purple tang

[lilduud]

ya know i hate to bring this up again but this is one of the few fish i want in my 55...
i was speaking to two different guys on two separate occasions about keeping a purple tang in a 55. both of them said that they had done the exact thing more than once with great success as long as the tank has length... well my tank is four feet which is the length of the standard 90...
oh and before you say "your lfs is just trying to sell you things" well they do not carry purple tangs and they were encouraging me to use live aquaria.
i already know the arguments i just want to know has anyone ever had a purple tang in a 55 and if so i would like to hear how it went for the, because im running across more and more people who have done this successfully and who think i will have no problem with it. plus ive seen soooo many happy yellow tangs in 50 gallon tanks so how are they "100 gallon fish".... i guess the only reason im bringing all this up again is because ive never seen an unhappy tang even in supposedly awful living conditions [in terms of water volume]

PLEASE GIVE ME STORIES... even if its.. 'i had a tang and it went nuts and died because it was in a 55'... then at least i have some conflicting evidence

 

[yote]

When we order purple tangs at the LFS,we just order one at a time.We also put that single tang in a tank by itself since all our fish sale tanks are 40s.Purples seem to be pretty aggressive with all the other fish,even when we've put them in 6ft and longer tanks.

 

[SeaBee]

Ok, I'll step in it... I love my Tangs. I have a 55 gal, with a Prple and a Hippo, just as happy as can be. I had a Mata Tang, he grew quite large, fast. He started to fight the other fish for food. So I netted him one night and took him back to the lfs, they were glad to see him, he was beautfil, well fed, gave him vitamins and now he was about 6-8 inches long. He went to a 180 gal and died shortly after that, I dont know why. I was warned about him, but I loved having him and he was very colorful, and interacted with me. Getting back to the Purple, it depends on the fish, try to pick out a healthy peaceful one and bring him home. Just be ready when and if he acts up that you may have to remove him. My two tangs are doing very well and I dont think they are stressed out at all, good color, eat well, no ich, no spots. I say try it. And I know the rash of :pooh: I will get, but thats the thing with these internet sites, you have to expect it.

 

[ccCapt]

What do you consider "great success"? To me, that's a fish I've kept alive in my system for over 10 years. Kept under proper conditions and fed properly, a purple tang will grow to 10". A 55g tank is 12" wide.

 

[Bifferwine]

It's the aggression I would be concerned about too. They seem to be particularly aggressive -- more so than other tangs in their genus.

 

[lilduud]

well i already expected any tang to be a challenge in that tank but before i even thought of which tang i wanted i knew that no matter what it could be very very aggressive and knowing this i have the mind set that if there is an issue, i will return him. im not the type to cling to something for my own pleasure especially if it does not benefit itself [or the rest of the tank]
and also i recognize the difference between keeping an animal alive and keping it happy and thriving, however i find it hard to believe that any fish that is crammed or unhappy or stressed in any way would live for any extended period of time... so how have i seen so many purple tangs in smaller than recommended tanks... that have been there [happy] for multiple years....
im going to try it. but i am preparing myself for a battle and a even a return to the lfs.

 

[lilduud]

What do you consider "great success"? To me, that's a fish I've kept alive in my system for over 10 years. Kept under proper conditions and fed properly, a purple tang will grow to 10". A 55g tank is 12" wide.

well i know that overall body volume should have ample space in every direction to swim, especially for a tang... but uhh isnt that height? hah i dont see too mant tangs doing back flips or somersaults hah
i understand what your point is but i still think that a younger tang will do fine.. its not going to grow to full length in a year is it? or even two right? hah and if i dont upgrade my tank in a year [which i will eat my pants if i dont] then i will return him to my lfs or better yet give him to my friends 300 gallon pred tank.

 

[OhNoNemo]

Well,it sounds like you've made up your mind,good luck ....they are great fish(my favorite),mine is about 7 inches and i'm in the works of getting an 8 foot tank ready for him and the rest of the rowdy bunch

 

[lilduud]

I have haha. I just wanted some firs hand storied before I did anything. Hah and besides the tanks not even cycling yet it's still an empty tank and stand haha

 

[reeffreak]

Here's my insight on my Purple tang since she's been with me over the last three years.

She's a bitch
She's a pig
She hates other tangs but doesn't care one bit about other fish and other fish I add to the system.
She grows slow.
She's a bitch.

Do I recommend a purple in a 55 gallon,no.Do I think it can be done,yes if you get a small 3-4'' one.

 

[lilduud]

thats the size that i would be getting and i can deal with one tang... the one tang is the only fish shaped even remotely like a surgeon fish that i would be adding so i think even the bitchiness can be dealt with. and the slow growing this is probly a good thing soooo yea.. i still think ill give it a try... i can always return it. first i have to ya know set up the tank hah

 

[lilduud]

my stocking list in order of addition is a fwe chromis, a pair of mandarins, a pair of picasso clowns, a wrasse [still deciding which one but likely another 6 line] and last but sooo not least.. the purple tang. my grandmother wants to buy me a coral beauty dwarf but i dont think itll work out especially if i have the tang.

 

[koda_dad]

After seeing this tank... I say 1..... no prob as long as you keep an eye on it.

 

[lilduud]

hahah thank you. i mean ive seen people with purple tangs in 30 gallons it could be wayyy worse right. but i love the pic! someone put this one up on my local forum under the member tanks it also read...
"Hey guys check it out!! I just setup my ten gallon nano. I just filled it with tap water, mixed the salt in the tank (of course with the fish in it). I run a 400w 6k MH, dont' have a chiller yet but it should be fine. I think I still need a skimmer...Other than that...oh wait..forgot about my sea turtle. His name is Henry. I caught him in Guam put him in a pet carrier and threw him on the plane. Oh yeah and I've currently got about 20 yellow tangs taken from hawaii!! Supper deal I couldn't pass it up...what do they eat? I'm not worried they look healthy right now. "

 

[bamakid63]

I have a purple tank and she is a bitch to all my fish I have pulled her rearrange my live rock
and she still chasing all the other fish so I will say bye bye to her next weekend

 

[wontonflip]

Welcome to the site, bama....even though this is a super old thread from august 2010 ;) Post pics of your tanks in our tank showcase!