ah, yay! I think..

[ThatDarnDragon]

I was talking to my parents, and they agreed if I clear out my room, get rid of a dresser, I can make room for a larger tank. it wont be 100 gal, but maybe 50. at least that will help. I may keep the 10 gall for the two clowns though.

this time I will make sure I set up and cycle the larger tank right before transferring the fish (if they are still alive by then..)

but the main question is, how long does it take for the fish (mainly tang) to grow to their full size? Someone said they only grow as big as their enviroment.. but how long does it take? I need to save money before investing in a bigger tank, which would be within a year...

 

[appleblossom]

I cant give you an answer to your main question, but whoever told you that fish only grow to the size of their environment needs a spanking.

The fish do grow to the size of their environment, while their internal organs keep growing to their full size - result, one very sickly, then one very dead fish

 

[Navarre]

Freshwater fish will remain small in cramped conditions and will live quite happily due to the fact that their life is far harsher in the wild than their marine cousins. Freshwater fish live in rivers and small lakes that can dry up or get drastically reduced in size. This means they are hardier for low oxygen and cramped environemnts (not all freshwater but many of them).
Marines however are different. The oxygen content is rich and constant. the sea doesnt shrink in size and the conditions on a reef are very stable. This means that marines cannot adjust to changes etc very well. Through years of evolution their bodies dont know how to adjust to cramped conditions (hence why they stay small and die in cramped conditions).

Tangs can grow quite quickly. By the look of the photo it is already fairly big for the tank. This means its giving off alot of ammonia when its breathing etc. The filter will need to be able to handle this increased bioload.

Its good that you can get a larger tank. Lets hope that you can get the new tank running before the fish suffers too much.

 

[ThatDarnDragon]

I hope so.. -.-;

 

[dead_slade]

you should keep the 10 gallon as a quarinteen tank. they are very useful to a salt water hobbiest as they allow you to ensure new fish are healthy before adding them to the tank, as well as a place to take a sick fish so you can medicate them without affecting the rest of your fish.

 

[ThatDarnDragon]

I have a 5 gall hospital tank for them. so Im set there.

 

[Coral platy]

I cant give you an answer to your main question, but whoever told you that fish only grow to the size of their environment needs a spanking.

The fish do grow to the size of their environment, while their internal organs keep growing to their full size - result, one very sickly, then one very dead fish

no it is true.
plex only grow to there enviroment dont they? well my dad says they do and he is a profetional in all fishes (coldwater,tropical,marine)
so i would say wait for about two-three months and they should have grown to there tank size.

Coral

 

[Navarre]

Plecos are freshwater and thus fall under my explanation why freshwater and marines develop differently.

Try keeping a dog face puffer in a 10 gallon nano and see how small the tank keeps it

 

[Puffer_freak]

Ummm...the thing about the organs growing, doesn't actually make sense. Becuase basic anatomy shows that something inside something cannot grow larger than the object without the object growing or breaking. It just isn't possible for the organs to grow more than the body.

 

[Ed4567]

Directly quoted from wetwebmedia:

What is a good size tank for a yellow tang?
<I generally consider about 75gal as a minimum, but as they get larger a 6' long tank is really ideal to provide them with adequate swimming room.>
I always thought fish would stop growing once they reached a suitable size for the tank. How big do tangs get?
<This is one of the most widespread and unfortunate misconceptions in the hobby. All fish will grow to their maximum size as long as they are provided with enough food and good water quality. Yellow tangs will quickly grow to 5-6" and can reach 8"!>
Thanks! <Always a pleasure! Adam>

ref: http/www.wetwebmedia.com/tangsysfaqs.htm

 

[dead_slade]

plecos WILL out grow a tank, just beucase their environment is too small doesnt mean they will stop growing, if that were the case then why wouldnt you be able to keep an ID shark in a 5 gallon tank? because he'll outgrow it because he will NOT grow according to the size of the tank. plecos are the same way, i get people calling my work all the time sayin they have a 8-10 inch pleco in their 15-20 gallon aquarium, now i would say that those plecos out grew their environment.....

 

[Coral platy]

how come my plec has not grown a inch since i got it then?
and it is still a baby (i got it 6 months ago even longer) answer that then?


coral

 

[shadow]

Plecos do grow but not more than the tank. I don't know how it works for other fish. Though I was told a pleco will outgrow a 10gal tank but not for 1-3 years, a lot has to do with the environment.

 

[ThatDarnDragon]

I guess Freshies are alright in a cramped space because my fresh water fish (Someone remind me to take a pic of it to identify it!) is about half the size of the tank and striving fit for years.

Like someone said, marine fish are different since they do live in larger mass of water.

I talked to my parents again, they agreed in getting a 75 or 100 gal tank for the den. within a year and providing if I buy it myself.