pacific blue tangs..........in a 30 gal aquarium????

can i keep a baby pacific blue tang (dori) in my newly set- up 30 gal aquarium????....if so, will it reach its full 12' size????....and if there are any other cool fish i can keep in a 30 gallon, please let me know.....

Pacific Blue Tang requires a 70 gallon or larger aquarium with a number of hiding places and plenty of room to swim.

The Blue Tang prefers a tank of at least 100 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. They reach up to 14', not just 12. Putting it in a 30 gallon he won't grow his full size nor will he be as happy. They REQUIRE large tanks..

Often sought after by aquarists because of it's appealing coloration and popularity, this fish can be a challenge to keep for even the most experienced aquarists. Blue tangs are prone to easily contracting ich and is very susceptible to lateral line and fine erosion - especially when kept in smaller aquariums. Even the smallest sizes of the Blue Hippo Tang require large amounts of swimming space and should be in a tank no less than 100 gallons as tiny juveniles due to their need to swim in the open. Shy upon induction to your tank, provide branching corals or other shelter sites. Will school as juveniles and tend to be much hardier when kept this way, they will grow to fight with other adult blue tangs. Will grow to 14 inches and live up to 10 years or more.

A blue tang, (or a yellow one, or both!) would be perfectly happy in your 30 gal. It will not grow to the proportions you spoke of. Just make sure you check all your chemicals before adding new fish, and watch for signs of ick the first few days. A really cool fish I had in my 29 gal was a wolf eel. He was so full of personality and was just beautiful. You can also consider another favorite, the lionfish (or volitan). I wouldn't put those two together, as there might be a problem with feedings. Also check out the link below.

I would say no - sorry... give yourself the best chance and do the fish a favour please go a larger tank maybe paint a hardier fish a different colour. You would be fine to go a Nemo however - with a small anenome.

As a baby it will be okay in that size tank, but it will grow. And whether or not it reaches its full size (which is around 12 inches) isn't the issue. It will fit in the tank, but these are very active swimmers and it will have nowhere to swim in a tank that size. A 12" fish will produce quite a bit of wastes and the water quality won't be very good in that size of tank.

See this about blue tangs: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=330

Some fish I like that don't get too big are cardinalfish (Bangaii and PGs), longnose hawkfish, gobies, firefish (dartfish), and chromis. Your tank isn't big enough for all of these, but you can choose 3-4 for a tank your size. You can find more info about these fish on these websites: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=15
http://www.tropicalfishoutlet.com/

yes you can. I have raised many tangs in my 30 gallon salt water. I later rehoused a few in my 250 and 75. Most tangs will never reach their possiable 12" size. Very few even at large aquariums even have 12" tangs and most of those are wild caught. My one yellow is over 7-8 years old (that I have had him in the 250) and is is only around 7".

Your main concern is not how many fish but how new your tank is. If your tank is less than 3-6 months, your tang may not survive due to the lack of bacteria build up. Remember when adding fish to a saltwater tank (and this includes plants, snails, shrimp, coral and rock) less than 6 months old, you can only add 1" of fish per 5 gallons once every 3-4 weeks.

Saltwater bacteria is not the same as fresh and it doesn't matter what you used to cycle it. It isn't mature. Adding these fish in this manner will allow your biofilter to adjust slowly. Avoid impulse buys and research your fish. The stores get the same types of fish in all the time.

there are a number of fish that will do well in a 30 gallon tank.

Check out this site for various fish

Saltwaterfish.com

It also gives you info on other fish.

If you need more help feel free to email me any time.

you can keep a hippo tang in a 30 for only a short amount of time. it will end up growing too large for such a small tank & will need lots of swimming room. i wouldn't house it in anything less than 70 gallons, preferably larger like 125 gallons.

also, if your tank is newly set up as you say, then you shouldn't have any fish in it at all as it most likely hasn't completed cycling yet. how long has your tank been set up? have you tested your water to see if it's done cycling?

if i were you i'd take the tang back to the store if you already have it, and wait until your tank is cycled before adding fish. suitable fish for a 30 gallon would be any of the dwarf angelfish (flame angel, coral beauty, etc.), firefish, percula clowns, ocellaris clowns, gobies, blennies, etc. in my 30 gallon i have a blenny, a percula clown & a coral beauty angel. this is a good combo that have been together for about 2 yrs now.

yes, but they will out grow that tank.

Buy a bunch of fancy male guppies... Add plants. Thats a cool tank.