TankBud

Chevron tang

Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis

Also known as Hawaiian Bristletooth, Hawaiian Surgeonfish, Black Surgeonfish

SaltwaterFish

Chevron tang (Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis)
NPS photo - Larry Basch · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
11 in
28 cm
Minimum tank
180 gal
680 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One per tank
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Acanthuridae
Origin
Central and western Pacific reefs, most commonly collected around the Hawaiian Islands

Overview

The chevron tang is a bristletooth surgeonfish that grazes the live rock of a reef tank. It is a good choice once you have a little experience with marine fish.

Did you know

Wild chevron tangs come only from Hawaiian collection, so their prices swing widely from one batch to the next. A healthy adult can be one of the more expensive tangs in the hobby.

Caring for the chevron tang

Give a chevron tang at least 180 gal (680 L) with plenty of mature live rock to work over. It spends its day combing rock and substrate for algae.

Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Marine algae should still make up most of its diet. Grazing alone rarely covers a bristletooth's nutritional needs in captivity.

The chevron tang is mostly peaceful with other fish and less pushy than many surgeonfish. It still won't tolerate other tangs, so keep only one per tank. It is reef safe.

Good to know

Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis is a bristletooth tang, named for the fine, comb-like teeth it uses to sift algae film and detritus from rock surfaces. An Acanthurus bites off whole strands instead. Juveniles are bright orange with violet lines. As they mature, the body darkens to an olive brown covered in fine orange-brown striping, the pattern behind the chevron name.

In the wild

Chevron tangs live on reefs across Micronesia and the central Pacific, and most are collected around the Hawaiian Islands. They graze algae and detritus off rock and rubble.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The chevron tang is a mostly peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the middle. Keep one per tank of its own kind. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a chevron tang need?

A chevron tang needs at least 180 gal (680 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a chevron tang need?

A chevron tang is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a chevron tang eat?

A chevron tang grazes algae from rock and substrate all day. Marine algae should still make up most of what you feed it.

How big does a chevron tang get?

An adult chevron tang reaches about 11 in (28 cm).

Related species