Needs and reality are two very different things, if only 8' tanks were to have hippos then there will be a very tiny number of these fish sold in the hobby.
Mines about 6” currently and does just fine in my tank. It’s 3x6ft my blonde naso is happy also.
Are they truly happy? Its kind of like having multiple people in a one bedroom apartment. Yes they can survive but are they content? Probably not, longing for that 4000 square foot house. But in reality all are fish Probably dream to be back in the ocean.
...for now. They may survive, but they won't thrive.
Unfortunately, there are many species sold in this hobby that are kept irresponsibly. The point of forums like this is to share information and educate less experienced hobbyists. Providing advice like this is, IMO, contributing to the problem and I strongly advise the OP not to follow it.
Give them plenty of places to hide and lots of open room to swim and they’re happy.. I have a large tang gang and no fighting or bickering. People with minimalist scapes have problems cause they don’t have a safe heaven to retreat when you’re in the tank etc. mine are all fat and happy! Not much else I can say lol..
I know that you take great care of your specimens, that is not up for dispute. However, fish that grow to 12 and 18 inches, respectively need considerably more room to swim. Especially ones as active as those.
I def agree with this! And by no means am I saying it’s okay to have a hippo in a 60gal tank they grow super fast! I was shocked how fast my hippo grew to the largest fish in my tank just above my Fox face in less than a year.. would I have a hippo in a 18” by 72”? No but I’m comfortable with it in my 36x72…
I’ve never seen a hippo that large, a naso on the other hand yes… largest hippo I’ve seen in person was about 8” and yes they’re super active I know what you’re saying! Naso do get rather large but are rather on the chill side… I’ve been wanting to get achillies so bad but I’m not comfortable with it in my tank as it seems to be one of the most if not the most active tangs there is. They don’t seem to flourish unless it’s a super big tank and has more flow than most corals can handle lol… but dang they’re pretty!
Mine’s 6’ x 2’ but I don’t think my hippo will grow much larger. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if she gets to 8 inches. I’ve never seen a hippo over 10”, and mine was stunted which is why I don’t think she’ll grow much more. IMO 12”+ hippo tangs are like 5” green chromises and honest politicians. Extremely rare.
The point is are ANY fish kept in an aquarium setting happy? or content? or well? that is the moral dilemma we all have to deal with, I am not sure how to gauge fish happiness, IF the fish is not being harassed, it's swimming and presenting normal behavior is the fish happy? no one can answer that, IMO the eye test is the best test we as hobbyist can offer, but when the solution is for an 8 foot tank then that is obviously not feasible for 99% of hobbyist either by space or budget or desire, if that is the rule then 99% of fish kept in the hobby are unhappy since they all I am sure would have been better off in their natural setting, with their natural diet, with their natural friends and foes.
Sorry - but that is logical fallacy at its finest. If everyone else is doing it, then you should be comfortable doing it to?
You are reasoning with more (false equivalence) fallacy. If something is bad, then any further degree of bad is just the same bad so there is nothing to worry about. We don't need a finite line to know that some things are more unacceptable than others.
Then so be it. Just because the "rule" is unobserved or broken by the masses, doesn't mean that the "rule" should be changed or that breaking it is any less egregious.
Many, yes, as they are well fed, cared for, and live a life free of predation. The issue is people just having to have *this fish* or *that fish* without the ability to meet their needs. Then, they flood the forums with, "why do my Tangs keep getting ich and dying?", or "HELP! why is my fish 'glass surfing'?"
