Tank sizes for tangs: Help us create a list!

MtlReef25 · Aug 8, 2014

I have a 6in Acanthurus Dussumeiri in a 75g 4ft tank. It's a really nice fish with a great personnality. I first got it when it was 2in and ugraded the tank twice so it could thrive and grow in a not so bad place... of course it ain't the sea but well, that's the best I can provide for now. It seems to be ''happy'', but as I don't speak ''fish'' I can't really say!

Reef_Obsessed · Aug 9, 2014

This is a great list, but there will still be those, "Can I put a Tang in a?" threads...

Carlson Moncrief · Aug 12, 2014

Hate to say this... but my white cheek tang is in a 25 gallon tank and hes about 5 inches.... haha I bet I shocked some of yall. Hes in a 4 footer. Just the 25 now for qt. I hope it will be ok

Carlson Moncrief · Aug 12, 2014

Carlson Moncrief said:
Hate to say this... but my white cheek tang is in a 25 gallon tank and hes about 5 inches.... haha I bet I shocked some of yall. Hes in a 4 footer. Just the 25 now for qt. I hope it will be ok

Of course this would still seem small. But he has a lot of swimming room and is perfectly happy and the only tang. No aggression what so ever

Myka · Oct 15, 2015

revhtree said:
Thread updated and new tangs added. We can debate the sizes as we go here and make changes as needed.

Achilles Surgeonfish - 180g - 6 ft

I can't say I agree with this. I think this is probably one of the main reasons Achilles are considered "Export Only" fish is because they just don't thrive in a 180-gallon tank. I know two Achilles in 8' and 10' tanks, and they are so much happier than their counterparts in 6' tanks. I really think this fish belongs in an 8' tank or longer.

Gem Tang - 180g - 6ft
Blue Eye / Two Spot Tang - 80g - 4 ft (I might be inclined to say 120g)

dallas reefer · Oct 15, 2015

I would say tangs should be in a minimum 6' long tank. At the end of the day it's the length of a tank.

shred5 · Oct 15, 2015

See I disagree, I think it has more to do with space or gallons, tangs dont swim in just a straight line.

.

dallas reefer · Oct 15, 2015

Not talking about 6 cubic ft of volume. Just length.

shred5 · Oct 15, 2015

dallas reefer said:
Not talking about 6 cubic ft of volume. Just length.

I still disagree I think a 36x36x24 is as good as a 72x24x18 tank. I dont think the tangs cares as long as he has the space he needs.

dallas reefer · Oct 15, 2015

Your right boss. Wasn't thinking. I'm no expert.

Kworker · Oct 15, 2015

My experience with Achilles is that its not so much about total length, more about flow.

If you can provide the achilles with ample swimming current to keep it entertained and constantly swimming than it will be good. This isn't to say that people should go get a 60 cube and get achilles.. but that people who understand the fish can provide it what it needs.

I kept the same achilles in multiple tanks within a 2 year span. A 40 breeder for 2 months, 180 for 8 months, 55 gallon for 3 months and back into 180 gallons for the remainder.

My experience was that his colors were some of the most vibrant, he was the most active and fat in the 55 with 3,500 GPH. Out of all the variables from each tank, the flow was clearly the most noticeable requirement for the fish.

Recently, when I changed the 180 gallon tank to house LPS corals and drastically lowered the GPH to a mere fraction of when SPS was in there it's habits seemed to alter. The fish started covering the entire span of the 180 gallon tank in search for the high flow zones that did not exist any longer. Where now that he is in the other 180 gallon tank ( in the same system ) where the SPS now reside, the fish seems more comfortable with residing in an area of the tank for a longer duration.

In the end I still feel confident in saying that the Achilles I have felt more comfortable in the 55 gallon with that extreme amount of flow than in the 180. So that aligns me with the thought process that @shred5 has, along with all the other different variables that go into having a fish thrive in the environment.

shred5 · Oct 15, 2015

Kworker said:
My experience with Achilles is that its not so much about total length, more about flow.

If you can provide the achilles with ample swimming current to keep it entertained and constantly swimming than it will be good. This isn't to say that people should go get a 60 cube and get achilles.. but that people who understand the fish can provide it what it needs.

I kept the same achilles in multiple tanks within a 2 year span. A 40 breeder for 2 months, 180 for 8 months, 55 gallon for 3 months and back into 180 gallons for the remainder.

My experience was that his colors were some of the most vibrant, he was the most active and fat in the 55 with 3,500 GPH. Out of all the variables from each tank, the flow was clearly the most noticeable requirement for the fish.

Recently, when I changed the 180 gallon tank to house LPS corals and drastically lowered the GPH to a mere fraction of when SPS was in there it's habits seemed to alter. The fish started covering the entire span of the 180 gallon tank in search for the high flow zones that did not exist any longer. Where now that he is in the other 180 gallon tank ( in the same system ) where the SPS now reside, the fish seems more comfortable with residing in an area of the tank for a longer duration.

In the end I still feel confident in saying that the Achilles I have felt more comfortable in the 55 gallon with that extreme amount of flow than in the 180. So that aligns me with the thought process that @shred5 has, along with all the other different variables that go into having a fish thrive in the environment.

Yea every type of tang is different too and everyone aqauscapes different and has different fish. I have found allot of tangs just have giant territory and they defend it. I have changed aquascaping to actually make their territory smaller too and it works sometimes. But yea some tangs and some fish are just active swimmers and need the current to swim in like anthias. My anthias dont need allot of room they never move out of the current from my gyre. They just need to be constantly swimming.

Sometimes it comes down to the fact large tanks are suggested too for the availabilty of food or just the amount of waste ..

With Anthias I think sometime it is suggested they need a big tank because they need to eat so much and they produce allot of waste. Basically it is the solution to pollution is dilution. With Anthias I think you just need to have a good nutrient export to handle the excess nutrients they produce from all the feedings. They also need hiding space. Not saying all because again there are different species of anthias.

You know some large fish are ok in small tanks and some are not. The opposite is true too some small fish require lots of room while others dont. It is a bought territory and swimming room required and each fish is different.

Myka · Oct 15, 2015

Yeah, aquascaping and nutrient export do play a big role for sure, same with flow as mentioned.

Kworker said:
My experience with Achilles is that its not so much about total length, more about flow.

I agree with you to a certain extent. They definitely do seek the high flow areas. Since you kept the fish in a 55-gallon tank for some time, I imagine (and hope) the tang is not very big. You haven't kept the fish in a tank bigger than 180-gallons, so you can't really offer advice there.

shred5 said:
I still disagree I think a 36x36x24 is as good as a 72x24x18 tank. I dont think the tangs cares as long as he has the space he needs.

I disagree with this. My tank is 36x21x21" (69 gallons), and a standard 75-gallon is 48x18x21" which is commonly recommended for Ctenochaetus tangs. I have SPS flow. There is not much volume difference here, and I'm sure I'd be flamed from here to MACNA for putting a tang in my tank, but if enough people tell me my tank is big enough then I'll have no choice but to go by popular demand and go get a tang for my tank.

Kworker · Oct 15, 2015

Myka said:
Yeah, aquascaping and nutrient export do play a big role for sure, same with flow as mentioned.

I agree with you to a certain extent. They definitely do seek the high flow areas. Since you kept the fish in a 55-gallon tank for some time, I imagine (and hope) the tang is not very big. You haven't kept the fish in a tank bigger than 180-gallons, so you can't really offer advice there.

I disagree with this. My tank is 36x21x21" (69 gallons), and a standard 75-gallon is 48x18x21" which is commonly recommended for Ctenochaetus tangs. I have SPS flow. There is not much volume difference here, and I'm sure I'd be flamed from here to MACNA for putting a tang in my tank, but if enough people tell me my tank is big enough then I'll have no choice but to go by popular demand and go get a tang for my tank.

Have you personally kept these species? All you've said was you've seen. Just curious.

And for what it's worth, I have no issue if you were to keep a tang in the tank you have. Obviously it depends on species, aqua scape, other tank mates.

But I'm sure you can get the gist of what I'm saying. There are more variables than just tank size/length that sometimes are just as, or possibly more important. It seems people overlook some of the others and focus entirely on tank size.

I'll tell you one thing. The Achilles I have in my 180 looks healthier than any of the ones I've seen in MUCH larger tanks in public/commercial aquariums. I also often somewhat criticize (to myself) the health of some of the fish I see in public/commercial aquariums.

robert · Oct 15, 2015

From my experience its more to do with length not gallonage. High flow can reduce the length requirements a little, but not by too much.
While guidlines are good, there just that...individual fish behave differently.

What I look for is pacing...a tang in too small of tank will swim constantly from one end to the other. If it drives me nuts just watching him, I can only imagine how he feels. If on the other hand, the fish is swimming confortably and is inspecting his environment...hes probably fine in the tank.

I've found gallonage, specifically depth to be of much less importance. Tangs seem to pace lengthwise, not up and down.
I kept an achellis in a cut down 180 - in about 8" of water with big current and waves and he loved it...you could see he would use the surges and waves to go over and around colonies in his way, spin on a dime and catch the next surge in the opposite direction.
He was in with a bunch of blue devils who he hated and loved to chase....very happy tang...he's now in an 8'x3'x2' tank with more uniform flow...hes happy but less acrobatic.

Myka · Oct 15, 2015

Kworker said:
Have you personally kept these species? All you've said was you've seen. Just curious.

Maybe I'm blind, but I just looked back and I don't see where I said, "I've seen"...?? I own an aquarium maintenance company, and have a variety of tangs in my care in a variety of different situations (that I sometimes don't agree with, like the Orange Shoulder in the 90).

Kworker said:
And for what it's worth, I have no issue if you were to keep a tang in the tank you have. Obviously it depends on species, aqua scape, other tank mates

I'm sitting here right now looking at my tank and thinking there is just no way I could see an adult tang of any species in my tank. Not only would he wreck havoc on my SPS he would do laps in the tank. A 2-3" juvenile sure, but a 6" fish in a 36" tank? Maybe, maybe a Tomini, but none other.

Kworker said:
But I'm sure you can get the gist of what I'm saying. There are more variables than just tank size/length that sometimes are just as, or possibly more important. It seems people overlook some of the others and focus entirely on tank size

Absolutely, but I do think you're even less discriminate than LA which I think is really borderline for many species. I just think that for the average hobbyist, the recommended guidelines should be greater. Most people owning tangs are not expert fish keepers and really could use the buffer effect of a bigger tank.

Kworker said:
I'll tell you one thing. The Achilles I have in my 180 looks healthier than any of the ones I've seen in MUCH larger tanks in public/commercial aquariums. I also often somewhat criticize (to myself) the health of some of the fish I see in public/commercial aquariums.

Excellent. Good job. Don't assume everyone can do it with every Achilles just because one person (you) can do it with one Achilles.

dallas reefer · Oct 15, 2015

This is the same kinda post I got banned from RC for. Jussayin. Someone in this hobby will ALWAYS disagree

Kworker · Oct 15, 2015

No way of me knowing your personal story and that you own a company. Not really sure why it seems you are getting defensive because I questioned if you have personal experience with the fish mentioned. Still doesn't say much either way on the other hand... I know of a store that has someone maintain their display tanks. Moving on..

Also, you are right, you didn't say "I've seen" you said "I know" I'm sorry. Still was no way for me to know your experience either way with those fish. Could of been anything from looking at the tanks for 5 minutes to actually owning them yourself. Hence why I asked.

And did what exactly with my Achilles? Properly quarantine it and establish the way the tank is run specifically for the Achilles? I believe plenty more people can keep other Achilles with similar care and thought put forth. My Achilles is not hardy by any stretch either... It was close to death at the LFS, so theoretically it should be dead I guess. I am definitely NOT the "one person" who can do it, you are drastically over-exaggerating.