Vlamingii Tang, Vlaming's Unicornfish

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You are here: Home » Fish » Tangs & Surgeonfish » Vlamingii Tang

Vlamingii Tang

Scientific Name

Naso vlamingii

Reef Compatible

Yes

Care Level

Intermediate

Disposition

Peaceful

Min. Tank Size

150 gallons

Mature Size

23 inches

Diet

Herbivore

Range

Indo-Pacific, Australia

Size Class

view chart

Curator's Note

Care should be taken when handling this fish as it’s caudal peduncle is a very sharp non-retractable razor that can inflict a deep and painful cut to the unsuspecting aquarist. The caudal peduncle and horn easily gets tangled in nets so care should be taken to not damage the fish when transferring it with a net.

Other Common Names

Vlaming's Unicornfish, Bignose Unicornfish

Description

Most fish are known as juveniles to have unusually beautiful coloration, only to loose this bright coloration as an adult and become drab. This is not the case with the Vlamingii Tang. As a matter of fact this case is quite the opposite. Though drab as a juvenile with simple blue spots on a gray body, the Vlamingii Tang quickly grows to an enormous size and gains markings that include greens, blues and purples. Males will usually grow long streamers on their tails in addition to their unusual coloration. Normally non-aggressive toward tankmates, with the exception of other Vlamingii Tangs, this fish is one of the largest of the Tangs and needs an especially large aquarium. Vlamingii Tangs will spend their day picking at rockwork and occasionally sand in search for hair algae to eat.

Diet

In the wild, Tangs spend their entire day swimming around on the reef in search of marine algae and meaty bits of food they can find. It is recommended to feed dried marine algae (Nori), Spirulina Flakes, and frozen mysis shrimp. Tangs quite easily adjust to captive diets and will eventually eat flake and pellet foods as well. It is recommended to soak flake food in some type of vitamin supplement like Selcon or a garlic supplement in order to help the fish fight off any possible parasite infestation and offer balanced nutrition.