Looking for reefers with a 40 breeder

[ReefMaster48]

Hey Y'all!


PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: I know this type of discussion can get really heated really fast. So I really just what to hear from people who are running 40 breeders or who have successfully in the past.

Not saying that I am going to, I'm just doing research, and trying to answer questions. So here's the question

Has anyone, or how many of you have successfully kept or are keeping a Yellow Tang in a 40 breeder?

I know this can get really hot really quick, but I don't what people to get into arguments, just looking for the data. Some people can be afraid to say that they have certain fish in certain setups as well, even though they are successful, but here is a safe place to talk or you could PM me what you have or have had. Again, I am just collecting the data.

[ca1ore]

Depends on what you mean by 'successfully kept'. Keep it alive, sure; happy, probably not. Yellows are on the aggressive side, particularly when cramped. I kept one in a 55 years ago and it became problem as it grew.

[ReefMaster48]

Originally Posted by ca1ore

I kept one in a 55 years ago and it became problem as it grew.

That's what i'm looking for. Success or not, just trying to gather the data. Thanks!

[MondoBongo]

i wouldn't hesitate to quarantine one in a 40b for a period of time, but i wouldn't feel comfortable keeping one in there long term.

i actually noticed an appreciable drop in aggression when i moved my YT from my 75 to my 155. twice the space for him to swim definitely lead to a more relaxed fish.

[mcgyvr]

Its not a smart decision at all.. (and you already know that)..
Can you keep a small one for a while.. sure.. Is it basically torture in the long run.. Yes..

But thousands of animals are killed/tortured,etc.. by the lack of knowledge/understanding of thousands of animal owners all over the world.. Whats one more...
The data is already collected..

[ReefMaster48]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Its not a smart decision at all.. (and you already know that)..
Can you keep a small one for a while.. sure.. Is it basically torture in the long run.. Yes..

But thousands of animals are killed/tortured,etc.. by the lack of knowledge/understanding of thousands of animal owners all over the world.. Whats one more...
The data is already collected..

Would you consider a Tang in a 300 gallon system to not be tortured? After all, Tangs travel miles everyday in the ocean; so although we consider a 300 gallon incredibly roomy for a Tang, its actually incredibly restricting. 40, 75, 125, 200, or a 300 gallon tank will never compare to the Tangs natural life. We cant argue for the mental health of a fish, as that data is already collected. A tang in any hobbyist aquarium will not be allowed nearly as much space as a wild Tang.

The information that I am looking for is whether or not people have kept a YT in a 40 breeder successfully.

Not the view that keeping a tang in anything less then 125 gallons is cruel, as we can literally apply cruelty to any animal in our hobby regardless of tank size.

ca1ore and MondoBogo gave a perfect example of the information I was looking for. Can and will a YT in a 40 survive? yes and it has been done. But in their experience, there are substantial differences in the behavior of a YT from a smaller tank to a larger tank.

[alton]

Although many times Powder Blue Tangs are schooling, but in this case a single has made a home of a small part of the reef and defends it against schooling tangs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFtf80QrFkw

[mcgyvr]

Here is my story then..
I had a 125G 6ft tank for 2 years..
Since I was moving soon (3 months) I decided to downgrade and get everything into a 40b to make the move easier.... My ~4" yellow tang came with..
Once in the 40b it was clearly unhappy, barely swam around but was eating normally..
Within 1 month it died...
I had that fish for 2 years and it was very healthy.. No other fish/critters,etc... had any problems..

It was very active in the 6ft tank but a light switch clicked once in the 40b and the happiness was gone..

[Jekerry]

I am so glad I read all this. I wanted a yellow tang for my 54 gallon corner, but now will skip that idea! So much to learn!

[sde1500]

Originally Posted by ReefMaster48

Would you consider a Tang in a 300 gallon system to not be tortured? After all, Tangs travel miles everyday in the ocean; so although we consider a 300 gallon incredibly roomy for a Tang, its actually incredibly restricting. 40, 75, 125, 200, or a 300 gallon tank will never compare to the Tangs natural life. We cant argue for the mental health of a fish, as that data is already collected. A tang in any hobbyist aquarium will not be allowed nearly as much space as a wild Tang.

Not the view that keeping a tang in anything less then 125 gallons is cruel, as we can literally apply cruelty to any animal in our hobby regardless of tank size.

BS excuse some people use to justify getting whatever fish they want. Perhaps you can elaborate on why you are asking for accounts of people keeping a fish in a vastly undersized tank?

[ReefMaster48]

Originally Posted by Jekerry

I am so glad I read all this. I wanted a yellow tang for my 54 gallon corner, but now will skip that idea! So much to learn!

[ReefMaster48]

Originally Posted by sde1500

BS excuse some people use to justify getting whatever fish they want. Perhaps you can elaborate on why you are asking for accounts of people keeping a fish in a vastly undersized tank?

Perhaps you can elaborate on why that is BS?

[MondoBongo]

Originally Posted by ReefMaster48

Perhaps you can elaborate on why that is BS?

we have strong observational evidence from many people in the reefing community that supports the conclusion that larger tank sizes, specifically for tangs, leads to lower aggression.

if you're looking for some magic technique to keeping one placated in a much smaller tank, you're not going to find it.

you appear to be looking hard for the answer you want to hear. it doesn't work that way. do what you will, but know that the recommended tank sizes for these critters are not just arbitrary.

[sde1500]

Originally Posted by ReefMaster48

Perhaps you can elaborate on why that is BS?

Person A has a small tank, starts a thread eerily similar to this asking about keeping a fish unsuitable for their tank. Person B,C, and probably D tell them that their tank isn't suitable for that fish due to size or activity level. Person A responds, trying to justify their desire for the fish, that the big tank persons B,C, and D say is needed doesn't compare to the ocean these fish come from, and if we compare to that then why even bother keeping fish. Then goes out and probably buys the fish anyway.

Yes, the ocean is bigger, I am very sure we all know that. But we keep these fish in our glass boxes anyway. In doing so, we should be signing on to providing them the best level of care we can. And if a 6 inch fish that swims a lot is put in a tank just 2 feet long, that isn't providing a level of care that it needs, and deserves. This is the same with any animal, some big or active dogs don't do well in 2nd floor studio apartments, neither are pot belly pigs. So any animal we assume the care for should be one we know we can adequately house and care for.

[nereefpat]

Irresponsible...get a lemonpeel or herald's angel instead.

[ReefMaster48]

Well I think the YT police came out...

SO lets start here. I was asking for people to respond that have kept Tangs in a 40 breeder, or any smaller tank for that matter. A number of people did. And their responses where great! Just what I was expecting.

Now one person came across and made some claims that may apply to tangs, but if we are gonna use that argument, then it can also literally be applied to EVERY fish!

I gave an explanation, not of why a YT can be kept in a 40, but why that the argument was incorrect.

sde1500 comes along and simply says that its BS. Whats BS? My view that we cant say that a 300 gallon tank is like the ocean? Well thats true. That no tank will suite a YT's swimming? Well thats true too. All I was saying it that we cannot use the "tortured" or "not natural" argument, as nothing that we do in this hobby meets the natural requirements.

For the last three postings, what happened when you kept a YT in a 40 breeder? Did you ever do it?




Just to be clear. The reason why I started this thread was because there is countless youtube videos with even "popular" reefers that house a YT in a 40 breeder. I have always been under the view that 100 or less is not a great idea for YTs, but I have never kept one. Thats why I specifically asked the reefers with 40 breeders to provide their input and success or failure.

[sde1500]

Hey you do you man. I wasn't going to comment because I don't have a 40b or keep a tang. But that style response of "no tank is like the ocean" seems like the go to reasoning people use to stuff big fish in small tanks. So that made me chime in.

[Lsufan]

I don’t think U are going to get the answers your looking for. I think the majority of the answers u will get will be people that needed to rehome one for a short period of time or QT. Most people on here wouldn’t try to keep one long term because they know it isn’t good on the fish & will lead to issues. The people who keep tangs in a 40 breeder are the ones who are in the hobby for a short amount of time because they constantly have issues. Then they can’t figure out why they keep having issues when they are making decisions like that. Between that & people not wanting to admit it I don’t think u are going to get much besides a short, temperary stay.

To answer your question, I had one in my 40 breeder for two months why I was changing out my big tanks. It was only supposed to be a month, but ended up being two. She was more aggressive in the 40 breeder from being stressed, but she ate fine & seemed ok other then a little more aggression. That was only for 2 months & I don’t think I would have went any longer without trying to find a new home for her

[Dmorty217]

Originally Posted by ca1ore

Depends on what you mean by 'successfully kept'. Keep it alive, sure; happy, probably not. Yellows are on the aggressive side, particularly when cramped. I kept one in a 55 years ago and it became problem as it grew.

+1 I successfully kept all sorts of different fish in a 40g breeder QT setup for up to 3 months but that's it. No tang should ever be kept in a 40g long term.