Atlantic Blue Tang

Care at a glance

Overview

House a single Atlantic blue tang in 570 litres or more of swimming space at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4. It is peaceful toward unrelated fish but scraps with other tangs, so keep it as the only surgeonfish unless the tank is very large. Feed dried seaweed, spirulina and marine algae daily plus some meaty foods. It is reef safe and does not bother corals or invertebrates.

In the wild

Juveniles are bright yellow and turn deep blue as they mature. Adults graze algae over reefs and rocky reef flats, sometimes joining feeding groups with other surgeonfish and parrotfish. They grow quickly and become bolder and more territorial with size. The species is one of the more common Caribbean tangs.

Good to know

Acanthurus coeruleus can reach close to 39 cm in the wild, though aquarium adults usually settle nearer 23 to 30 cm. The dramatic yellow-to-blue color change with age is a reliable field marker. It belongs to the same genus as the sohal and clown tangs.

Did you know

A bright yellow juvenile and a blue adult look so different that early naturalists described them as separate species.

Related species

• 

  Orangeshoulder Tang

  Acanthurus olivaceus

  13.8 in (35 cm)180 gal (680 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Whitecheek Tang

  Acanthurus nigricans

  13.8 in (35 cm)129 gal (490 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Mimic Tang

  Acanthurus pyroferus

  11.4 in (29 cm)129 gal (490 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Powder Brown Tang

  Acanthurus japonicus

  8.3 in (21 cm)129 gal (490 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Clown Tang

  Acanthurus lineatus

  15 in (38 cm)238 gal (900 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Sohal Tang

  Acanthurus sohal

  15.7 in (40 cm)180 gal (680 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)