Concerning Tangs

[Surfzone]

It must be just be but in the past few weeks i'v been comming across alot about tangs. I'm not sure why when i'v been looking for info on dwarf angels. Anyway i thought i may give a bit of help to all who are thinking of getting a tang. First off let me start off by saying that i am not an expert and this post should not be taked as gospel and as such should be taken in like everything you read as educational and informative, but opinionated. MOST things that i talk about have been proven true.
Tangs come any many sizes some get to be enormous, but for the most part they stay small enough to be maintaned in the home aquarium. no matter what the size tangs should be kept in medium sized to huge aquariuims (medium size aquariums being 50 gallons to 99 gallons large being 100 gallons to 300 gallons and huge is anything higher that 300 gallons.) Tangs love to swim in and out of caves, up and down the tank walls and if they could i'd bet the would do back flips too.
Tangs spend most of their day looking for algea growing in the tank. They love the green stuff. Befor getting a tank make sure that you are able to keep up with their green diet. they will also nibble at meatty foods but for the most stuff they like algea. Some aquarist feed collerd greens to their tangs in order to sustane their diet and other aquarist grow angea in a refugium for their tang. Tangs will eat hair algea and some aquarist keep them for that reason. In my opinion the best algea to grow for a tang is maden's hair algea.
Tangs are not and i repeat not a good beginner fish. Tangs are copper sensitive and are prone to many alements. among common sickness is head erosion, lateral line disease, skin infections, and parasites. Tangs are reef safe, and a cleaner shrimp will always help out, but it is not a sure thing.
Some of the most common tangs talked about and or seen in the Local Fish Store (LFS):

Yellow Tang
The yellow tang grows to be about 8 inches and should be housed in a 50gal. tank. It is one of the more commonly seen tangs and one of the more hardy tangs.

Sailfin Tang
This tang is another hardy tang that is full of personality. these tangs grow to be about 10 inches and is another good beginner fish. The down side to this fish is that it needs a large tank and me personaly i would not put this fish in a tank that is smaller than 100g.tank

Naso Tang
This tang is another awsome tang wiith many bright colors. The younger fish tend to be a bit more hardy and don't tend to stress out as much. They grow to be about 15 inches and because of it's size i wouldn't house this fish in a tank smaller than a 150g. tank

Hippo Tang (Dori)
This fish is NOT FOR THE BEGINNER! this fish like all other fish needs excellent water quality. This fish grows to be large and i'v seen them grow to be about 10 inches. It's because of this fishe's size that i wouldn't house this fish in a tank smaller than 100g.

Purple Tang
This fish in my opinion is the crown of any reef. Its awsome purple colors are acented with a yellow tail and yellow edged pectoral fins. This fish is extremly disease and parasite prone. and should be reserved for the well seasoned aquerist ( well seasoned meaning covered in salt and peper... jk ... i couldn't resist ) this fish grows to be about 10 inches so i wouldn't house this fish in a tank smaller than100g.

Powderblue Tang
If the purple tang is the crown of any reef the powderblue tang has to be the the King himslef. The powderblue tang is extreamly sensitive to water peramiters and should only be attempted by reef experts. This fish grows to be about 8 to 10 inches and can should be housed in a tank that is about 100 gallons.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll just touch on a few things in your post as I'm sure others will chime in on your other points.
I applaud that you took the time to share your research in the keeping of Surgeonfish, though I feel some of your tank sizes are off by quite a bit.
Don't believe everything that the so called reef experts (book authors) write.
When they suggest a tank size they are suggesting a bare minimum size that that species should be kept in not a tank that the fish will be able to thrive, grow to adult size and generally be able to live to a ripe old age out as close to normal as possible.
I would suggest even for a Z. flavescens ( Yellow Tang) a tank no smaller than 100 gals.
You are also correct that Surgeonfish are not completely herbivorous and require meaty foods to supplement their constant grazing on algae.
You are also correct that Surgeonfish are very active swimmers and need the open space of large tanks to effectively excercise keep themselves from boredom.
On all your suggested tank sizes I'd at least double them.
Thanks for sharing your views.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Len]

Cool beans I personally think the tank sizes are fine except the yellow and sailfin, both of which should be doubled.

 

[Anonymous]

Ditto. Nice post. I would also add that the Hippo and Naso are largely carnivorous and won't do much algae grazing. They will snack on nori if offered though.

 

[Anonymous]

If I say ditto will it get old yet??

But yah, also giving a tank size really doesn't tell you much about how much swimming room there will be, you can have a 50g tank that's 3 feet long or one that's 4 feet long, you could have a 120g that's 4 feet long, or one that's 6 feet long, and that extra length will make a difference more so than any width.

Ditto on the Yellow tang requirements.. and what David said, I've seen yellow tangs that were literally as big as a football, wouldn't want to see that swimming around in a 50g tank! Can't say the Powder blue is the king, don't see the facination with them, personally a powder brown looks nicer IMO. Puprle, Yellow & Sailfin are all the same type of tang basically, Zebrasoma family, so might mention something about compatability. I did see some adorable hippo tangs the other day that were the size of the end of your thumb, don't know if they were tankraised or if that's a conscious thing to do, but either way didn't buy.. mostly because I don't have the room! No mention of a Kole Tang though? Man I love that fish, not the prettiest as far as color, but probably the most useful as it comes to having a nice looking tank since they scrape at rocks for algae.

Anyways I hopefully plan on building a 12 foot long tank in the future just for the swimming length for my NASO, he's about 7-8inches now (and not the largest fish in my tank either! my foxface has him beat by a nose) but he's good for now, just would him to have some larger digs..

 

[Oceans Ferevh]

I had a yellow tank that would nip the antennas off of my cleaner shrimp. It was more interested in eating them then being cleaned. Some tangs can get rather testy and even down right mean. So, a large tank is also necessary for the other fish their living with. This is just what I've observed.

 

[Anonymous]

Tangs need swimming room. A 150G tank filled smack full of rock would not be so good for a tang of any type IMHO. Give them plenty of open swimming space in whatever size tank you have.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

I like your post in spirit. However your enthusiasm outstrips your experience and most definitely your level of knowledge. Some corrections....

Yellow Tang
The yellow tang grows to be about 8 inches and should be housed in a 50gal. tank. It is one of the more commonly seen tangs and one of the more hardy tangs.

72 gallons should be considered minimum for this fish, with 150 gallons being a nice, comfortable long term home. ESPECIALLY if you really believe this fish will reach 8" in the aquarium (which it will not most of the time by the way)

Sailfin Tang
This tang is another hardy tang that is full of personality. these tangs grow to be about 10 inches and is another good beginner fish. The down side to this fish is that it needs a large tank and me personaly i would not put this fish in a tank that is smaller than 100g.tank

Again, no. A tank of at LEAST 200-250 gallons is required for this fish long term.

Naso Tang
This tang is another awsome tang wiith many bright colors. The younger fish tend to be a bit more hardy and don't tend to stress out as much. They grow to be about 15 inches and because of it's size i wouldn't house this fish in a tank smaller than a 150g. tank

15" in the wild, but show me ONE indivudual that grew to 15" in a 150 gallon tank? Won't happen. In a tank that size you'll have an 8" fish for quite a long time, and he'll slowly grow to 10" or so, but don't expect a large show specimen in a tank that size. Size in the wild almost never equates to adult size in captifity for larger fish. Having said that, a 200 gallon tank or larger is a much better choice for this this fish.

Hippo Tang (Dori)
This fish is NOT FOR THE BEGINNER! this fish like all other fish needs excellent water quality. This fish grows to be large and i'v seen them grow to be about 10 inches. It's because of this fishe's size that i wouldn't house this fish in a tank smaller than 100g.

Once again, a 10" fish in a 100 gallon tank? First of all you've seen a 10" individual where exactly? You know for a fact it grew to this size from a juvenile? In a 100 gallon tank no less? I dont' think so.

Purple Tang
This fish in my opinion is the crown of any reef. Its awsome purple colors are acented with a yellow tail and yellow edged pectoral fins. This fish is extremly disease and parasite prone. and should be reserved for the well seasoned aquerist ( well seasoned meaning covered in salt and peper... jk ... i couldn't resist ) this fish grows to be about 10 inches so i wouldn't house this fish in a tank smaller than100g.

See above regarding tank size. Also, it doesn't deserve your lable of "extremly disease and parasite prone," ESPECIALLY considering the company it's in. If anything it's a bit more likely to display lateral line erosion that other members of the genus Zebrasoma, but that's about it. It's on equal footing elsewhere.

Powderblue Tang
If the purple tang is the crown of any reef the powderblue tang has to be the the King himslef. The powderblue tang is extreamly sensitive to water peramiters and should only be attempted by reef experts. This fish grows to be about 8 to 10 inches and can should be housed in a tank that is about 100 gallons.

Quite frankly, given the number of individuals that live for any length of time compared to how many are collected, it should be left in the ocean - period. See comments above regarding tank size.

 

[wstellwagen]

I'm with Jim M if you really care about your ttangs read the most recent issue of Coral.
To many potentialy huge fish are crammed into dinky aquaria.

Walt

 

[Anonymous]

I think it's funny that jim doesn't consider a 10" fish to be a large show size

Btw what's the deal with Sailfins? Do they just get that much larger than other Zebrasoma species? or do they have a higher desire to be an open sea fish?

 

[Anonymous]

I have seen sailfin tangs while snorkeling in HI that were the size of large dinner plates. I saw a pair of them, huge, slowly swimming together for a long time.

It made me so sad, because after seeing that, I don't think my tank can provide them anywhere near what they need. I have one in a 120, he doesn't seem to act neurotic, but I often find him just "treading water" in a corner, looking bored. He was given to me by someone who had him in a 75, so he is better off in my tank, but it still makes me sad. I wish I could find someone with a 300 gal size tank to give him too, but I just don't know anyone locally that I would believe can provide long term care for him. But my 120 is way too small in my opinion.

 

[npaden]

I am pushing the limits right now in my tank but agree on slightly larger minimum sizes than those in the original post.

Another thing that isn't mentioned is tank mates. It is best not to keep more than one tang of each genus in a tank unless it is very big. Swimming room is VERY important to tangs, but they also need some hiding spots that they can consider theirs. They don't like to share.

I have 3 Acanthurus tangs in my 415g tank and I shouldn't. Other than that I don't have any mixed genus of tangs but do have a Naso, Hepatus, and Zebramosa in addition to my 3 Acanthurus so I'm probably not a good example. The yellow tang is my oldest and I got it "used" with a 120g tank back in July of 1999. I had a Desjardni Sailfin tang but it quickly grew to about 10" and was super aggresive (more aggresive than my Sohal) and I traded it in to the LFS. Most of the others I've had for several years but I just got the Hepatus last weekend.

I do have about 1,500g of refugium and sump volume in addition to my 415g display tank so that is also a reason I am able to get away with my fish load without messing up my water parameters. Of all the tangs that I have the clown is the most aggressive even though it is one of the smallest and newest. I will probably end up moving the clown out to my 1,100g refugium sometime in the future as it grows and gets more aggressive.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[Anonymous]

Think you got things mixed up, should have had 1500 gallons of tank and 415g of sump/refugium

 

[Jolieve]

I think you guys are ragging too hard on the newbie.

IMO, great job for a second post, and for someone who is still in the research phase of this hobby. The information he gave above, is close to what I discovered about tangs when I first started researching the fish. Shows me that you're doing your homework Surfzone, and I'm proud of you. Most people don't bother to read before they get involved in this hobby. You're already off to a great start.

These guys are probably right in terms of what is better for tangs, but I'm so glad that you took the initiative to try to find out as much as you could about these awesome fish on your own.

Good luck!
J.

 

[Anonymous]

I think you guys are ragging too hard on the newbie.

Disagree. This is an informational board, and it's important that bad information be refuted as such. Wouldn't do for someone to read that post and put Sailfin tang in a 100 gallon. Nobody is attacking him, and I applaud his enthusiasm. However, I do think people should make posts indicitave of where they are in the learning curve. A "Concerning Tangs" post of this particular flavor should perhaps be left to someone qualified to do so.

 

[Jolieve]

I didn't say that he shouldn't have been corrected... I said that the criticism was too harsh.

J.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, there are some scathing remarks up there. :? :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I think it's funny that jim doesn't consider a 10" fish to be a large show size

Btw what's the deal with Sailfins? Do they just get that much larger than other Zebrasoma species? or do they have a higher desire to be an open sea fish?

Pffff! A 10" Naso a show specimen? Not where I come from.

 

[npaden]

I like my Naso. It's been a while since I put a ruler up to it though!

 

[Anonymous]

Yah I would really be weary of any guy who said he used a rule to measure 10 inches especially on the internet...

of course this comment is more sump worthy.