Fish in a small tank

[lwkimbley]

I have a 4" purple tang, a 4" yellow tang, and a 5" powder brown tang. I am going to switch them for 3 months into a 39 gallon tank. With a protein skimmer, uv light and refugium and 60 lbs of live rock. Will this stunt their growth, kill them, or no effect???? Please help????

Lighting 250 watt MH.
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[Reefland]

Hi Larry,

Unfortunately none of these fish are suitable for a 39 gallon aquarium. Most people recommend a minimum of a 75 gallon aquarium for 1 tang, preferrably a Yellow of Purple Tang. These fish will not survive in an aquarium of this size together, not even one of them.

[lwkimbley]

There is nothing I can do?? Even with a barebottom tank and high gph

[Reefland]

Unfortunately no. These fish require larger aqauriums for optimal health. The smaller the aquarium the higher the stress level and the more aggressive they will become as they try to protect their space.

[lwkimbley]

Give me any ideas that might work. If i lose them I wont blame you
Garlic supplement
increased supplements

[Poseidon]

I could not keep my Naso tang happy in a 90 gallon, I had to move him to a friends 150 where he is very happy and healthy. I think you are asking for trouble putting all those together in such a small space. First fighting, then ick, then at least one death. I say move them to a larger space, or donate them to a local public aquarium...

[Reefland]

I would have to agree with Mike here. Although I am sure there is an attachment and you do not want to part with them, your dedication to them would be much better served by donating them or trading with a friend or LFS if possible. There are lots of wonderful fish that would be suitable in your new tank such as Gramma's, Clowns, etc. You would really be much better off with this option and the tangs would too.

[yankeebobo]

What are you switching them out of? The current tank? You mention that you are short term switching. Do you have a situation that you could "temporarily" place them in a trusted location?

If this is perm, then I will have to agree with the rest of the clan. Tangs require space and having a few of them in a crowded area will lead to other problems - both short and long term.

[The R/C Man]

What are you switching them out of? The current tank? You mention that you are short term switching. Do you have a situation that you could "temporarily" place them in a trusted location?

If this is perm, then I will have to agree with the rest of the clan. Tangs require space and having a few of them in a crowded area will lead to other problems - both short and long term.

Ditto for me as well... And inquiring minds want to know. Do you have larger project in mind?

[lwkimbley]

I currently have the fish in a 125 gal tank. I will also be using a wet to dry with live rock /refugium which is 40 gallons as a filtration system. With a protein skimmer, uv, and floss media. I only plan to keep them in this tank for 2 to 3 months. So if the water quality is pristine and they have grape calupra and seaweed in their diet and formula II with garlic. This would still not be enough. I have seen people with 29 gallon nanos with yellow and regal tangs for 2 years??? How are they able to survive?

[Poseidon]

My Naso showed signs of stress within HOURS after being moved from the 135 to the 90... That was a move that "only" lost 24 inches in length. The height and width of the tank remained the same. You are talking about going from a 6ft tank to a 28-36" tank right? That would be the cause of the problem, not the water quality. I feel for you, I really do, the tang I moved was a personal favorite of mine, and my 4 year old son. The Naso would actually let Logan "pet" him, he would come right up to the top of the water and allow Logan to stroke a finger acrossed his dorsal fin... Very Cool! AND VERY HARD to explain why we had to move the fish to Uncle Matt's house! I would move the fish somewhere else for the sake of the fish... Plus you really don't want to watch your favorites pick on each other and slowly succumb to stress and ick!

[yankeebobo]

Although some do keep them in smaller tanks, it is certainly not the best approach. To add to the above, one of the key points is also what they are accustomed to. If they sit in a 10 gallon tank at the LFS, and you bring them home to a 29 gallon tank, that is an upgrade that they adjust to better. Here, you are removing 3/4 of their space.