How to Raise Tangs

Tangs are part of the surgeonfish family. They are named for their razor-like spines, so sharp that they cut like a knife. Tangs are known for their bright colors, their territorial behavior, and their 12-inch long bodies. Tangs are too difficult to breed, so most are wild-collected off the coast of Hawaii, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific. Here's how to raise your tang.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Prepare the saltwater tank. The tangs need at least a 75-gallon tank if you plan to raise them to full growth. Keep the nitrite levels less than 25 parts per million (ppm). Light the tank. There are no special lighting techniques, but direct sunlight encourages algae growth, which is good for tangs. Don't let the sunlight raise the tank temperature.

2. Add coral. Tangs like to hide in rocks and crevices. Add artificial rocks to the tank before the fish. If adding new fish, rearrange the rocks before adding new fish so the territorial nature of the surgeonfish doesn't create conflicts.

3. Add the fish. Tangs are good community fish, so you can add other fish in the surgeonfish family. Unicornfish, doctorfish and the various tangs do well together. Add other fish at the same time.

4. Feed the fish small meals several times a day. The main food source for tangs is algae so keep the algae levels adequate. Feed tangs romaine lettuce and spinach floating on the surface, finely chopped brine shrimp, krill, clams, blood worms, flake food and plankton.

Tips & Warnings

• Too many fish in one take raises the nitrite levels. Check your fish to tank ratio.
• Allow an inch of tang for each gallon of water in the tank.
• Many conservation programs are being created to protect the Tangs from depletion. It is not a critical issue now, but in Hawaii only 35 percent of tangs are allowed to be collected each year as a conservation method.
• Tangs have not been successfully bred commercially. This is why the tangs are wild-collected fish.