Smallest Tang Species

I have been looking into getting a tang, I have a 55 gallon
Existing fish
2 perc clowns
1 Royal Gamma
planning on adding at later dates
Mandrin gobie
Barber shop Gobie
and a couple of fire fish

any suggestions on a tang been looking at the Sailfin but am getting mixed information on it.

thanks

 

you can do a yellow tang as long as you have a good filtration system.

 

from what i have heard a tominini tang would be ur best bet, if n e tang. a yellow tang needs at least 75-90 thats pushing it still. its more about swimming space than gals as a requirement for tangs. imo

 

Sailfin is way to large for your tank. They get to be over a foot long.

55gal is really too small for tangs. You could go with a small tang like a Kole tang short term and trade it back to the fish store when it gets larger.

 

I don't think you could fit any species of tangs in there. Even if you get them small, they will outgrow the tank.

 

the recomended minimum tanks size for a sailfin tang is 75 gallons for a juvenile. i dont recomend any tang in a 55 gallon but have known people with short term success housing a yellowtang

 

I have a tomeni tang currently in my 55. He lives with a pair of clowns and a green mandarin.

 

I have a small yellow tang in my 55. I never got the distinction between a 55, 75 and 90. They are all the same length, but the 75 and 90 are 6" wider and IME that 6" isn't going to matter too much. As long as you have good filtration and stable parameters you should be fine. IMO, it's more important to have length then width. I know my tang will eventually outgrow the tank and if that happens before I upgrade, then I will trade him in to the lfs. Anyways, kole tangs are some of the smallest species, yellow tangs aren't too bad either and are easy to find. However, I would suggest not getting a tang if are not planning on upgrading or will not be able to trade the tang back in when it gets too large.

 

Two thoughts...

1) Make sure you are familiar with the feeding requirements on the Mandrin. I wanted one too until I convinced myself I wasn't ready for it.

2) I'd look into some Wrasses.... McCoskers or Velvet. Those would work well in a 55 from what I've read.

Being unable to get all the tangs and such that I want is my motivation to get a bigger tank.

Mark

 

IMO a 55 is on the small side for tangs. When most tangs grow larger they will have limited turning options in a tank that is only about 12" wide when they reach their adult sizes. On top of that the smaller water volume provides much more limited dissolved oxygen which tangs need a lot of since they are relatively large fish for their length and swim constantly.

You can keep almost any tang in a 55g for a period of time but they will probably eventually outgrow it and then they can either just die or they can come down with some illness and then potentially even take other fish with them.

If you do end up trying a tang try a fish in the Ctenochaetus genus, like a Kole or Tomini tang since they are some of the smallest tangs readily available and they tend to not need as much straight line swimming room as others.

I agree that wrasses are great counterparts for tangs in smaller tanks, they are constantly swimming, and I think most actually have better coloration than most tangs. Plus if you get a flasher or fairy wrasse, most are peaceful aquarium inhabitants and are fairly hardy.

I also think that most 55g tanks are too small for most mandarins. There are exceptions but it's one of those things where if you have to ask whether one is acceptable for your tank it probably isn't the best inhabitant for you. Most mandarins require special care and have special feeding habits. If nothing else please do plenty of research on them before attempting to keep them in such a small tank.