Tank Sizes for Tangs (Surgeonfishes)

[bertoni]

Surgeonfish (tangs) are easily one of the more popular and recognizable marine fish. Most tangs are primarily herbivorous, roaming the open coastal reef while browsing for vegetation. These very active swimmers cover huge expanses of the reef while feeding.

Many species of tang adapt readily to aquarium life, and can safely be added to a a reef tank. The goal of a responsible aquarist is to provide the optimum environment for the inhabitants of our piece of the ocean. While an optimum environment may never be achieved, the Team RC community has compiled a list of minimum aquarium sizes for the various species of tangs commonly offered to aquarists.

These recommendations are based on the experiences of a myriad of aquarists, both real-life experiences and through observation in the ocean. They are based on the goal of providing an environment that matches the active nature, feeding regimens and growth rates of the tang. If this goal is met, the reward to the aquarist (and more importantly the fish) is long-term health and beauty in the tank.

It must be remembered that tank size is only one factor in the equation. It should be a "given" that the tank provides adequate mature rockwork for grazing, aquascaping that provides both hiding/resting spaces and allows for straight-line swimming in open water, and tank mates that are compatible.

		Min Volume	Min Length
Species	Common Name	(gallons)	(feet)
Acanthurus achilles1	Achilles Surgeonfish	180	6
Acanthurus coeruleus	Atlantic Blue Tang	125	6
Acanthurus japonicus	Powder Brown Tang	125	6
Acanthurus leucosternon2	Powder Blue Tang	125	6
Acanthurus lineatus2	Lined or Clown Surgeonfish	240	8
Acanthurus nigricans	Whitecheek Surgeonfish	125	6
Acanthurus olivaceus	Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish	180	6
Acanthurus pyroferus	Mimic Surgeonfish	75	4
Acanthurus sohal2	Sohal Surgeonfish	350	10
Acanthurus triostegus	Convict Surgeonfish	125	6
Acanthurus tristis	Indian Mimic Surgeonfish	75	4
Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis	Chevron Tang	100	5
Ctenochaetus striatus	Striated Bristletooth Tang	75	4
Ctenochaetus strigosus	Kole's Tang	75	4
Ctenochaetus tominiensis	Tomini Tang	75	4
Naso brevirostris	Spotted Unicornfish	350	10
Naso lituratus	Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang	240	8
Naso unicornis	Bluespine Unicornfish	350	10
Naso vlamingii	Vlamingi Tang	350	10
Paracanthurus hepatus3	Pacific Blue or Regal or Hippo Tang	240	8
Zebrasoma desjardinii	Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang	240	8
Zebrasoma flavescens	Yellow Tang	100	5
Zebrasoma scopas	Brown Tang	75	4
Zebrasoma veliferum	Sailfin Tang	240	8
Zebrasoma xanthurum2	Purple Tang	120	5

¹ The Achilles Surgeonfish requires a very high flow level, and can pose even more health and feeding problems than other tangs.
² These species can be exceptionally aggressive, and require careful planning.
³ These species are especially prone to infections, and should be watched very carefully in quarantine.[