Tangs and Surgeon Fish

1. Acanthurus - The genus Acanthurus consists of 36 known species. This is the largest of all six genus in the tang family, and  are found in all three oceans.

   Behavior:
   For most hobby-size systems keeping one Acanthurus tang to a tank is the best bet. Additionally, by design on your part this fish be designated as the dominant animal in the system.

   Except for the species listed as being relatively docile, other Acanthurus should be held in constant suspicion, and watched carefully if any new additions are to be attempted. Field studies bear out this tendency toward agonistic behavior. The home range of these tangs is several square meters; and rarely changing. Except when engaging in "algae-searching" school "fronts" they chase out their own and similar appearing and feeding organisms.

   Introduction/Acclimation:
   How to put this... put these tangs in "last and after a while?" Acanthurus tangs should be placed as the final animal(s) due to territoriality; and given the system's time to "age", stabilize, accumulate detritus and grow some algae.
   
   If you're going to try more than one Acanthurus species or conspecifics, do put them in at the same time, make sure they're of different size (and therefore decidedly not co-dominant), and keep your eyes open for overt aggression.

   Disease: Infectious, Parasitic, Nutritional, Genetic, Social:
   Due to their essential gut fauna, and skin characteristics there is no null zero-effect dose of copper compounds with these fishes. Put another way, they are negatively impacted along with the "bugs" you're trying to do away with when treated with copper. What's an aquarist to do then? Number one, to exercise the usual prophylaxes of quarantine and freshwater dips/baths in moving Acanthurus. Secondarily, the use of facultative biological cleaners (fish, shrimp) is promoted.

   Nutritional disorders of tangs are so common a cause of disfigurement and loss that we should mention them here as a disease that should be avoided, and can be "cured". Much work has shown that vitamin A & C deficiencies are a "cause" or co-cause in color loss and head and lateral-line-erosion (acronym HLLE). This pitting may be sent into remission with the feeding of these vitamins. Some aquarists tout the virtues of specific chemical food supplementation; others rely on natural or terrestrial veggie sources (broccoli, carrots...), blanched or frozen.
    

2. Ctenochaetus -  The most popular and available species in this genus are the Kole Tang  and the Chevron Tang. Its diet makes it a great complimentary companion for other peaceful surgeonfish such as those in the Zebrasoma genus that eat the larger filamentatous algae. Several species in the genus Ctenochaetus change color from juvenile to adult.
   
   Behavior:
   Though Ctenochaetus are generally easy going with other fishes, (including different genera of surgeons stipulated that they are of widely different size), they can be, or become sheer terrors with members of their own kind or tankmates. Even though often found in pairs or even schools in the wild, they are best kept one to a tank unless the system is HUGE. They are highly regarded for use in "reef" systems. They make for well-adapted additions will not attack invertebrates that are useful for alage control.

   Don't be fooled by these fishes' casual movements and smallish size; they are capable of doing serious damage. There are accounts of acute pain and swelling from puncture wounds caused by Ctenochaetus dorsal and anal fin spines. Keep your eyes on your other livestock, and hands if/when in the tank.
   
   Introduction/Acclimation:
   The vast percentage of members of this surgeon genus is lost through rough handling and transport. You must take great pains to ensure that the fish you buy are not net and/or bag damaged, and consequently protected from such. If at all possible, avoid netting these fishes altogether, instead drive them into submersed bags, not hard specimen containers.
   
   Disease:
   Ctenochaetus tangs tend to arrive in "clean" condition. Though other authors endorse copper medications with them, some people use freshwater dips and quarantine for the two-pronged benefits of eliminating infestation and hardening your new specimens.
    

3. Naso - The genus Naso consists of 19 species. They generally swim in large schools and feed on zooplankton. The exception is Naso literatus, the "Lipstick Tang", which feeds on algae and usually lives in pairs. They are among some of the hardiest and most peaceful of the surgeonfish, the biggest obstacle to maintaining them in an aquarium is their very large size, ranging from one to over three feet. The Lipstick Tang N. literatus is again the exception, as it can fit in quite well in a large home aquarium.
   
   Behavior:
   Given an adequately large system, Naso species are generally the mellowest of surgeonfishes. Perhaps it's the speed or sharp lateral keels, but they get along with most everyone.
   
   Take care to consider relative sizes, size of the system, and the order of introduction of livestock to the system, when thinking about your fish's individual personalities. Unless you have a huge (hundreds of gallons) system, it is best to house just one Naso tang to a tank. Also, due to their liking for environmental and chemical stability, optimally place the unicornfish as your last fish.
   
   Disease:
   Infectious disease of Unicornfishes is easily warded off through freshwater dips and quarantine procedures. Transient copper treatments will cure them of ectoparasites.
    
4. Paracanthurus - There is only one species in the genus Paracanthurus, It is the Blue Tang also known as the Regal Tang or Hippo Tang.
   
   Behavior:
   The palette surgeon gets my vote as the least territorial member of its family. Though they will "posture" and "shake their caudal spine" in a threatening way to challengers to their favored hiding or swimming route.
   
   Introduction/Acclimation:
   This is one of those species that are better off not being purposely quarantined; put another way, the stress induced via isolation and re-moving the blue tang is generally more harmful than the risk of introduction of some contagion. People run newcomers through a preventative bath/dip of pH adjusted freshwater and promptly place them in the main/display unit.

   To alleviate within-species aggression, if you intend to keep more than one, it is best to introduce all palette tangs at the same time. If need be, make later additions larger then the current fish.

   Disease:
   This is the darkest element to keeping the palette tang. Paracanthurus are quite susceptible to crypt, (amyl)oodinium, and other infectious and parasitic outbreaks common to captive marines. They are particularly liable to an erosive condition termed HLLE, "head and lateral line erosion". There is growing evidence that this symptom of this bilateral gross pitting and bodily disfigurement is principally due to a lack of nutrients, mainly the vitamins C, A and D; but there are still advocates that a/the root cause of HLLE is stray voltage, and/or the protozoan Octomita necatrix, and/or "poor water quality".
   
   Given that the species is inclined genetically to this disposition, resolve to keep yours well-fed, in an appropriately set-up and maintained system. Avoid specimens showing signs of erosion as young, and don't give up should yours start to fade and show signs of pitting. Enriched foods and improved conditions have shown to reverse such trends.

    

5. Zebrasoma - The genus Zebrasoma consists of 7 species. They are popularly called the 'sailfin tangs' because when their fins are fully extended the height of the fish is about the same as its length. The sailfin tangs are found in every ocean of the world.
      These tangs stay fairly small and are the hardiest of the marine aquarium inhabitants. They are good aquarium pets, they are peaceful, and get along well with a wide variety of other fish. They are curious, active, and very personable; and they are voracious algae eaters making them excellent candidates for a reef environment. Some favorites that are regularly available are the Yellow Tang, Pacific Sailfin Tang,and the Scopas.
   
   Behavior:
   Sailfins are better to keep just one individual of one species to a system. They can and will fight with their species and other tangs, seriously damaging other similar appearing fishes, even in tanks of hundreds of gallons.

   Should you be determined to keep more than one Zebrasoma or con-specifics together, do purchase them as a group, from the same dealer’s tank, and introduce them all at once.  As a group, they are the least dangerously agonistic; almost always their face-offs are more for show than go, the fish retreating or allowing retreat in systems of adequate size, un-crowded space, with plenty of cover.

   Introduction/Acclimation:
   Most often utilized in "community" fish-only systems, I have seen small Sailfin tangs in reef systems to advantage. For color and algae picking Zebrasoma are hard to beat... but be forewarned; they are not above sampling non-vertebrates and can gain size surprisingly quickly; and of course will eat most algae, including Caulerpa.

   These fishes, as all tangs, are best placed near last to ensure aging and stability of the system. Given plenty of room and hiding spaces your Sailfin tang should not be overly intimidated by any but the worst bully tank-mates.

   Disease:
   Sailfin tangs are just as susceptible to marine ich and velvet (Amyloodinium) diseases as other surgeons; they are more responsive and less toxified by the usual remedies however. Copper compounds, dyes and formalin-formaldehyde preparations used in quarantine will assure eradication of these protozoan foes before introduction into your main display system.

   A note here concerning "black spot" disease, on yellow tangs in particular.  This small commensal/parasite species (Paravortex), can be easily "wiped clean" off new fishes by way of a freshwater dip/bath of a few minutes duration; with or without other chemical additives.

   Nutritional disorders of Sailfin tangs are so common a cause of disfigurement and loss that we'll mention them here as a disease that can be avoided and "cured". Research has shown that vitamin A & C deficiencies are a "cause" or co-cause of color loss and head and lateral-line-erosion (acronym HLLE). This pitting may be sent into remission and reversal with the feeding of these vitamins. Some aquarists utilize specific chemical food supplementation; others rely on natural or terrestrial veggie sources (broccoli, carrots...) as a source.

   Most varieties of Surgeonfish can be kept together, but sometimes they can be territorial. It is best to add all your specimens at the same time or rearrange the rockwork when adding a new species to an aquarium already containing a resident surgeonfish. Research each species and learn about its size, adaptibility, beharior, diet, and especially compatibility with its own species as well as any other species. Most say tangs of the same or similar shape should not be housed together.

   Today they are found in all the tropical seas of the world, with the exception of the Mediterranean. They live in relatively shallow waters, where the water is clear and the rock, or dead coral is exposed to sunlight allowing good algae growth.  Many of these surgeonfish are small enough for a home aquarium. Most make a good tank mate for the community setting as wells as a great addition to a reef, where they will continually graze on algae growth.

   They should be fed several times a day. In the wild, algae is their main food source and they are continually browsing. They should be offered vegetable based prepared foods, brine shrimp, blood worms, chopped clams, plankton, and krill. Such foods as Nori, Romaine lettuce, or spinach can be floated in the aquarium for grazing.

Information gathered from wetwebmedia.com and animal-world.com

Genus: Naso
Blonde Naso Tang
Naso Tang
Unicorn Tang
Vlamingi Tang

Genus: Paracanthurus
Blue Tang

Genus: Zebrasoma
Sailfin Tang
Black Tang
Yellow Tang
Brown Scopas Tang
Purple Tang
Gem Tang