Best Tangs for the Tropical Saltwater Aquarium

Interview with Author Mark Martin on the Five Coolest Surgeonfishes

Sep 18, 2009

Tangs, also called surgeonfishes, are favorite fishes for the tropical marine aquarium. While a few are well known, author Mark Martin shares some surprising favorites.

Tangs are great saltwater aquarium fishes. While the yellow tang is nearly synonymous with the marine aquarium hobby, there are many other tangs to know. To discover the “coolest” tangs available, Suite101’s Saltwater Fish feature writer sat down with Mark Martin. Martin is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Saltwater Aquariums (2009) and co-founder of Los Angeles-based Blue Zoo Aquatics, where he is the director of marine ornamental research.

Mark Martin: In my opinion, and based on my experience advising thousands of aquarists on the right tang for their aquarium, the five coolest tangs are the Eibli mimic tang, the spot face surgeonfish, the Vlamingii tang, the mustard surgeonfish, and the Thompson’s surgeonfish.

Eibli Mimic Tang

Mark Martin: Well for reef geeks, there is nothing cooler than having your friends come over and say “Hey, what’s that Eibli angelfish doing in your reef tank?”

Suite101: Because the Eibli angelfish is not considered reef compatible but the Eibli mimic tang is?

Mark Martin: Yep. So you can have a fish that looks like an angelfish in a tank where you couldn’t have most angelfishes. The reason for this is that the juveniles mimic the dwarf angelfish Centropyge eibli.

Mark Martin: Its scientific name is Acanthurus tristis, but it is also commonly called the Indian mimic surgeonfish, the yellowspot surgeonfish and the Blackcheek surgeonfish.

Spot Face Surgeonfish

Mark Martin: Well, I always liked girls with freckles…. but seriously, this is just an absolutely beautiful fish.

Mark Martin: Yes. Its scientific name is Acanthurus maculiceps, but it is also commonly referred to as the pale-lined surgeonfish, the spot-face surgeon, the spotted face surgeonfish, the white-freckled surgeonfish, and the yellow-freckled surgeon fish.

Vlamingii Tang

Suite101: The next one on the list—the Vlamingii tang—is one many aquarists know.

Mark Martin: Well if they don’t they should! This is the nicest fish you will ever meet. It has cool little spots when it is young, and it develops the most impressive lyre tail as it ages.

Mark Martin: Yes. The scientific name is Naso vlamingii, but it is also called the Vlaming's unicornfish, the bignose unicornfish, the scribbled unicornfish, or simply the unicornfish.

Mark Martin: This fish is very exotic-looking. In fact, most of the tangs from the genus Naso are. It’s a shame that many aquarists only know the so-called naso tang or N. lituratus.

Mustard Surgeonfish

Suite101: Next we have the mustard surgeonfish—a fish I don’t think I know.

Mark Martin: It’s not always available, but it should be. This is a gorgeous fish! And I thought stripes and polka dots shouldn’t be worn together. Huh! In a big tank, this is a fantastic shoaling tang!

Mark Martin: Acanthurus guttatus. You’ll also see it commonly referred to as the spotband surgeonfish, the spotted surgeonfish, and the whitespotted surgeonfish.

Thompson’s Surgeonfish

Mark Martin: The Thompson’s surgeonfish—otherwise known as Acanthurus thompsoni—is a beautiful fish that should be on every aquarist’s radar screen. It’s also commonly called the chocolate surgeonfish, the night surgeonfish, and the whitetail surgeonfish.

For more information on other tangs, as well as hundreds of other saltwater aquarium fishes, refer to the Guide to Saltwater Aquarium Fishes at Suite 101.

The copyright of the article Best Tangs for the Tropical Saltwater Aquarium in Saltwater Fish is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Best Tangs for the Tropical Saltwater Aquarium in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.