One of the best parts about having a larger saltwater aquarium is being able to have larger fish. In a smaller aquarium, you are limited to the amount of fish you get and the size of the fish you add. A large aquarium will allow you to have a variety of different fish of different sizes. This includes beautiful Tang fishes. There are many different kinds of Tangs, but the ones I will mainly discuss include the Yellow Tang, Blue Tang, Kole Tang, and the Powder Blue Tang. There are also a few variants within these subspecies. If you have ever wondered about getting a Tang for your reef tank or getting an additional Tang, now is your chance to learn.
Yellow Tang Fish
The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) may be one of the most popular Tang to reef hobbyists. It is completely yellow as its name would suggest. It has large a fan-like dorsal and anal fin. This gives it a desirable flashy appearance.
These fish come from the coral reefs in Hawaii, but they are also being captive-bred. The captive-bred specimens are better adapted to aquarium life.
Yellow Tangs are a type of Zebrasoma Tang. There are a few different types of Zebrasoma Tangs, but they all share a similar shape. The color is where they differ. There are Purple Tangs, Gemmatum Tangs, Scopas Tangs, and Sailfin Tang. Their size varies; the Scopas Tang can reach one-foot and the Sailfin Tang can reach one-foot and three inches, while Yellow Tangs only grow to eight inches. Note that it can be difficult to get these Tangs to live peaceful together because they are so similar in shape. It is best to stick to just one Zebrasoma Tang. The Yellow Tang would be a great choice.
Yellow Tangs will eat frozen food and dry food, but they should have some sort of seaweed or algae. The algae in your tank may not suffice, so feed dry seaweed as well.
You will need at least a 100-gallon tank. Be sure to have plenty of rock, while also allowing for ample open swimming space. Yellow Tangs are completely reef safe. They get along with most other fish as well.
Blue Tang
People in the hobby refer to this fish as the Blue Tang or Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus), but others may know it as the iconic character, Dory, from Finding Nemo (2003). This has attracted many people to the hobby. It is not for newer hobbyists though.
Blue Tangs need a lot of room to swim, as they are very active fish. They require at least a six-foot 180-gallon tank. Be sure to have enough rock as well.
The Blue Tang comes from reefs all across the Indo-Pacific. Captive-bed specimens are available at AlgaeBarn. Like any other captive-bred fish, they are much more hardy than wild-caught ones. They have identical colors as well.
These are one of the most beautiful fish of all the Tang Fishes. They have an unmistakable bright blue body and a unique black marking that runs from the eyes to the tail fin. It also has a bright yellow tail as well. They grow to a maximum length of one foot.
The Blue Tang is much more susceptible to diseases than other tangs, so make sure it is fed a variety of high-quality foods, including seaweed. The water in the tank should be as pristine as possible too.
Kole Tang
The Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) is a smaller sized Tang, growing no larger than seven inches. This means they can be put in aquariums as small as 70-gallons.
Kole Tangs have a brown-tan body with a subtle gray maze pattern. They also have a bright yellow circular spot around their eyes.
They are great algae eaters, but this means they will need to be fed seaweed often as well. If you haven’t caught the pattern yet, Tangs, in general, need to be fed seaweed or some other form of algae. They can be fed meaty food such as Brine shrimp and Mysis shrimp as well.
Kole Tangs are a type of Tang called Ctenochaetus Tangs. There a few variants of this Tang, but like any other fish, it is best to stick to one per tank. Kole Tangs are a semi-aggressive fish. They are generally peaceful towards other fish but may pick some newer fish. It may be particularly aggressive to certain types of fish, but it depends on the individual fish. Making sure the fish is well fed is one way to try to reduce aggression. If you plan to have other Tangs with it or other semi-aggressive fish, add them at the same time.
Powder Blue Tang
The Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon) is own of the more aggressive Tangs. It will be very aggressive towards other Tangs, especially ones of its own kind. If you plan to have other Tangs with it, make sure you add them at the same time. It requires a 125-gallon tank or larger. Like the other Tangs, it needs both sufficient of rock and open swimming space.
It has a light blue body with many other shades of blue accented around it. It has a yellow dorsal fin with bright blue around the edges. The area around its eyes and mouth is black and there are some spots of white below that.
The Powder Blue Tang is very elegant in appearance, but its personality can be rather feisty.
Tang Fish Diseases
Tang Fishes are known for getting diseases such as ich and marine velvet. There are many other diseases a Tang can get, but ich and marine velvet are the most common. If you add an infected Tang to your aquarium, the whole aquarium may get sick and it could result in most, if not all your fish dying. There are a few ways you can avoid this.
The first way is to make sure that you are buying from a trustworthy source. If you have gotten a diseased fish from a fish store multiple times, it may not be that trustworthy.
Also, buy captive bred Tang or any fish in general whenever possible. This will ensure that the fish is more adapted to aquarium life, which means less stress on the fish and less chance of parasites or diseases.
The biggest thing you can do is quarantine your fish. You can read in-depth articles just on the quarantine process and dipping method on the AlgaeBarn blog. For now, I will give you a brief rundown. A quarantine tank is a separate aquarium from your main tank that is not connected in any way. It is a simple tank set up that includes some form of filtration, a light, and a heater. You can add anything you want to your quarantine as long as it still functions as a quarantine tank. Before you add a new fish to your saltwater aquarium you need to put it into this quarantine tank. Here it can live for a few weeks, isolated from your main tank. During this time you can dose copper medication and watch for parasites or strange behavior. After about two weeks of the fish living in the quarantine, you can then add it to your main tank. That’s if it does not have a disease. If it has a disease it will need to remain in the quarantine tank until it is completely free of disease. You can implement freshwater dipping to help kill off the disease.
Even if you quarantine your Tang before it enters your tank, it can still develop diseases if it is not properly cared for. Long term stress can cause diseases to develop. Avoid this by ensuring there is minimal aggression and the water quality is the best it can be. Malnutrition can also lead to disease. Tangs must have a balanced diet that largely consists of algae or seaweed. Do not assume your Tang does not need seaweed just because there is algae in your tank. It’s not too hard to do and it is well worth the health of your Tang.
Of course, there are many other Tang Fishes, but now you have a better insight on some of the more popular ones and how to care for them.
Tangs are amazing. This is a great article.
Tangs are great fish, but should definitely be kept in 6ft or larger tanks.
really awesome fish. cost to much though
Tomini’s are a great little tang as well. They are the smallest of the Ctenochaetus species and are attractive.
Great info on tang diseases. Much appreciated.
Beautiful fish
No tangs for me yet anyway!!!
there alot of amazing things
Merry Christmas
Merry christmas
Happy new year
Happy holidays
Happy holidays
this is really neat
Currently dont have a big enough tank to house Tangs, but will eventually
Tangs are beautiful fish. Had no idea the powder blues were more aggressive than the rest.
I love tangs and this is a great glimpse at a few of the most popular options!
Great read and will definitely refer back to this when I get a large enough tank for a tang.
I have 2 in my 60g they will need a bigger home eventually.
I love tangs. Have have several
I have a scopes and a salfin Do they get aggressive with eachother and can you have 2 of the same tangs? Like to salefins etc? Or best to only keep one of each diff types?
Great info as always
Wonderful information for those Tang lovers out there.
Great info
Great read! I’ve been debating getting my first Tang. This will help tremendously with my decision.
Very good information
Love the look of tangs, but am thinking I will stay away from them. At least until I get a larger tank.
Good information. I didn’t know the Sailfin got so big. Gonna have to think of adding a different fish to the tank.
Me either
What a beautiful fish 😱💙😍
Like
Happy Holidays
good info on tangs!
A big tank would be so fun to have. And a tang would be a must-have.
I love that this article expresses the importance of the right size tank for each tang species!
Very informative
Happy Holidays!
Ah tangs they are great
It’s good to know the size tank that you SHOULD have for putting different types of tangs in. Looks like I may have to wait for a bigger tank 🤭🤭
My favorite is the clown Tang.
Interesting!
Happy holidays!!
Gotta have that swimming space for these guys. My 90 gallon was just barely good enough for mine
Happy holidays!
Wish my tank was big enough for one
Good info
Does adding more than one tang of similar size simultaneously lower the aggression?
I like the tangs great info Happy Holidays
Always feed algae
Love my kole someday I would love to be able to keep some larger species
Good info
Neat
I love tangs
Nice read. I am doing a Yellow tang, Whitetail bristletooth and a purple tang, they are currently in qt.
Tangs are one of my favorite fish. I don’t see a time where I will have a Tang size tank though.
So happy my purple tang survived the itch treatment!
Very informative
Gonna need a tang in my next tank
My poor tag had LLE.
Love tangs
Awesome information.
I love yellow tangs! I wish my tank was bigger
When adding multiple Tangs to one aquarium. Do you recommend introducing at same time?
Great info. I love my Bristletooth Tang!
My kole tang is a bully to anything that eats algae, with fins. Haha. He runs my tank!
Very informative. I love tangs and i have several. They are the most beautiful fish and i live mine. Thanms for the info.
Cant wait to get my large tank up and running to put a yellow tang in there!
Nice to see clear summary information that isnt buried in a lot of other discussion.
I currently have a Yellow Tang, Purple Tang and Whitetail Bristletooth Tang in QT. About another 1 week or so and they are ready for my display thank! Love tangs!
Tang..k you
Kole tangs seem to be more my speed.
I love tangs, just lost my yellow though….
Id love a blue tang one day 🥰 illness magnets or not they are gorgeous
Love tangs
Ill be adding a yellow tang to my system
Was getting one but will wait untill I’m confident in my quarantine skills
Tangs some of the best workers for the aquarium!!
Would it survive in space
Tangs are beautiful fish
Tangs are one of my favorite fish.
I don’t quarantine fish – too stressful. Buy from a captive only system, dip and get them into a great environment.
My tank is too small for the Tangs — mini Tang = Molly or Molly Miller Blenny. Hey Algae Barn! Check out sustainable Aquatics!
Just recently added my had to have purple tang after almost a year of waiting. Beautiful fish
Always quarantine tangs before introducing them into display tank. Tangs are very prone to getting ich
My fiance and I are looking into getting a tang
Tangs are my favorites! I had a Black Tang for years. Loved him!
A deeper look at tang fish.
Thank for the info, I love my tangs.
Love the tangs
Had a hair algae problem until I put tangs in my tank
Love tangs!!! Haven’t been able to add one since I’m only running a 40 Breeder. 🙁
Great info!
I love my tang
Yellow and blue great contrasts together
Good read. New info is always appreciated
I love tang fish, but difficult for me
Very informative
Nice
They are pretty!
I was raised with Oscar’s and shark fish and i would love to raise some.
Love it
Merry Christmas
I wish I had a tank big enough to keep these beautiful creatures!
Yep still difficult.
Added my Yellow and Blue Powdered Tang at the same time and no issues…. so far….lol
Good to know the fish habits
Never really gotten the Tang hype myself but the Kole tang is certainly a nice fish.
Thanks
Good information!!!
I love tangs and am happy too learn as much as I can about them
Ill try some when i get a bigger tank
Love kole tangs. Small but just as beautiful
!
Tang is wonderful on 170 gallon tanks
Love tangs
Everyone wants or has a Tang in their tank. Very beneficial article!
Love my captive bred yellow tang!
Tangs are beautiful. As soon as I set up a giant tank I’ll finally be able to order one
I would love to get a tang once I upgrade my tank!
REALLY WANT TO GET A PURPLE TANG!!!
Super cool post on Tangs, which just SO happen to be my favorite saltwater fish of all, mainly the Yellow tang. Often people will get a Hippo Tang just from the Dory (Look) and be clueless on them.
Have a hippo
I want a yellow tang but my tank is too small
I unfortunately only have room for possibly a kole right now, when I win this new tank I will have room for more!!!😁
Love the Info, will definitely come back to this every tang I get
Can’t wait to get a big tank again, loved thr tangs i had in a 180g
I think one of the biggest issues with tangs is tank size. No easier way to stress a fish out that like to swim than putting them in a smaller aquarium.
A Deeper Look at Tang Fish
Tanks are my favorite!
Keeping this in mind for my next purchase. I love tangs
Good info for starting out. I have five Tangs so far and plan on getting many more once I get my monster tank.
Happy Holidays!
Great article. I have a 20+ year old Naso Tang. Thanks for the info.
Merry Christmas!
tangs are the worker fish of the tank
Love my Tomini tang, never have to worry about algae in my tank.
Very informative
Nice to know
Tangs are such a beautiful fish. Didn’t realize that there was more than just the yellow and powder blue.
Love tangs. They are actually my favorite reef fish.
Great resource.
Good afternoon.
Gotta love tangs!
Damn shame Yellows have gotten so damn expensive.
Nice
could care less for these fish, they are too intense for me
I love my powder blue tang, but it is a brute. I have to
Put up a mirror on one side of my tank for a week or two when introducing new fish to keep him occupied.
So colorful
God Bless.
I love my Hippo and naso tang, my yellow tang acts like a stressed out dog ready to bite the next person to get close. Oh well, live and learn. They are currently in a 180.
I love my tang.
I love my Tang
I need a bigger tank…
Love tangs. Good read
good read
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
I hope to have a tank large enough for tangs one day.
Tangs are one of the most beautiful saltwater fish. They have been recently be featured by a popular Fish Youtuber.
Tangs are the best fish for an aquarium
Tangs are great for algae
Always get a big tank for tangs
The blue tang is my all time favorite fish. Sadly, I don’t foresee ever having a 180+ gallon tank.
Love all my tangs!
Cant wait to upgrade and have a tang
Happy holidays
Tangs a wonderful
I love the movement and vibrancy of tangs!
I love tangs. Maybe some day when I have enough real estate.
The yellow tang is my favorite
I love tanks so majestic!
Thanks for the info.
Thanks for the info!
Nice article
Fantastic article. Thanks
I’ve never had one but I’ve always wanted one!
kid says DORY is on your computer screen. Lol.
Sounds like a good addition to my salty fish family
Crazy how complex all these little critters can be
Great info on such a common fish
Bookmarked for the day when I finally get a large enough tank to own a tang.
So cool
Hey guys i found Dory, she’s right here!
Man I wish the blue tang was easier to keep
Man if only I had a tank big enough to make one of these guys happy!
my favorite fish
Absolutely love our tangs!!
Man, tangs are my favourite fish so this really helped me figure some things out
not my fav fish but nice write up
Great article!
Will def add a couple more tangs when I upgrade my tank. Good read
It’s a shame they require such large tanks to keep properly as I’d love to add one to my tank.
Beautiful fish. Thanks for the info.
I would love to have a big tank with a bunch of tangs
Nice
I don’t have saltwater sadly this would be an awesome fish.
happy holidays!
The two tangs in my tank are probably my favorite
One day I will have a tank big enough for a tang! Thanks!
One day…I will have a tank large enough for one!! Thanks!!
great info!
Tangs are my absolute favorite species. Fowleri is my top fish
Good info
Been thinking about getting a Kole Tang!
Beautiful fish! Leaving with more knowledge than I came with!
Merry Christmas
Happy holidays
I love tangs
I have always wanted salt water fish but seems like alot to keep up with .
I LOVE TANGS.. Like Serious love lol They was the Orginial reason I feel inlove with the Salt Water Hobby
Just ordered my tangs awesome fish
I have a Tang fish and I learned some new things about them
Good to know about Tang fish
I love my blue tang but im.pretty sure it killed my angel fish
Happy Holidays
Love my tangs. They make up most of my fish stock in my 220
Hood info except I’m not interested in keeping tangs myself.
Always wanted a yellow tang this helped a lot
Tang epic
Thanks for the great info.
Ive always wanted a tang
I love tangs but they are very active and need a lot of room, so I probably won’t have one. Awesome article though.
Tangs Are so beautiful
Good read, thank you
I’ve held off on Tangs mostly due to reputation and always seeing them look so weak
Will have to study this when I get a bigger tank
Happy holidays
I like tangs! Would be cool to have some!
I’ve always wanted to get some purple tangs
Tangs are hard to keep due to infections like ich, but I have a hippo and a zebrosomas and they’re getting along great!
Tangs are the best
Thank you for the information. I love tangs.
Love Tangs
Love my Scopas so much!
Awesome read
Excellent! Much appreciated.
Looking forward to putting tangs in my new tank!
These are beautiful active fish full of personality, a big tank would not be complete without one.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!!
I love Tangs!
beautiful fish
Tangs are awesome fish!! I love my Tangs
Nice article. I have been trying to decide if I can put a tang in to my new 90 gallon. This was helpful.
Happy Holidays
Love the yellow tang. Maybe someday I’ll have a tank big enough for one.
I love tangs! good read
I love tangs
Good information!
Good information! Thanks for that
I love the kole tang. Helpful read.
Merry christmas
Never own a tang due to the size of my current tank . But they seem to very important to a system.
Happy holidays
need need need tangs! I have to get a huge aquarium though
Happy holidays!!
Blie dory tang is my favorite
Blie dory tang is my favorite
I wish one of my tanks was large enough for a tang 🙁
Loved this!!
Good article
Once I get a large tank I would love to have a tang!
Was super excited to see this article, as tangs are my favorite. Might I suggest reaching out to Elliott at Premium Aquatics; the man is a tang whisperer with some incredible insight for both QT and husbandry. =)
These fish are by far my favorite!
Captive breeding in saltwater is the way of the future! Excited to be around while the hobby is evolving in such a positive way
Cool
Good luck everyone
Tangs look so much fun, I’ve never had one though.
Hope they will be successful in captive breeding more Tangs in 2020
Love tangs!
Yellow tangs are to problematic for my tank, diseases, and the tang police? No thank you.
Diseases, and the tang police? No yellow tangs for me.
my tangs keep killing each other any way to avoid aggresion
Just added a yellow to my tank yesterday. Trying to figure out the best way to supplement algae. Not sure if a clip, or one of the bracket things is better.
Love Tangs
Good info
The yellow tang is my favorite
Im afraid to get a Tang when I finally get a tank again and try salt because my husband will call it Dory no matter what color and say phrases from the movie, lol.
I never knew the name of this fish. Now I know!
Very informative
Awesome
bucket list fish. they have so much personality
Such beautiful animals!
Im a nano kinda girl but this is awesome
i like yellow tang fishes! <3
Yeelow tank fish are cool and look pretty. Loll
Tangs are cool!
Great article. I dont have a tank big enough for a tang, but one day…
Hoping to add a blue tang to my set-up eventually. 🙂
great info!
A tang would be perfect in this 170 system
I’ve actually never seen one of these fish in real life believe it or not. Probably because they need such a big tank. Awesome read!! Happy 2020 everyone!!!
Happy holidays excellent read
Ready to get a yellow tang
I love the foxface tangs 🥰
Cool
Saved article to my home screen.
Happy Holidays!
I have a powder brown tang I love it but now I can’t add other tangs.
happy holidays
My yellow tang is the most beautiful fish in my tank!
Great read.
Love the section on diseases. I hope to have a shoal of Yellow Tanks when my large tank is set up.
Thank you!
Great Article
Another informative Article
tangs rule!
These fish are so pretty
tangs are so pretty!
Fishies!
love this
Great post!
I love Tangs! We have a yellow and a Kole.
Amazing!
Great info.
I was lucky enough to catch (see what I did there) an amazing deal. A local seafood restaurant was closing its doors and had a listing on Craigslist for “saltwater tanks and equipment for sale.” When I got there I was amazed to see a 160 tank with 8 yes 8 yellow tangs, a sailfin tang, and a clown that is way past his life expectancy. Their water quality was dismal at best. We had just purchased our LFS’s main display tank a few months prior (200 gallons). I doctored their water at the restaurant as I couldn’t take them for a couple more hours, they all perked right up!! I’m happy to report that all the fish from the restaurant and my orange spotted rabbit, and 13 chromis are very happy together. The fish from the restaurant tank were victims of a bad voltage leak at the restaurant. The sailfin no longer has his sail, but everyone is healthy and happy! GO TANGS!!!!
I always use to call these fish dory 🙂
I haven’t gotten the chance to find my right tang due to tank sizing but I’ve always been super interested in the mimic tangs and the yellow/ blue eyed kole tangs! Personally they seem to have the most personality I’ve ever seen!
Wonderful read with this one!
I can’t wait to have my bigger tank so I can get one tang swimming around
I really want a powdered blue tang. Good to know that’s feisty against other tangs.
love tangs just dont have a big enough tank to house one yet
Goals! Someday I hope ti have a large enough tank for tangs
Tangin aint easy!
RIP my yellow-eyed Kole Tang
Information is very good
Tang fish be like
Yellow tang is the first fish I fell in love with. One of the only reasons I started salt water.