All fish / Acanthuridae

Brown Tang

Acanthurus nigrofuscus

Also known as lavender tang, brown surgeonfish, spot-cheeked surgeonfish, dusky surgeonfish, blackspot surgeonfish, ナガニザ, 褐斑刺尾鱼, 黑尾刺尾鲷

This is a brownish to lavender surgeonfish covered in small orange spots on the head, with dark spots at the rear base of the dorsal and anal fins. It is a hardy, active grazer that keepers often add to reef tanks to help control filamentous algae.

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 one per tank unless the tank is very large

Diet

Herbivore: nori, marine algae, spirulina flakes and pellets, with some meaty foods such as mysis

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific and Red Sea to Hawaii and French Polynesia

Breeding

In the wild it spawns in large groups that release eggs into open water, and the larvae drift in the plankton for weeks. It has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

It needs plenty of swimming room and can be aggressive towards other tangs, especially those of similar shape. Like other surgeonfish it has sharp scalpels near the tail, so take care when handling it.