Glossary:
The Doctorfish tang (Acanthurus chirurgus) is a member of the tangs and is also known as a Surgeonfish, but this fish doesn’t have a doctorate or medical license of any kind. Despite their clinical name, they’re active and quite exciting fish that can make great pets in your aquarium.
Here you’ll learn more about how to care for this particular fish and what you’ll need to keep in mind when considering this species.
The Doctorfish tang is absolutely reef-safe, as it loves to consume algae but will completely ignore your corals. The one potential issue applies to invertebrates—the Doctorfish tang is an omnivore that may go after your inverts, but you can generally avoid this by keeping the fish well-fed with fish foods and other meals.
You can feed your Doctorfish tang a variety of foods, the most primary of which being algae. Their teeth are suited for eating algae, which is why this meal is so essential. However, your tank likely won’t contain enough algae to completely satiate your Doctorfish—you must supplement this food with others.
The Doctorfish tang’s diet is pretty versatile, allowing you to feed this fish just about anything from pellets and seaweed to meaty foods such as mussels, brine shrimp, and Mysis shrimp.
Doctorfish tangs tend to grow fairly large, reaching around 14 inches when fully grown. As such, you need to give this fish plenty of space to grow to its full length. Specifically, for one Doctorfish tang, you should consider getting a tank that’s at least 100 gallons.
Caring for the Doctorfish tang isn’t too difficult, but it does require some effort to care for. It’s a peaceful fish and gets along well with others of a similar temperament, but it has a voracious appetite and requires consistent feeding as an active fish. Thankfully, its diet is pretty flexible and it can eat all types of fish foods along with seaweed. You must also provide this fish with live rock for grazing and shelter.
Interestingly, the Doctorfish tang does have a toxin that builds up in its liver, much like other fish species. While this fish isn’t normally poisonous, it could be dangerous for humans to eat if those toxins build up enough to cause harm. However, the toxin isn’t fatal, but it can cause gastrointestinal issues for up to about a week in some cases, along with general weakness.
The pricing for the Doctorfish tang will vary depending on the rarity, size, and other factors, but the cost of the Doctorfish tang tends to be on the higher end. You can find this fish on the market for around $50 to $100, depending on where you look, so shop around to find the right fish at the best deal.
The following are some interesting facts about the Doctorfish tang you might want to know:
Although Doctorfish tangs tend to group with other Doctorfish in the wild to form small schools, this behavior virtually disappears when in captivity. They won’t get along well with others of their species in most cases when kept in a tank, which is why it’s typically in your best interest to stick with one Doctorfish tang unless you have breeding pairs. Keep in mind that this fish gets quite large, which is another reason to keep only one.
The Doctorfish tang is fairly peaceful and gets along well with other species of fish that it would do well with in the wild, including:
You may be able to purchase the Doctorfish tang at the following online aquarium shops:
The Doctorfish tang is potentially a great option for your saltwater tank, as long as you have ample space and keep the fish well-fed and with the right tank mates.