Tang opinions

[okari82]

Okay i would love to have a tang of some type however i have read and read and it seems there usually for bigger tanks then i have i have a 75g reef with a 20l sump i was later told a kole or scopas would be a good choice. So after looking i found that koles are better in 90g plus tanks so that doesnt seem fair to sqeeze it into a smaller tank. So my choice is a scopas such as in this link as it says it is reef safe and needs 60 plus gallons

http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expa...s&SortBy=Price

Any other suggestions... do u think hell be happy in a 75g tank it has about 40lbs of lr and 60lbs of sand and nothing else as of now we plan to have a pair of B/W clowns and when the tank is ready later plan to move over our dragon goby and urchine from an established tank of almost 1 year. so does this seem like a good choice in tangs? also plan to have a fairy wrasse.

[EMV7904]

In my opinion, the Kole would be a better choice. The Scopas is going to get 8 inches...that might not sound like much but have you seen an adult Yellow Tang? They are pretty big. The Scopas is pretty much the same fish except brown. Go with the Kole (Ctenochaetus strigosus) or maybe even a Tomini (Ctenochaetus tominiensis).

[Zack33]

I would look for a chevon tang, they are very beautiful IMO, and they don't grow large at all

HTH,
Zack

[Tangalong]

EMV7904, I so hope you have made a mistake....I got a baby Scopas about 2 months ago and adore him...I read a few places that said they didn't get as big as the Kole. He has really helped my Hippo that went through a lot of trauma early on and is really full of personality. If they do get that big, I would not get one, but if not, I would definitely go with the Scopas...very active also and not fearful like my Hippo is. Think I'll do some more checking myself.lol

[okari82]

thats just it i looked at alot of different tangs and from what i found the koles get bigger then the scopas and require a bigger tank. Ill keep looking as i dont want to place one in the tank just yet but wanted some feedback.

[rendogg]

I think the Scopas is one of the hardest working, willing to eat almost any algae, and understated of all the Acanthurids.... stick with the Scopas, you'll be happy you did.

[luther1200]

A wouls also say Chevrom tang, Look at my avatar. But they are pricey.

[Tangalong]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!! I can't believe I missed this!!!!!! you are almost right EMV7904...except the site on Xtalreef says that the Skopas gets to 15 Inches !!!! GADS!!!! And I passed up after a long time of badly wanting an Achilles Tang because I thought they got too big and needed more room. Not a soul mentioned that the Scopas got so big...Thanks LFS...and thanks EMV7904...I would have freaked if my Scopas starts getting huge and I wasn't prepared..I just hope he stays small or that we can afford to finish our 10 foot enclosed porch in the future for a nice long tank. I actually felt sick after reading that article. And they are such wonderful, perfect fish...even eat junk algae.
Crud...just crud.lol....jokes on me I guess. Maybe I better stop feeding him so much.

[Aquarist007]

You might be able to get more information about tangs from this blog:

http://www.reefcentral.com/wp/?p=341

[nikon187]

I have seen quite a few scopas over 6" long, they def do get that big

[simmons3011]

if you can find one you should get a spotted yellow eyed tang. i have one for about 3 months now and he is an awesome fish. eats like a pig and loves hair algae. i have him in a 75 gal mixed reef. very active and kinda shy until its time to feed but very cool colors and a good worker. i picked him up for only 40 bucks at the lfs.

[wrestle1952]

ALL tangs will eventually grow and can grow quite large. Tangs are to the ocean as cows to land. They are grazers and have a constant source of food with a well lit reef tank. The micro algae we all want to control is there for the eating LOL. I don't know how many of you have seen tangs in the wild but they get large and FAT. You can see schools of these in Hawaii grazing constantly. In addition to their grazing I'm sure they are fed other things during the day. I have used Spectrum foods and the colors and health of my tangs is really awesome. However, they do and will continue to grow quite large. When this happens, I take them out and trade them for smaller ones. I know people will say I can't catch them. I have found that blasting a flash light on them while they are sleeping will shick them enough where I can literally catch them with my hand or a net. They are great and beautiful fish. Good luck!

[davocean]

I have a kole in my 67g(but I do plan to bump to a 120g by end of summer) and it is an algae eating machine, and much prettier under my lights than I expected.
Good temperment as tangs go.
For other smallish tangs I'd say a tomini/bristletooth, tennenti/lieutenant(one of my very favs)
A small specimen should be fine in that size tank for quite a long time IMO.

[davocean]

My tennenti(juvy)


Kole (flash washes color, more purple)

[SeaMac2]

How about a Tomini tang? I've had one in my 75g for over a year and it is doing great.

[EMV7904]

Originally posted by davocean
For other smallish tangs I'd say a tomini/bristletooth, tennenti/lieutenant(one of my very favs)
A small specimen should be fine in that size tank for quite a long time IMO.

???

The Lieutenant Tang is not smallish and would not be ok in a small tank for "quite a long time". Not even a small one. It has about a foot long max size...

[davocean]

Not sure what chart you're looking at.
Maybe in the wild they get that long, but at about 3yrs old, mine is still only about 4" long, I consider that smallish as tangs go, and a decent length of time.

[familiar1985]

i have a powder blue and a pacific blue. From what i have observed the powder tang is more of an open water fish compared to a pacific. Though the pacific should get larger then the powder i'm sure the powder needs a much larger tank. Its not all about size. You should probably stay away from the tangs that like to swim in open water with a smaller tank. Pacific tang likes tight places and would do better in a smaller tank in my opinion. Is the Kole tang the same way?

[docalatamu]

for this tank I would say go with a kole tang

I do find it funny that people think a chevron tang stays small, it is actually one of the biggest ctenochaetids getting over 10 inches

[luther1200]

Chevron Tangs may get big,but as others have said it isn't always about size. Liveaquaria recomends a 70g tank min. So that is why people suggest it for that size of tank.

[stylolvr]

Originally posted by SeaMac2
How about a Tomini tang? I've had one in my 75g for over a year and it is doing great.

+1 for the tomini! They are fantastic fish!