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Surgeon fish and Tangs |
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Introduction There are few available fish in the marine hobby that
has such wide appeal as the tang family. Suitable for
any type of aquarium from fish only to reef tanks, they
can play an important role in controlling algae in any
tank. Habitat/Behaviour: Most Tang species reside in shoals
throughout most of the world’s coral reefs, with a few
exceptions being the larger plankton eating species.
However, in a small captive environment, their need for
personal space and territory becomes apparent. When kept
in close quarters, they can become aggressive towards
conspecifics and similarly shaped or coloured species. Feeding: Most tangs are
primarily herbivores and feed mainly on macro algae in
the wild, therefore they require a lot of vegetable
mater in their diet. Vegetable matter can include
seaweed (nori), blanched romaine lettuce, spinach,
broccoli or zucchini. Even through they will adapt to
feeding on meaty foods such as brine shrimp, if fed a
constant diet of them without any vegetable matter they
will quickly loose condition and will slowly starve to
death. Vitamin supplements should be added to the food
whenever possible to keep their immune system strong. Health: It's vital to
ensure that tank water is well aerated to ensure the
health of these fish. They are one of the first fish to
suffer should the water become low in dissolved oxygen. Acanthurus: This is the largest group of tangs with 40 known
species, they are the only genus of Tangs found in all
tropical reef locations. Atlantic Blue Tang is one of the few
Tangs found in the Atlantic ocean. They go through three
colour phases as they mature starting at a stripped
brown, then going to yellow and finally to a solid blue
colour at maturity. They adapt well to aquarium life,
however most specimens collected already have adult
colouration or nearly completed adult colouration, the
younger you can get them the more readily they will
adapt. They can reach a size of 8 inches. This is one of two very similar looking
species of fish that are commonly referred to as a
White-faced Powder Brown Tang. It's very important to be
sure which of the two species the fish is as the A.
japonicus is much more likely to survive in an aquarium.
The A. japonicus has a larger white patch under it's
eyes, reaching down to it's mouth, and the yellow
colouration is mostly located on it's body by the fins.
These fish can adapt fairly easily to life in an
aquarium and will reach 8 inches. This the other of the two very
similar looking species of fish that are commonly
referred to as a White-faced Powder Brown Tang. The A.
nigricans have an extremely poor survival record in
captivity and should not be purchased. The A. nigricans
have a small white patch under each eye and the yellow
colouration is located on it's fins and caudal peduncle
spine. They can grow to 9 inches in length. Although rarely seen, the Orange shoulder
Tang occasionally makes it into the aquarium trade. They
adapt well in captivity, however they are extremely
aggressive and should be kept alone in the tank or with
fish that are able to fend for themselves. They can grow
to 14 inches. A fish of many
looks, the appearance of the aptly named Mimic Tang can
vary greatly throughout it's life. As a juvenile it
closely resembles some members of the Dwarf angelfishes
(genus Centropyge) to ward off potential predators since
the angelfish have a naturally aggressive nature while
it's peduncle spines are growing. The type of angelfish
they mimic will depend on the location from which they
come. Adults are a bluish grey colour. Only juvenile
specimens should be purchased as they will adapt to
captive life a lot easier then adults. Only one specimen
should be kept in the tank to avoid aggression. These are also known as the bristletooth tangs and will scrape algae off the rocks. They are the only group of Tangs to change colouration from juvenile to adulthood, however the changes don’t take place at any specific stages of their development so maturity can't be determined by colouration. C. hawaiiensis The Chevron Tang or Hawaiian Bristletooth Tang is uniquely coloured fish that loses it’s bright colouration as it matures. The Chevron Tang got its name for the chevron type markings found on the body of juvenile specimens. They are still relatively new on the market and fairly rare so information is fairly limited. They are difficult to acclimatize to captivity but after it adapts it’s a hardy fish that eats a great deal. They are slow growers and can reach a size of 8 inches. Kole Tang, C. strigosus Known as both the Yellow-eyed Tang and the Kole Tang, this fish is a great algae eater. Juveniles area bright yellow colour, similar to the lemon peeled anglefish and darkens up to a brown colour covered in yellowish spots. Most specimens available in the stores already have their adult colouration. They can gt up to a length of 8 inches. Naso: The distinguishing characteristic of the Naso Tangs is the presence of two spines on each side of the caudal peduncle as opposed to the single spine found on other members of the Tang family. They are alsocalled the Unicorn fish for the fleshy hornlike growths that form on the frontal lobe of the male fish of a couple species. Most members of this genus aren't suitable of home aquariums due to the large size they grow to and vast amount of swimming room required. N. lituratus Simply referred to as the Naso Tang, since it's the most common and one of the only members of the genus remotely suited to life in a home aquarium. They can reach a size of 19 inches and should only be kept in the largest of tanks. In the wild they are normally found either singly or in pairs with small shoals being an exception. They can be fussy eaters at first but once it recognizes what's meant as food for them they are quite hardy. Naso Tang, N. unicornis The Unicorn Tang is the only other Naso Tang I've ever seen offered for sale. Again these tangs to about 20 inches and require a lot of space to swim and hide. Their unique horn makes them a very unique looking fish. The horn continuously grows with age and is more prominent on the males. Prionurus: Members of this genre aren’t suited for life in an
aquarium. They are the largest members of the Acanthurus
family growing to be over two feet. One interesting
thing to note about them is that they have poisonous
spines, all fish that are damaged by the spine tend to
die fairly soon afterwards. Although this genus has only one species it's probably
the most widely recognized tang available for sale. This very popular species has many common names mainly Regal Tang, Blue Tang, or Hippo tang. The Regal Tang can be kept in small groups if provided with a large enough tank. They are hard to acclimatize to captive life and are highly susceptible to ick outbreaks, more so then most other tangs. They require a lot of light, food and pristine water conditions and they don't react very well to medical treatments. The recent high demand for these fish coupled with their poor survival rate in aquariums have put the wild stock in danger of being over fished and it's becoming harder to find them in fish stores. Adults reach a length of 14 inches. Zebrasoma: Members of this genus are commonly referred to as
Sailfin Tangs for their full large solid fins. They are
the smallest of all the tangs and are the most suited
for aquarium life. These colourful active fish make a
great addition to any aquarium. All seven different
species have managed to make it into the hobby at one
point or another and continue to be a favourite among
hobbyists. Yellow Tang , Zebrasoma. flavescens This is the most popular of all the sailfin tangs commonly called the Yellow Tang due to it's brilliant solid yellow body. Young specimens adapt well to captivity. Yellow Tangs become territorial as they grow and can start picking on other fish, however they will be most aggressive towards other Zebrasoma's. They only grow to about 8 inches in length. Zebrasoma. gemmatum The Spotted Sailfin Tang is the rarest of the group and almost never seen in the hobby. There is very little information available regarding this species. Zebrasoma. rostratum The rare Black Sailfin Tang is one of the most sought after Tangs available. The intensity of the black colouration has no comparison. This peaceful fish will gladly graze algae and seaweed within the tank leaving most other tankmates, inverts and corals alone. It is relatively non-aggressive and shouldn't be kept with other members of the Zebrasoma genus. It does best kept singly. Brown Sailfin Tang, Zebrasoma. scopas The Brown Sailfin Tang has different colouration throughout it's life. As a juvenile it can appear similar to the Pacific Sailfin and Desjardin Sailfin Tangs as well as potentially having a Yellow Phase making them look more like the Yellow Sailfin Tang. They are best acquired as juveniles and will adapt readily to aquatic life. The grow to about 7 inches in length. Pacific Sailfin Tang, Zebrasoma. veliferum The Pacific Sailfin Tang is similar in appearance to the Desjardin Tang except its dorsal and anal fins are more rounded while it's caudal fin has more of a "V" shape. The Pacific Sailfin can reach a size of 14 inches. They adapt to captive life easily, however they become more aggressive as they grow and age. Best kept singly and added to the tank last. Purple Tang, Zebrasoma. xanthurum The Purple Tang or Yellow Tailed tang is one of the most delicate Tangs available. They are hard to keep in an aquarium for a long time and often go on hunger strikes. It's best to acquire a small specimen as they are extremely difficult to acclimate as they get older. Once established in a tank, they are very territorial and require a lot of room to hid and swim. Unlike most other Tangs they mostly rely on meaty foods as a diet and prefer live foods whenever possible. They will grow to about 8 inches.
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