The Sohal Tang (Acanthurus Sohal) is one of the more beautiful tangs in the family. It has black lines stretching across its white/cream body while its pectoral and tail fins are yellow.

It is also known as the majestic tang, arabian tang and the zebra tang.

They are collected from the Red Sea and near Sri Lanka. Among hobbyists the sohal tang is highly prized, it is a pricey fish. Adult sohal tangs retail for about $200+ while smaller specimens can be had for about $110 to $120. Very large show quality sohal tangs can fetch up to $350.

Like their cousins they are susceptible to lateral line erosion and marine ich so exercise care when buying one.

Not the most peaceful tangs on the market, sohal tangs are reputed to be highly aggressive. Nothing really frightens this tang. They have been known to become aggressive even with scuba divers in the wild.

This fish can get along with other species of fish, provided everyone knows their place. However, it is aggressive towards other tangs. Members of the genus acanthurus (Achilles Tang, Powder Blue Tang) are particularly susceptible to aggression. Lastly, putting two sohals into a small tank is sure to produce a dead or severely injured fish.

Sohal tangs are commonly seen living alone in the wild, unlike most of their cousins. Perhaps this has something to do with their heightened levels of aggression.

They are very hardy but like most tangs they are prone to parasite attacks (ich) and lateral line erosion.

Topping out at 18 inches, the sohal tang isn’t just bad to the bone, its huge. Thankfully, such lengths in captivity are unlikely, expect a maximum length of 10 to 11 inches. These beasts require tanks at least as big as 100 gallons. Larger tanks are recommended as they require ample swimming room.

They are reef safe, making them great choices for large reef aquariums. As they are grazers in the wild, a large part of their diet should be algae based foods.

Once acclimated, they accept a variety of foods other than algae. They’ll take pellets, krill, and mysis shrimp, no problem.

We should ensure that a large part of their diet is algae based, since they eat so much of it in the wild.

Algae sheets like nori are a great algae to feed all herbivorous fish. Price will vary depending on the brand you choose. Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies may be a little too pricey for some. Good quality stuff though. They come in flake form too, making feedings very convenient.

Thankfully there are many other brands that produce nori primarily for human consumption. Some are cheap while the really high quality sheets can be very expensive.

You’ll need to secure the nori to a clip. Commercial clips are cheap, but you could probably DIY one yourself with some household items. Some people fold the sheets before clipping while others just clip it as is. Secure the nori to your algae clip and attach it to the side of the aquarium.

Formula Two is a good quality algae based mix for herbivores. It has an extra amount of algae in it along with a good mix of seafood, trace minerals, vitamins and more. It is available as a flake food, pellet or frozen cube.

The best flake food for the yellow tang would be Sea Veggie mixed flakes followed by formula two flakes. It you’re looking a great all rounder with balanced ingredients then you can’t go wrong with New Life Spectrum pellets.

Do not feed your tangs lettuce of any kind (romaine or iceberg). I see this happening mainly in pet stores, probably trying to save a buck or two. Lettuce doesn’t have a place in this hobby as nutritionally its rubbish.

This beauty known as the Achilles tang (Acanthurus Achilles) pops up in the trade from time to time. Its body is a very dark chocolate accentuated by a single orange teardrop on its spine. White, orange and chocolate lines its tail. It is commonly known as the Achilles surgeonfish and the red-tailed surgeonfish.

Hailing from Hawaii and its surrounding waters, the achilles tang is highly prized in the hobby. A quick seller, finding one in the market may prove frustrating.

A very expensive fish, juveniles sell for $100 or slightly more while adults can fetch up $300. Extra large show quality specimens go for even more, $400 and upwards.

Sadly, this fish doesn’t do so well outside of its natural habitat. Unlike some other species like the blue tang (paracanthurus hepatus) or the yellow tang (zebrasoma flavescens), they seem to be a bit more delicate. And that’s only half of the story, these tangs don’t seem to feed prepared foods.

Like its brethren they are also prone to lateral line erosion, hole in the head disease and marine parasites.

In the wild, achilles tangs are known to interbreed with the goldrim tang (acanthurus nigricans). This rarely seen hybrid is a rare and expensive fish.

Achilles tangs are considered aggressive, they’ve been known to harass other large tank mates. They usually leave smaller fishes like clownfish, damsels and gobies alone. They do not enjoy sharing their domain with other tangs and are relentlessly hostile towards other achilles tangs. As always, if you insist on keeping multiple tangs always introduce them at the same time and make sure your aquarium is large enough for them.

The Achilles tang reaches 9 inches in the wild, which translates into 7 inches in a aquarium. The minimum size tank for them should be a 100 gallons. Larger tanks are recommended as they require ample swimming room.

One of the factors as to why they achilles tang does so poorly in captivity is its lack of interest in prepared foods. Nevertheless, we should try our best.

They do not eat corals, making them reef safe. They are algae eaters in the wild so ensure a large part of their diet in captivity has enough algae.

Despite the fact that they’re primarily herbivores in the wild, they are open to just about anything offered once acclimated. They’ll take pellets, krill, and mysis shrimp, no problem.

We should ensure that a large part of their diet is algae based, since they eat so much of it in the wild.

Nori is a good form of algae to feed tangs.Prices vary greatly depending on the brand. Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies may be a little too pricey for some. Good quality stuff though. They’re also available as flakes, which is very convenient since there’s very little work involved during feeding.

Thankfully there are many other brands that produce nori primarily for human consumption. Some are cheap while the really high quality sheets can be very expensive.

A clip is normally used to secure the nori for feeding. Commercial clips are cheap, but you could probably DIY one yourself with some household items. The sheets are fed as is or they’re folded and cut beforehand. Use the suction cup to attach it to your aquarium and you’re done, you can enjoy the show.

Ocean Nutrition produces another good quality food, Formula Two. Along with mixed sea food, vitamins and whatnot, there is an extra amount of algae added to the mix. Available in three forms, pellet, flake or frozen cube.

While Formula Two is a good flake, it surpassed by Sea Veggie mixed flakes by Two Little Fishies. It you’re looking a great all rounder with balanced ingredients then you can’t go wrong with New Life Spectrum pellets.

Lettuce, romaine or iceberg varieties should never be fed to your tangs. I see this happening mainly in pet stores, probably trying to save a buck or two. Nutritionally, lettuce offers very little and should not have a place in this hobby.

The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) is one of the most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium industry along with the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (percula, Ocellaris) and the flame angel (Centropyge Loriculus). It is the most popular member of the tang family and it isn’t hard to see why. The entire fish is colored a bright pastel like yellow.

The yellow tang is commonly collected from Hawaii and the nearby islands. It is a relatively hardy fish that gets along well with other species except for other tangs, making it a great fish for a community marine aquarium. Care should be taken when choosing specimens as most tangs and surgeonfish are ich magnets and also susceptible to lateral line erosion. The yellow tang is heavily traded in the live fish market, with juveniles going for about $30 to $40 while adults retail for about $60 to $70 per specimen.

The yellow tang is a relatively peaceful fish that is not prone to bullying other species of fish large or small. The perfect fish for larger aquariums. There is some hostility towards other tangs and surgeonfishes but generally if the tank is large enough, hostility should be kept at a minimum.

As shoaling fish they will play “follow the leader” in larger marine aquariums. If more than one is desired they should be introduced into the tank at the same time.

The Yellow Tang can reach up to 8 inches in length so its best to stick with larger tanks. Nothing smaller than a 100 gallons should be used, 150 gallon or bigger is recommended.

They are sometimes bought by unwary hobbyists at sizes as small as 2 inches where they are placed in aquariums as small as 30 gallons. They will quickly outgrow such tanks, leaving the owner with the headache of finding a buyer for it, or finding a larger aquarium to house it. They are a brave fish that don’t necessarily require many caves and dark spots for shelter but enough live rock should be provided as they require a place to sleep every night.

The yellow tang grazes on live rock throughout the day as it forms huge shoals in the wild. They feed mainly on algae so such foods should be offered frequently. {Ensure they get enough algae based foods in captivity as algae makes up the bulk of their diet in the wild}. They are reef safe (Unlike marine angelfish), making them a popular choice for reef aquariums.

A good food for this fishes are seaweed sheets. You can either buy seaweed produced and packaged specifically for marine fishes (Julian sprungs sea veggies) or you can go to your local supermarket and buy some nori sheets there. When choosing nori, be sure to buy unspiced, unflavoured nori.

While they are strictly vegetarians in the wild, they will normally consume anything that is offered in a saltwater aquarium. So they should be fed not just greens but a wide variety of items.

High quality food mixes like formula one and formula two should be offered as well as mysis shrimp and a good pellet food. Highly reputable pellets in the market are like those produced by New Life Spectrum.

Lettuce is commonly seen being fed by fish store’s. Never feed your tangs lettuce. Nutritionally they do not offer much to the tang (Iceberg or Romaine lettuce).

The royal gramma (Gramma Loreto), along with the percula clownfish (percula and ocellaris), flame angel (Centropyge Loriculus), yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) and the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus) make up the five most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium hobby. It is commonly called the fairy basslet as well.

The royal gramma is a sight to behold. It is blueish-purple from the front as it fades into a bright orange/yellow towards the back half. It has a thin dark stripe that runs from its snout through its eyes.Also present is a black spot on its dorsal fin.

They are commonly fond throughout the Caribbean Sea. They go for as little as $15 USD, are disease resistant and hardy. A winning combination. Always available, cheap, beautiful and easily kept in a home aquarium. It shares very similar colors with the bicolor dottyback Pseudochromis Bicolor). Fortunately, they are easily distinguishable. The bicolor dottyback does not have a black streak running from its snout through its eyes.

The royal gramma is a good candidate for just about any aquarium. They are a relatively peaceful fish, provided they have a small territory of their own. I have personally kept the royal gramma with clownfish, dwarf angels, large angels, gobies, damsels and dottybacks and have found that it does well with all of them. Again, only if they have their own territory. There can be trouble if any fish continually attempts to enter its shelter.

Royal grammas can reach lengths of nearly 4 inches in the wild. In captivity however, they usually reach a maximum of 3 inches. Aquariums as small as 10 gallons have been used to successfully keep royal grammas. Minimum tank size should be at least 20 gallons since they will eventually attain a length of 3 inches.

In the wild, royal grammas are carnivores that feed on plankton and copepods. Your corals are safe with them as they are reef safe. They should be offered a variety of meaty foods in captivity. Krill, Mysis shrimp and Prime Reef (A great blend of seafood) are all great frozen foods to feed. They generally start feeding within days of introduction.

Efforts to breed the royal gramma have been successful. They are nest builders that use macroalgae as material for their spawning site (usually a cave). The male tries to lure the female into its newly built spawning site by quivering and flaring its fins. If the female is receptive to the males advances she will then enter his cave and begin spawning. Baby brine shrimp and rotifers are used as a first food for the larvae.

Emperor Angelfish Care Overview

The emperor angel (Pomacanthus Imperator) is one of the three most popular “large” angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The other two are the queen angelfish (Holacanthus Ciliaris) and the french angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru). It is the most popular angelfish in the genus Pomacanthus. Also goes by the name “Imperator Angelfish”.

One of the most distinctively colored marine angelfish, it has bright yellow horizontal lines on its blue body, while a black band lined with neon blue covers its face. Its tail is either yellow or orange. Juvenile Emperor angelfish are no less stunning. Its entire body is filled with white concentric circles on a deep blue body.

The Emperor angelfish is commonly found throughout the Indo-Pacific ocean, Red Sea and even the Great Barrier Reefs in Australia.

As juveniles, Emperor angelfish provide cleaning services to other fish in the wild. They will constantly pick at any parasites it may find on the bodies of other fish.

Not a cheap fish, juveniles usually cost between $60 to $80 USD while i’ve seen some large show quality adults fetch up to $400 usd before.

Temperament

Most species within the genus Pomacanthus are bully’s in one form or another. The emperor angelfish is aggressive towards other large angels and is very hostile towards other emperors.

Fishes not from the Pomacanthidae family are generally ignored. It might bully large tangs and butterfly fish but generally ignores them.

Tank Size

The emperor angelfish attains lengths of up to 16 inches in the wild. This means you can expect lengths of up to 10 to 11 inches in the tank as Emperor angelfish do not normally achieve their full length in captivity. But its still a big fish so it requires large tanks to truly do well. 150 gallons should be the bare minimum and a 200 gallon or larger tank is highly recommended.

Caves and overhangs really only work with larger tanks, most opt for an “open” scape when housing large angels such as the Emperor Angelfish. They need large amounts of swimming space.

Diet

The Emperor Angelfish is not considered reef safe. You’ll come across a few reef aquariums housing emperors but they’re generally better suited to fish only aquariums.

In the wild their diet is made up of coral, sponges, tunicates and algae. Try to avoid housing them in an aquarium full of corals as they can make short work of them.

Offer them a good variety of foods from meaty foods like mysis shrimp and krill to sheets of nori/seaweed. New Life Spectrum offers a very balanced pellet food.

A balanced food that is pretty good for your Emperor Angelfish is Formula Two. It contains a mix of seafood and an extra portion of algae for herbivorous fish. It is available in three forms, flake, pellet and frozen.

Angel Formula by Ocean Nutrition is by far the most complete food you can offer your Emperor Angelfish. This food was specifically designed to cater to the needs of large angelfish, they contain a good mix of fresh algae, fresh seafood, vitamins and most importantly, marine sponges. Unfortunately, Angel Formula is only offered in frozen form.

With regards to nori sheets/seaweed sheets for your Emperor Angelfish, you could choose either seaweed sheets from companies catering to angelfish or you can always run down to your local supermarket and get some there. They can be very cheap or very expensive depending on the brand.

When buying from a supermarket, make sure the nori is unflavoured/unspiced. Just get regular, plain nori. Raw if you can find some. Attach the seaweed/nori to a clip and stick in onto the side of the aquarium.