tang in a 70?

[DanG]

My 70 is about ready to have water dumped into it and I'm starting to think about what I want to add to the tank that I wasn't able to before because I only had a 40g.

New tank is 70g, 48x18x18.

I was thinking about a blue tang (dori), simply because I can get them so small (size of a loonie), and I really enjoy watching them grow into bigger fish.

How would one of those do in a reef tank with a maroon clown, a 1 inch foxface and 2 chromis?

There is no plan for a larger tank in the near future, so it would have to be ok in a 4 foot tank for a couple of years.

If not a blue tang, can anyone recommend another tang to go into a 70?

[Skimmerking]

Well Dan I have a kole and a purple in my 120. but lots of people are putting tangs in to a 50-90 gal IMO i dont think that I have the space for my tangs. but that is just my opinion. I have seen many people on RC with 4 tangs in a 90-100 gal range.

[digital-audiophile]

I have two tangs in my 90, a purple and a regal. They both seem to be happy, but I would prefer more space.

[Mik_101]

I have a yellow tang in my 46 gallon and he seems happy as long as they have the right diet.

[Skimmerking]

well I don't mean to stick into your threads here but if I tang has the right diet then its going to grow at a good rate. And Mik if you are feeding your tang the right diet then the 46 gal will soon to be a small tank for him. depending on the type of tang of course.

[marie]

I would rethink the tang and a foxface together in a 70g if it were me. It would be doable for a while but they both get big fast and your nutrients will soon get out of control.

My foxface went from 2" to "filleting size" (to quote TomR ) in a year and the amount of poop that comes out of my tang and my foxface is amazing.

So in IMO one or the other in a 70g tank

[fkshiu]

The short answer is that you CAN (many people do), but the real question is whether you SHOULD; just the same as CAN live in an office cubicle, but SHOULD you?

Here's the sticky on this common topic on RC:

1. Tangs are not good choices for newly set up aquaria. To thrive they need a stable environment with pristine water conditions.

2. Tangs are medium to large, active fish that need plenty of space. On the question of tank sizes, we defer to Scott W. Michael, who recommends the following minimum sizes in Marine Fishes, 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species, Microcosm Ltd., 1999:

Acanthurus achilles, Achilles Surgeonfish, 100 gal (380l).
Acanthurus coeruleus, Atlantic Blue Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus japonicus, Powder Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus leucosternon, Powder Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Acanthurus lineatus, Lined or Clown Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus nigricans, Whitecheek Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus olivaceus, Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish, 135 gal (510l).
Acanthurus pyroferus, Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus sohal, Sohal Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
Acanthurus tristegus, Convict Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus tristis, Indian Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis, Chevron Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Ctenochaetus strigosus, Kole's Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Naso brevirostris, Spotted Unicornfish, 180 gal (685l).
Naso lituratus, Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Naso unicornis, Bluespine Unicornfish, 200 gal (760l).
Paracanthurus hepatus, Pacific Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
Zebrasoma desjardinii, Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma scopas, Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma veliferum, Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
Zebrasoma xanthurum, Purple Tang, 100 gal (380l).

You will note that none of these minimum sizes are less than 75 gallons. If you have a tang in a smaller tank, you should expect that some people will give you a hard time about it. Expressing outrage about that could result in suspension of your posting privileges. We are not, BTW, giving a free pass to the self-styled "Tang Police" to be abusive.

3. The above sizes assume a standard rectangular shape with plenty of open swimming space. If your tank is full to the brim with coral, your tang won't be happy. Tanks 125G or larger are assumed to be at least six feet long (approx. two meters). Where possible, choose longer rather than deeper shapes. While smaller species may be OK in a four foot tank, they will probably do better in a five foot or longer tank.

4. We do not condone the practice of keeping more than one specimen of the same or very similar species together in the same aquarium, except possibly for Zebrasoma species in a very large tank.

5. If you wish to keep multiple dissimilar tangs in the same aquarium, we recommend you have an aquarium significantly larger than the sizes listed above.

[DanG]

Kind of what I though, for the fish to live a good life, it's not going to be in a smaller tank.

Someone needs to create a dwarf tang, just like angels...

[naesco]

Good decision.
Tangs are swimmers and need the extra length that large tanks provide.
Six foot length is a good start. Four feet should not be considered.
Thanks

[Aquattro]

I think that list gives a good selection of tangs that will do well in a 70g, you can often tell the fast swimmers by their body shape, like Sohals, etc. A yellow is a good pick, mine was in a 4ft tank for the better part of 8 years and was very healthy.