What Size Should Naso Tangs Be Kept In At Minimum?

Halal Hotdog · Sep 4, 2019

I have a baby blonde naso in a 72"x24"x24" tank. It works well. I have rock work in the middle of the tank which allows him to swim in-front and behind. Everything I read says they grow slowly, however he has almost doubled in size in 3-5 months. When he gets to adult size will see if I should get 8' tank for him. Otherwise I have a buddy that can take him who has a 12 footer!!!

Lorenzo Angotti · Sep 4, 2019

Naso ( Lipstick tang) are very popular like most people have mentioned they do get big, if you are happy having one that starts small and your tank is Not! really going to accommodate him or her, when they grow, you will know it’s time to pass it on to your local marine store and start again, but if you can’t bare to part with you nurtured Naso than a bigger! at least 6ft tank would be needed.

mehaffydr · Sep 4, 2019

NC122606 said:
Ok, so I just thought about it, one of the biggest issues.
Captive Bred Fish...
Of course, they are going to know nothing about the actual area that they are supposed to in the wild, they will think that the tank they are kept in is their ocean. So biggest issue they might even know they swim that much.
Not arguing but just saying the argument to all of this.

So if I buy a Greyhound puppy it’s ok to keep him in a 6’ x 6’ pen because he doesn’t know he supposed to run?

falconut · Sep 4, 2019

I've had mine for a few years now in my 180 (72"x24"x24"). He/she has been a slow grower from my experience, maybe 5" now. I have a pretty wide open layout which gives plenty of swimming room. I certainly wouldn't put them in anything smaller than 6 feet long.

NC122606 · Sep 4, 2019

mehaffydr said:
So if I buy a Greyhound puppy it’s ok to keep him in a 6’ x 6’ pen because he doesn’t know he supposed to run?

I don’t think you understand...
I was never trying to argue this, you cannot compare a dog to fish. Dogs are going to be way less active as a puppy, this is like saying a baby and Pro Athlete have the same energy. Not to mention Greyhounds get way larger than a tang. I was never trying to argue but you brought this upon yourself.

EJReef · Aug 31, 2020

NC122606 said:
I don’t think you understand...
I was never trying to argue this, you cannot compare a dog to fish. Dogs are going to be way less active as a puppy, this is like saying a baby and Pro Athlete have the same energy. Not to mention Greyhounds get way larger than a tang. I was never trying to argue but you brought this upon yourself.

Huh? Puppies are usually more active than adults

Conovan · Aug 31, 2020

NC122606 said:
Yes, the freshwater fish that seem to go through this same thing are,
Oscars (Most people but these it little tanks not realizing they get a foot long.)
Goldfish (Bowls... They need 30 - Pond Gallons depending on the type.)
Common Pleco (People do not realize these get over 2 ft and put them in their 20 gallons.)

My first fish was an oscar in a 10 gallon when I was 10 years old. Nobody told me that little 2 inch fish would get that big. Also guilty of throwing that common pleco in there with him later.

dwest · Aug 31, 2020

Tank needs to be longer than 6 ft for an adult IMO.

csb123 · Aug 31, 2020

After seeing how a dessumeri (?spelling) tang grew on my 300 gallon, and took things over. I would say a 600 gal is minimum for a full grown Naso tang. I thing they get over a foot long. They need lots of room.

Wolfman238 · Aug 31, 2020

180 / 210 same foot print height only difference

nereefpat · Aug 31, 2020

My question would be which Naso?

Most of them are not suitable for any of us beyond monster tanks.

The exceptions would be N. elegans and N. literatus. Somewhere in the 8' 240 there, in my opinion.

ca1ore · Sep 1, 2020

nereefpat said:
My question would be which Naso?

Most of them are not suitable for any of us beyond monster tanks.

The exceptions would be N. elegans and N. literatus. Somewhere in the 8' 240 there, in my opinion.

Thank you, was about to make this very point. Naso is a genus, not a single species .... even if most people don’t realize that. Naso Elegans and/or literatus need at least a six foot tank, ideally eight. Vlamingi outgrew even my 8’ 450 and had to be rehomed. Current one is barely 3” so I figure a few years. My brevirostris came to me with some health issues and appears to have stopped growing at about 9”. I also have a juvenile unicornis.

Haydn · Sep 1, 2020

For me it isn't all about swimming space, tangs have an inefficient digestive system and produce copious amounts of waste. A tang of 8"- 10" will put a huge strain on any bio-filter and eventually maintaining phosphate and nitrite levels will get difficult to the detriment of the system.