Tang growth rate??

Arrested by the Tang Police: I Refuse to Confess! | Coral Magazine i thought this was a good article....

 

I really like that article very informative, many good points to think about.

I wish he would list what he feels would be appropriate tank sizes for different species of tangs rather then stating less then the tang police advocate for. Also wish he posted a link to the research on cortisol levels since it does make sense that stress hormones are the only and most accurate way we can tell if a fish is " happy" or not. Also he did not mention any personal experiences with Tangs in smaller tanks besides cortisol levels, the best way the average aquarists to tell if a fish is "happy" would be statistics regarding frequency of disease and death rates which the closest I have seen is people stating tangs in small tangs are mroe ich prone

 

yeah i really wish he would give some idea on his tank size rec....i feel that every fish is different and some individual fish hate smaller aquariums and some dont mind,its up to the owner to look for signs of stress/unhappiness

 

I have become a firm believer that there is a great deal of stunting going on with these fish when placed in smaller tanks. People I have seen who claim they don't grow fast are keeping them in small tanks. I can tell you I have never had a slow growing Tang.

 

they grow real fast when small then slow down a little at 4 inches....kind of like a baby

 

Not IME.
Heres a picture of my current Tang.

Purchased 7/14/2011
about 2 1/2 inches


Picture of him 1/5/2012
6 inches



I am sure there is some variation in growth rate among different Tangs but I have had Blue's, Yellow's,Purple's, and an Achilles Tang that all showed similar growth rates. I am just glad I don't have to purchase clothing for them.lol

http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/in-a-world-of-aquarium-crime-there-is-a-man-for-the-job/

 

thats the andre the giant of tangs...he did grow really fast,he might keep going...whats your feeding schedule?

 

He's my favorite.Once a day. Switch between Flakes, Mysis, Pellets,and Formula 2. Once in a while I throw in a sheet of nori.
I have another one of these Tangs in my Frag tank which is actually larger then my display(120 gallons). I bought him before this one and it was bigger at purchase. It doesn't seem like it has grown at all. The dimension of that tank is all I can figure that is stunting its growth (it gets fed exactly what and when the other is fed)as it is 2 feet wide by a foot deep and 8 feet long. This is really what got me thinking about the stunting issue. I really should apologize as I was starting to think that people who were calling them slow growers were just trying to make themselves feel better.lol Stunting will cause a shorter life span. How short I have no idea.I have never had any issues with Ich on my Tangs or other fish and I attribute this to low stocking levels in all my tanks. I feel it is probably the most important thing to being successfull at long term husbandry. Lots of fish may look really good but IMO it is a ticking time bomb and sooner or later it will go off.Tank size is very important with this particular fish regardless of its current size.

 

Have you kept other tangs besides the one the OP refers to as andre the giant. If so have you noticed any differences in them? I understand you point but it could be that you got the supermale that was mentioned in the article of rarely ever being achieved in the aquarium.

 

Yes I have.Several.