All fish / Acanthuridae

Sohal Tang

Acanthurus sohal

Also known as sohal surgeonfish, red sea clown surgeon, arabian tang, sohal surgeon, zebra surgeonfish, sohal, ソハールタン, 红海天狗, 阿拉伯刺尾鱼

A large surgeonfish with a pale grey body covered in fine dark horizontal lines, orange patches behind the gill cover and on the scalpel, and dark edged fins with a blue trim. It is kept for its bold looks and active swimming, and it grazes algae in big reef systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, one tang of this kind per tank

Diet

Herbivore: nori and other marine algae, spirulina flakes and pellets, plus some mysis and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Red Sea and Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea coasts

Breeding

Spawns in open water in pairs or groups, releasing tiny eggs that become long lived planktonic larvae. It has not been bred in home aquariums and almost all specimens are wild caught.

Good to know

One of the most aggressive tangs, it often attacks other surgeonfish and similar shaped fish and can use its sharp tail scalpels on tankmates and hands. It needs a very long tank with strong water flow and plenty of open swimming space.