All fish / Acanthuridae

Kole Tang

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Also known as yellow eye tang, yelloweye tang, kole tang, goldring surgeonfish, yellow-eyed surgeonfish, spotted surgeonfish, kole, bristletooth tang, yellow eye kole tang, コレタン, 黄眼吊, 金眼吊

A brown surgeonfish with fine blue lines on the body and a bright yellow ring around each eye. Its comb-like bristle teeth scrape algae film and detritus off rock and glass, so reef keepers value it as a hardy, constant grazer.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Singly, or one per tank unless the tank is very large

Diet

Herbivore: grazes algae film and detritus; offer nori, spirulina and marine algae flakes or pellets, plus some mysis

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll (endemic)

Breeding

It spawns in pairs or groups in open water, releasing pelagic eggs with a long larval stage. Captive breeding is very rare, although some Hawaiian projects have reared it, so most fish are still wild caught.

Good to know

Needs plenty of swimming room and mature live rock to graze, and can fight with other tangs, especially similar bristletooth species. It has scalpel-like spines at the tail base, so handle with care.