Whitecheek Tang

Care at a glance

Overview

Whitecheek tangs are mostly peaceful toward other fish but won't tolerate other tangs, especially their own kind, so keep only one per tank. They're reef safe and generally leave corals alone as long as they're fed enough marine algae; underfed fish will sometimes pick at large-polyp stony corals. This species has a reputation as an ich magnet and doesn't forgive lapses in water quality, so stable parameters and a well cycled tank matter more here than with easier tangs.

In the wild

Whitecheek tangs range across a huge stretch of the Indo-Pacific, from the Cocos-Keeling Islands and Christmas Island through the Great Barrier Reef to Hawaii and French Polynesia. They're usually found alone along clear outer reef slopes, grazing algae off rock in areas with strong water movement. A tank of at least 490 litres (130 US gal) with open swimming room and plenty of rockwork suits it well.

Good to know

Acanthurus nigricans gets both of its common names from its markings: a small white patch on the cheek and a gold band edging the dorsal and anal fins against a dark purplish black body. Like other Acanthurus species it carries a sharp, scalpel-like spine on each side of the tail base that folds out when threatened, the trait that gives surgeonfish their name.

Did you know

Whitecheek tangs occasionally hybridize with powder blue tangs where their ranges overlap in the Indo-Pacific, and mixed-pattern hybrids sometimes turn up in the aquarium trade.

Related species

• 

  Atlantic Blue Tang

  Acanthurus coeruleus

  13.8 in (35 cm)151 gal (570 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Orangeshoulder Tang

  Acanthurus olivaceus

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