:idea: Is there a type of tang i can keep in a 55g tank? i like yellow and blue hippo tangs, but they said i need a tank of at least 80g for 1.

you could to a Kole tang easily, and if there is enough open space in the tank you might be able to pull off a Yellow tang, but thats about it. Paracanthurus hepatus (AKA -blue tangs, hippo tangs, blue surgeons) need at least 75 gallon, but larger is prefered. and just about every other tang requires at least a 100 gallon or larger tank.

I have a yellow tang in my 55g tank and it seems to be doing great. It has been in there for about a year and has become buddies with my velvet wrasse. They hang out all the time and even eat together.

i have to agree there, i a have had my yellow tang for about a bit over a month. and within 20 minute sof putting it into my tank it was making friends with my Foxface. they are very friendly and seem to be quite passive fish, and there are (at least mine is) a riot to watch, they do some goofy things :D

y should u keep only one yellow tang?

tangs tend to be aggresive towards towards each other.
you can usualy avoid this by doing one of two things
1.) introduce them together at a young age
2.) keep tangs with different body shapes.

Tangs are less likely to be aggressive with each other if there body shapes are different. the more the difference the better, but two of the same species, especially if introduced at tifferent times, can fight to the death. i have seen it with Blue Surgeons. so the normal recommendation is to keep them as individuals, unless you get a pair that are somehow already aquainted and tolerant of each other.

If it were me I would only place one tang in a 55. A Yellow Hawaiian Tang is a nice choice and will eat lots of algae. Be sure to add him last to the tank that way all the other fish will have time to pick their territories. Yellow tangs can be very aggressive toward other fish but mine the one I have know is a sweet heart.
Take care

i had a yellow tang which killed my flasher wrase and my shap nose puffer i wonder if it would be able to live with my undulated trigger.

it should be fine, however, yellow tangs are not normally that aggressive

yeah i know he was a freak he acually would seek out the other fish amony the rocks to 'hunt' / kill them. Most aggresive fish i had but i guess fish are like people that way some are passive and others are psyco killers.
thanks Rob

yeah i know he was a freak he acually would seek out the other fish amony the rocks to 'hunt' / kill them. Most aggresive fish i had but i guess fish are like people that way some are passive and others are psyco killers.
thanks Rob
if you can start out with the smallest and youngest of yellow tangs, they tend to be much more peacefu. big ones, especially well established ones tend to be very territorial. if you let the fish population dwindle down to just the yellow tang, it becomes very risky to add new fish.

thanks Walrus.
That tang was added last to a tank which i thought would curb the aggresion. And it was only like 2.5 inches but like i said he was psyco.the other fish were very peacful though flasher wrasse firfish and such. He was placed in a larger tank and is quite happy now with more aggresive larger fish.

it should be fine, however, yellow tangs are not normally that aggressive

I've actually read just the opposite... and that they tend to be very aggressive.

Here is what Marine Fishes says, "Can be very aggressive once established, especially in a smaller tank. It may refuse to tolerate the presence of other tangs or surgeonfishes. Keep only one, except in large tanks (135 gal or 511 L), where groups should be introduced simultaneously."

thats because a yellow tang in a small tank feels oh so.....POOFY.

thats because a yellow tang in a small tank feels oh so.....POOFY.

oh goodness!

I've actually read just the opposite... and that they tend to be very aggressive.

Here is what Marine Fishes says, "Can be very aggressive once established, especially in a smaller tank. It may refuse to tolerate the presence of other tangs or surgeonfishes. Keep only one, except in large tanks (135 gal or 511 L), where groups should be introduced simultaneously."
Yes, gwen you are right.. they are agressive by nature.
what i was refering to is that i have not seen them to be that aggressive, as described by Cjvolitan.

sorry, i should have been more specific..

Yes, gwen you are right.. they are agressive by nature.
what i was refering to is that i have not seen them to be that aggressive, as described by Cjvolitan.

sorry, i should have been more specific..

I've read many many posts about aggressive tangs... I never read about nice yellow tangs... except yours ;)

The tang was in an 80 gallon conertank. And it was only there for about 3 weeks before i took him back to the supplier. He was a freak like i said and by no means represents all yellow tangs.
I love yellow tang and they are great fish under most cercumstances but that tang i had did not belong in my tank with small pecful defenseless fish. Rip Flashey- the long fin flsher wrase
Rip ghosty- the pearly jaw fish.

dont get me wrong.. mine is nice now that is used to its tank mated but in the beginning it wasnt exactly nice.. it just wasnt as bad as Cjvolitan described his being, none of my tangs have been that bad

oh yeah one more thing i did not name those fish that my girlfreind and my little sitter named them that.

Those are cute names for fish ;)

i have a yellow tang that is pretty peacful to all the other fish do you think i could put a young blue tang with it

Hi Slush and :welcome: to TR. Thanks for jumping in!

well i have a blue tang in a 29 gallon biocube!! yah i know it sounds CRAZY! but... it has been in ther for almost a year now so i think its doing pretty well, seeing that ther are 2 blue chromis, 2 clown fish, a orange spotted goby and a fire fish, al these animals are living suprisingly well with each other considering such tight quarters but they all seem quite at home... my clownfish are even hosting and the tang has gotten ick like twice and got rd of it by itself both times... im pretty lucky... i think you could take a blue tang in your tank if you have the right tank mates.

i started with a 35 gal tank. i kept it a year and a half and upgraded to a 55 gal. when i did that the first fish i bought was a $27 yellow tang about 3 inches long. 4 months later i sprung for a $50 blue tang no bigger than a half dollar! (he was soooo cute!) i didn't have any real problem with them. they settled in pretty quick together. about a year later i bought a 5"sailfin tang from a friend for $40. the yellow tang hid from the sailfin. the blue tang made friends and only squabbled once in a great while. they got use to each other and lived for 5 months in the 55 gal. tank until recently. i have them in a 90gal. now and all are getting along. the yellow don't hide anymore and the fish seem happier with the added room! they are all still under 6.5 inches with the blue still being the smallest. i know eventually they will outgrow this tank so i am now planing a 250 gal display tank to be put in the living room. (hopefully in the next 8 to 10 months. i will be documenting the journey!:) once i do that i will be adding two more tangs on my wish list :p a gorges purple and nice naso.....

I have a 180 gallon display and I have 6 tangs.....Yellow, Scopas, Purple, Sailfin, Powder Blue and a Black Tang. The Black is the most docile and peaceful. I have to keep mine in my fuge because the others are a bit too feisty. A Black Tang is a bit pricy though. If this were Reef Central they would be screaming right now! A samll Yellow would probably be OK, but make sure you supplement his diet with Sea Veggies or Nori. I also feed Formula 2 small pelets that are soaked in Selcon and Zoe to provied them with the proper nutrition. As the tang grows, in 3 years or so, it will need a bigger tank. Tangs are a long term pet if cared for propperly! I do not keep a fish that I cannot give a great quality life to.

well i have a blue tang in a 29 gallon biocube!! yah i know it sounds CRAZY! but... it has been in ther for almost a year now so i think its doing pretty well, seeing that ther are 2 blue chromis, 2 clown fish, a orange spotted goby and a fire fish, al these animals are living suprisingly well with each other considering such tight quarters but they all seem quite at home... my clownfish are even hosting and the tang has gotten ick like twice and got rd of it by itself both times... im pretty lucky... i think you could take a blue tang in your tank if you have the right tank mates.
That is an awful heavy bioload for a 29! I have less fish in my 54 corner tank. Ich is an indication that your fish is under stress. Fish like blue tangs are big swimmers and need at a minimum a 60" long tank with lots of hiding places and conditions less than this will cause problems.

This would be a VERY volatile thread on Reef Central!:wow:

Yeah, but that is why we are all here and not there. :)

i can understand your concerns but he has been fine and he looks great!

i can understand your concerns but he has been fine and he looks great!

not to be mean or anything, but it is just a matter of time. THAT fish in THAT tank WILL die. IMHO, he is already on borrowed time. i would urge you to trade him in to the LFS or give him to someone with a more suitable tank for him.

not to be mean or anything, but it is just a matter of time. THAT fish in THAT tank WILL die. IMHO, he is already on borrowed time. i would urge you to trade him in to the LFS or give him to someone with a more suitable tank for him.

I agree with Bobby. I strongly recommend you upgrade or trade it in. I just bought a new tank because mine will outgrow my tank very soon.

In a 55g you could keep a Chevron Tang, they stay relatively small. Once again it depends on the bioload of the tank and how many fish are in it. Tangs need space to swim and don't like to be crowded.