Clown Tang

The Clown Tang, also known as the Clown Surgeonfish, Lined Surgeonfish, or Blue-banded Surgeonfish is a colorful and active fish well-suited for very large aquariums of at least six feet in length. The Clown Tang boasts simple but ornate markings comprised of beautiful blue stripes outlined in black on a gorgeous golden yellow background. The ventral half of the Clown Tang is a pale steel grey coloration that provides countershading. In the wild, the Clown Tang boasts a large natural range across the Indo-Pacific oceans from the eastern coast of Africa and east to the Hawaiian islands, as north as Southern Japan, and as south as the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The Clown Tang is a reef-associated species typically found near surge zones of exposed seaward reefs.

For best care, the Clown Tang should be housed in an established, well-filtered aquarium of at least 250 gallons in size. To best recreate a natural reef environment for your Clown Tang, aquascape generously with live rock but be sure to arrange your reef aquarium landscape so there are open areas with ample room to swim. Consider enhancing water movement for your Clown Tang by employing powerheads or wavemakers. Like all Tangs, this member of the Acanthuridae family demonstrates territorial aggression towards its own species, or Tangs in general. Therefore, it is best to keep just one Clown Tang per aquarium, unless multiple Clown Tangs are introduced simultaneously into a very large system.