Has anyone had success keeping a tang in a 40g

I'm sure there are people who have, but it isn't in the best interest of the fish. Having ample room to swim is important for members of the Tang family to maintain optimal health.
 
I dont think there are any tangs that are suitable for that size of an aquarium, but it doesnt mean people dont't try. I wouldnt be surprised if you didnt encounter agression issues from cramping it.
 
I would think if you wanted to raise one of the really small babies that are about an inch or so... You could. However, you run into the problem of getting it back out and finding it a new home once it gets big. Not really sure it would be worth it to you or the fishy!
 
I had a medium sized yellow tang in a 30 gallon for three years until i put it in my 75 gallon. he was happy and healthy right up till about a month ago until i killed him with red slime remover and bunch other stuff. So yep you can do it.
 
The yellow tangs i have today I started over ten years ago in a 42 Hex that I used to have discus in. They were all about the size of a quarter.
 
It can be done but I think it stunts their growth. Twelve years ago I had my quarter sized regal tang in a 40 gallon for about 2 years before I got a bigger tank. I have a purple tang that was given to me from someone who kept it in a 40 gallon for several years. I have not noticed much growth in the couple of years that I have had it.
 
Well I'm not for sure about that, but you may be on to something their for some fish. My yellow tangs are pretty old and they are only about 4-5" and i dont think they will grow any more. Now I can say that the early tanks stunted thier growth, or I can say that they were not going to be that big anyway. All fish do not grow to a maximum size. I dont have any data to compare so I cant make an argument for my yellow tangs, but I do really like the size of them. If I had the size tank I have now, I dont know if they would have been an inch larger than they are now, or if they were in the vast ocean, that they would have been allot bigger.

I do know that if you buy a vlamingi tang, it will grow pretty much no matter what size your tank is and quickly. I do believe you can stunt the growth of certain fish, but I dont know which ones. Maybe the yellow tangs are apart of that, and maybe they are not. Its an interesting aspect.....But to say a 200 gallon tank over a 40 gallon tank will make the fish grow to its potential compared to the ocean is not even a comparison.
 
@mtraylor wrote:
But to say a 200 gallon tank over a 40 gallon tank will make the fish grow to its potential compared to the ocean is not even a comparison. said:
I never said this. That is common sense. No fish get as big in an aquarium as they would in the ocean. I am also not talking about all fish. In this case I am talking about tangs. But I think it can stunt the growth of other large fish like (triggers, parrotfish, etc.) too.

What made me think about this in the first place is because I have had several people tell me they were surprised how old my regal was because of it's size. Since I have had the 400 gallon I have been surprised how quickly some fish have grown that I have added directly to the tank even compared to when I had a 150 gallon.
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Yeah I wasn't quoting you or I would have used the quote tool as you did above. That was a general statement to express my thoughts on the issue. But as i said before .... you may be on to something there. Simply said, if the size of your tank is actually stunting the growth of certain types of tangs......no matter what size tank you have them in, they are going to be stunted. As I said earlier, I started my tangs off in a small aquarium. I dont see anything wrong with it. In my case, my tangs actually had the luxury of being in several aquariums as I moved up in size every now and then.

I hope I have answered your thread Evangrant12. I had success with starting off with very small tangs in a 42Hex aquarium. I hope that helps.

mat
 
My husbands old college roommate used to keep two large groupers in a 10 gallon. This was before we were in the hobby. We didn't know anything about keeping fish but thought it was cruel.
 
@Nicki wrote:
My husbands old college roommate used to keep two large groupers in a 10 gallon. This was before we were in the hobby. We didn't know anything about keeping fish but thought it was cruel. said:
That, along with a tang in a 40 absolutely is cruel! Just because you can do something with a particular animal doesn't mean you should.
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