Sohal Tang

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Moderate   • Temperament: Aggressive   • Maximum Size: 16"
• Minimum Tank Size: 180 gallons   • Water Conditions: 72-80° F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4 dKH 8-12
• Diet: Herbivore   • Origin: Red Sea
• Family: Acanthuridae   • Species: Tangs   • Aquarium Type: Fish Only

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Sohal Tangs or Red Sea Clown Tang as they are also referred to as, originate from the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. While not an overly difficult fish to keep within the home aquarium, they do grow to a fairly large size of 16 inches in length. Their large size means that they require large aquariums of 180 gallons or more as an adult; as well as, plenty of water flow and open areas in which to swim.

Sohal Tangs tend to vary from semi-aggressive to aggressive in nature, thus they should only be kept with other fish species that can tolerate living with other semi-aggressive to aggressive tank mates.

An ideal aquarium setup for a Sohal Tang would provide them with a long aquarium (6 feet or larger) with plenty of live rock for grazing and open swimming areas. Their laterally compressed body and large size means that they swim very swiftly, which makes them most suitable for larger reef and FOWLR aquariums. Properly housed and cared for Sohal Tangs can live a long life of up to 15 years of age within the aquarium environment.

The two key factors in successfully caring for Sohal Tangs within the marine aquarium environment is adequate space and proper tank mate selection. Simply put Sohal Tangs grow to upwards of 16 inches, which means they eat a lot of food and place a high bio-load on the aquarium filtration. They tend to graze all throughout the day, thus should be provided with plenty of live rock on which to graze.

Sohal Tangs are a very dominant species that are used to getting their way on the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean reefs where they live in the wild. They bring this same attitude to the aquarium environment, which makes it very important to house them with suitable fish species that can hold there own with Aggressiveness of the Sohal Tang.

Medium to strong water currents and large open swimming areas are also very important in order to provide the Sohal Tang an environment that satisfies their basic needs. Lastly, Sohal Tangs need a varied diet that is comprised mostly of marine seaweeds, algae and plant material, supplemented with non-marine green stuffs like romaine and green leaf lettuce.

Sohal Tangs are a herbivorous species whose diet should consist primarily of marine algae, seaweed and plant material. They will also feed on meaty foods fed to other fish housed in the aquarium, but the vast majority of their diet should come from plant matter.

Sohal Tangs are also natural grazers that prefer to feed in smaller amounts throughout the day. The best approach for this species is to provide them seaweed, romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce or similar items that they can graze on throughout the day. They will also graze on naturally occurring algae growth within the aquarium and will feed on commercial foods designed for both herbivores and omnivores.

A proper diet for herbivores will also ensure that the Sohal Tang has all the nutrients and minerals needed for a healthy immune system and will help reduce aggression toward tank mates.the day. The best approach for this species is to provide them seaweed, romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce or similar items that they can graze on throughout the day; however, they will also graze on naturally occurring algae growth within the aquarium.