The Powder Blue Tang is a beautiful but typically very territorial saltwater / marine fish. Powder Blue Tangs are an excellent addition to medium to large marine aquariums. They are fantastic algae eaters and extremely popular because of the combination of their color, swimming / movement, and algae control.
Scientific Name: Acanthurus leucosternon
Also Known As: Powder Blue Surgeonfish
*Tang Advisory - Tangs, some families more than others, tend to be the most common aggression causes in our customer's aquariums. Tangs, in the wild, roam for miles each day in search of their own patch of algae so in aquariums it is very common for them to feel like the entire tank is "theirs" and because extremely territorial towards other fish especially other tangs.
Best practice with tangs to reduce aggression is the following:
- Be aware of tang recommended tank sizes - too small of a tank is the most common reason for tang aggression. (See below chart - Credit to Reef Central)
- Select tangs carefully and do the least number of tangs you will be happy with, the more you do the significantly greater chance of problems.
- Add any/all tangs at the same time (very important)
- Add any/all tangs absolute last in the stocking order.
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Min Volume
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Min Length
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Species
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Common Name
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(gallons)
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(feet)
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Acanthurus achilles1
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Achilles Surgeonfish
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180
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6
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Acanthurus coeruleus
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Atlantic Blue Tang
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125
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6
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Acanthurus japonicus
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Powder Brown Tang
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125
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6
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Acanthurus leucosternon2
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Powder Blue Tang
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125
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6
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Acanthurus lineatus2
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Lined or Clown Surgeonfish
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240
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8
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Acanthurus nigricans
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Whitecheek Surgeonfish
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125
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6
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Acanthurus olivaceus
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Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish
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180
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6
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Acanthurus pyroferus
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Mimic Surgeonfish
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75
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4
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Acanthurus sohal2
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Sohal Surgeonfish
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350
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10
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Acanthurus triostegus
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Convict Surgeonfish
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125
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6
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Acanthurus tristis
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Indian Mimic Surgeonfish
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75
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4
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Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis
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Chevron Tang
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100
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5
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Ctenochaetus striatus
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Striated Bristletooth Tang
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75
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4
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Ctenochaetus strigosus
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Kole's Tang
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75
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4
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Ctenochaetus tominiensis
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Tomini Tang
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75
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4
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Naso brevirostris
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Spotted Unicornfish
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350
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10
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Naso lituratus
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Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang
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240
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8
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Naso unicornis
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Bluespine Unicornfish
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350
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10
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Naso vlamingii
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Vlamingi Tang
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350
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10
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Paracanthurus hepatus3
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Pacific Blue or Regal or Hippo Tang
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240
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8
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Zebrasoma desjardinii
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Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang
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240
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8
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Zebrasoma flavescens
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Yellow Tang
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100
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5
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Zebrasoma scopas
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Brown Tang
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75
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4
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Zebrasoma veliferum
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Sailfin Tang
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240
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8
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Zebrasoma xanthurum2
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Purple Tang
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120
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5
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1 The Achilles Surgeonfish requires a very high flow level, and can pose even more health and feeding problems than other tangs.
2 These species can be exceptionally aggressive, and require careful planning.
3 These species are especially prone to infections, and should be watched very carefully in quarantine.
