Naso tangs

[mangrovejack]

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience keeping a Naso tang ( Naso lituratus ) ? My wife spied him in one of our books and well, you all know what happens next LOL
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to dig up much info on their suitability for an aquarium. Would an 80 gal tank be large enough? I read they need to have their diet supplemented with brown algae (eg kelp), are there any other diet considerations that you guys know of? If the Naso was suitable for an 80 gal tank, his companions would be 2 banggai's, 2 perculas, mostly LPS and soft corals, and the obligatory shrimp and snail arsenal. TIA once again,
Dave -

[R1Bill]

dave,

i had one. it was a great fish. non-aggressive. males have long tails. mine was about 5 inches long. they get huge but grow slowly.

problems:

it ate (and pooped) like a pig
it was very shy
after two months, it suddenly quit eating and died

and, it was the only fish that seemed to not have enough room in my 180.

wouldn't do it if it was me.

bill

[Mrs Smith]

Hi,

We currently have a blonde naso in our 135 reef. He's about 6" long and is doing great. The main point I have is that I've heard it's hard to tell how one will do - like most tangs, it's a gamble. Ours was raised from a little guy over several years by a fellow reefer. (Who got transferred to Chicago and is now living on, like, the 47th floor of a high-rise... so he had to downsize.) This naso is a total pig and will eat anything. (Except hair algae, of course.) He usually gets a combination of Omega One, spirulina, mysis, nori when I think about it, and occasionally caulerpa. He's tough, too - ours survived a major tank crash. But then again, it depends on the fish.

I don't know if an 80 would be large enough. This naso was in a 90 before (granted, he was alot smaller), so it's probably possible, but I really wouldn't do anything less than a 6' tank. They love to swim.

Sounds like a good reason to upgrade to a 180!

Just my 2c,
Danielle

[MontanaRocknReefer]

I would advise against getting a naso tang for an 80 gallon tank. They require alot of swim space or it will cause undue stress on the fish and will probably die!
I had one and I fed it nori which I attached to a lettuce clip and hung on the glass toward the top. It finally died since I had it in a 72 bow front reef tank and would not get another one until I upgrade to a much larger tank! Johnny

[mangrovejack]

Thanks for the replies, we have decided to pass on the naso. Now to start researching on plan B, a purple tang

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Hi Mangrovejack! When we suggested that your tank would not be big enough for a Naso tang, this also goes with any tang species as well. They just require so much swim space to be healthy and not stressed out. Johnny

[R1Bill]

dave,

i have a yellow and hippo tang in my 180. don't see any problem having those in your 80. they IMHO aren't the type to go cruising back and forth all over the place. wouldn't get a naso, powder blue or clown tang though. don't know about the others.

good luck!

bill

[SteveNichols]

I was thinking a kole or yellow eye (same fish different common names) would be ok. Here is a link for them. If I remember correctly, the purple would also be too large for the tank. Here is a link about them.

[Mrs Smith]

Glad to hear that reason won out - how often it doesn't...

Anyway, I'll second the Kole Tang idea. As a wife who used to notice pretty things, my husband once suggested a Kole. I didn't think they were that pretty at the time, but after looking at them awhile, they really do have their own neat coloration. (And they eat algae, supposedly.) I haven't had the privilege of owning a Kole, but it's on my someday-fish list.

Danielle

[MontanaRocknReefer]

More info on tangs:
http://www.netpets.com/fish/referenc...ref/zebra.html

[mangrovejack]

Thanks again for the links and info. Both the purple and the naso are officially scratched off the list ! Thanks for saving those guys the mistake I would have made ! Back to the books....
Dave -