All fish / Acanthuridae

Powder Brown Tang

Acanthurus japonicus

Also known as japan surgeonfish, white-faced surgeonfish, gold rim tang, powder brown surgeonfish, japonicus tang, whitenose surgeonfish, yes, ナミダクロハギ, 日本刺尾鱼, 白面刺尾鱼, 金边吊

A brown, oval surgeonfish with a white patch from eye to mouth, an orange stripe along the base of the dorsal and anal fins, and a yellow-orange bar at the base of the tail. It is kept as a reef-safe algae grazer that adds colour and constant activity to large reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

18 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, or add with other tangs at the same time in a very large tank

Diet

Herbivore: nori and other marine algae, spirulina-based foods, with some mysis and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, southern Japan

Breeding

It spawns in open water, releasing tiny eggs that have a long planktonic larval stage. It has not been bred commercially in home aquariums, so nearly all specimens are wild caught.

Good to know

Prone to marine whitespot and lateral line erosion, so quarantine carefully and give strong water flow and plenty of swimming room. It is easily confused with the Powder Blue Tang (A. leucosternon) and can hybridise or fight with similar tangs.