Bought the wrong kind of tang

[Gdbyrd]

I picked up a tang today at a LFS that's about an hour away. I wasn't able to really check if it was OK or not to go into my tank. I was told it was a Scopas tang..BUT, after looking online now, it's most definitely a Sailfin tang. It's small, maybe 4" or so long....and I only have two other really small fish in the tank. The owner was MIA, was somebody new..

Can I keep him? Wife fell in love, if I take him back I will only get half credit back. He's coming from a 20g to a 55g tank.

They said he had been eating flakes, I'm going to pick up some algae sheets tomorrow and see how that goes...Anything else I should do while I'm figuring out what to do?

 

[cthegame]

I picked up a tang today at a LFS that's about an hour away. I wasn't able to really check if it was OK or not to go into my tank. I was told it was a Scopas tang..BUT, after looking online now, it's most definitely a Sailfin tang. It's small, maybe 4" or so long....and I only have two other really small fish in the tank. The owner was MIA, was somebody new..

Can I keep him? Wife fell in love, if I take him back I will only get half credit back. He's coming from a 20g to a 55g tank.

They said he had been eating flakes, I'm going to pick up some algae sheets tomorrow and see how that goes...Anything else I should do while I'm figuring out what to do?

Sailfin tangs like any tangs require alot of swimming space. Even baby tangs swim alot and need plenty of space. They say 55 gal is the absolute minimum but i've never had any luck with tangs a 4ft tank. I guess keep it for a while but you will need to eventually give it back. Its going to eventually stress and get sick when it grows.

In case of a sailfin, i believe the min tank size is 100 but im not 100%

Also, you might want to look for a new LFS, they dont seem like they know what they are doing...

 

[Bifferwine]

Sailfins are one of the larger types of tangs. Also one of the prettier. You can keep him happy for a while in your tank, but he will outgrow it eventually. You lucked out. Scopas tangs are ugly.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Sailfins are one of the larger types of tangs. Also one of the prettier. You can keep him happy for a while in your tank, but he will outgrow it eventually. You lucked out. Scopas tangs are ugly.

Thanks, I just really wanted to make sure I wasn't being cruel. Any advice for care now? I'll do my reading but I'd like something to go off of.

My wife absolutely loves it though. She told me that I finally have a saltwater tank....My ugly ass clownfish just weren't cutting it for her, lol.

 

[Bifferwine]

Like any other tang, they need veggies in their diet. Emerald Entree is a good frozen food, and dried seaweed sheets will fill that need. They will eat meaty foods too -- but they can't survive on meaty foods alone.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Here's a pic of the little guy.

 

[Smitty]

Yep...that is sailfin tang. They get pretty big.

 

[yote]

Somebody DID screw up :D
Sailfins are A LOT more expensive than a scopus ( but scopus are better workers:D ).

 

[dcantucson]

He's a nice looking fish, Gdbyrd. Congrats! Now find him a new home! :mrgreen:

 

[Gdbyrd]

I picked him up some algae sheets but he still isn't eating. He is moving around the tank and picking at my rocks and heaters(for some reason my heaters are ALWAYS covered in bright green algae). I am going to head to petsmart in an hour..all they had at my lfs was red algae sheets..maybe he prefers green!

I have quite a bit of live red macroalgae in my tank and he hasn't touched that stuff...yet.

Any advice? The algae sheets came presoaked in garlic. Last when I tried some meaty foods, he picked at some mysis too.

 

[Navarchus]

cthegame is right to say that a 4' tank is too small. Most people focus on how many gallons a tank is, but the real calculation for a tang is how long the tank is. I have a 120, but it is only 4' long and I don't keep a single tang.

I think this is a great, no-fault excuse upgrade to a 6' long tank! Oh man, you are SO Lucky! Let me know how the 180 works out :-)

 

[Melosu58]

Scopas tangs are ugly.

My Scopas tang resents that LOL. IMO your tank is too small for a sailfin tang. They need at least a 125 gallon tank (6 ft) for plenty of swimming room. Too small of a tank hastens parasite problems and disease. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that`s just my experience.

Who said something about my Scopas. LOL