallon tank. My Kole Tang is about a year old. He has grown a bit but not that much. He has certainly gotten considerably thicker. But he used to be the biggest fish in the tank by far. I later purchased a yellow tang that was about half of his size. I think the yellow tang might have been 3" long and the Kole Tang about 4" long. The yellow tang is now almost 6" long and again he is far thicker. Later I got another yellow tang that was a bit less than 3" long. He is now just about the same size as the Kole Tang. All three fish are avid eaters and are constantly grazing on the rock.

So the Kole Tang has grown a moderate amount although he has added a fair bit of weight. Both yellow tangs have gotten considerably longer and heavier. At the rate they are going, I expect them to reach about maximum size this year. Most fish have what is called "indeterminate" growth. What that means is they keep growing their entire lives. However, their growth rates slow down as they increase in size and age.

Yeah man thats completely different from what I've seen my tanks seem to just get thicker not really bigger... good info though

jmerideth1 · Jan 28, 2017

I definitely appreciate everyones feedback even if experience has been different for everyone. I really like watching a fish grow especially when they get nice and fat. I also really like the way the tangs look when their dorsal fins go up in a crested display. It does sound like I would have time to upgrade. I have been looking at tanks too. It seems like they can NEVER be big enough too get the livestock you really want but maybe thats just me.

Kmsutows · Jan 28, 2017

My brother had a desjardini sailfin in his 90 gal he bought it small and it out grew that tank fast! Sailfins have lots of energy and grow fast in my experience.