All fish / Acanthuridae

Orangespine Unicornfish

Naso lituratus

Also known as naso tang, lipstick tang, orange spine unicornfish, naso lituratus tang, clown tang, smoothhead unicornfish, blonde naso tang, orangespine tang, ミヤコテングハギ, 颊吻鼻鱼, 天狗倒吊

This surgeonfish has a grey-brown body, a yellow-edged black dorsal fin, a bright orange lip line and two orange scalpel plates near the tail, while adult males grow long streamers on the tail fin. Aquarists keep it because it is bold and colourful, and it eats nuisance macroalgae.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Keep singly unless the system is very large

Diet

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

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Pacific Ocean, from southern Japan and Hawaii to the Great Barrier Reef and French Polynesia

Breeding

It spawns in open water as pairs or groups and has a long pelagic larval stage. It has not been bred in home aquariums in any reliable way, so nearly all fish sold are wild-caught.

Good to know

It grows to about 30 to 45 cm and needs a very long tank with plenty of open swimming space. The orange tail spines are sharp, so handle it with care. The Indian Ocean form, Naso elegans, looks very similar and is often sold under the same name.