This is truly a beautiful fish. It is quite hardy and resistant to parasites such as ich, however as many other tangs is susceptible to Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE).
A fully grown adult is a quite sizable fish attaining a length of 16in in the wild but commonly only 8-10in in captivity. It is a very active swimmer and requires large aquariums of not less than 180g and no less than 6ft in length with ample free swimming space.
The natural habitat of the Sohal Tang is the reef plateau of the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Arabian Gulf at a dept of usually less than 60ft.
It is an omnivorous fish, however requires plenty of vegetable food. In the wild this fish feeds predominantly on reef algae and weeds. In captivity readily accepts flake or pellet food, meaty food such as clam, shrimp, blood worms etc. but still requires daily vegetable such as nori.
This fish has a lot of positives going for itself, however it has a serious draw back. It can be a very mean fish, especially to other tangs and wrasses. It has the reputation of being the meanest fish of the tang family. For this reason it is commonly recommended to keep one per tank and would be best to keep it as the only tang in the tank.
Having said that it is also true that each fish has its own personality and it is possible to find a more mellow specimen that will pacifically coexist with its tank mates, including other tangs. Even a mellow specimen is likely to be the most dominant fish in the aquarium so it is best introduced last. It is also better to acquire a specimen of slightly smaller or similar size then the current most dominant fish.
Please offer your suggestions and advice for keeping these wonderful fish.
Possible items to cover:
* Facts felt to be key to success on keeping this fish
* Waterflow and tank dimensions
* Acclimation and quarantine
* Tank mates (good and bad)
* Aggressiveness and introduction strategies
* Suggested feeding techniques
* Recommended size at purchase
Please improve the usefulness to the reader by stating opinions as such and actual experiences as such.
Thank in advance to all who participate.
Pictures are always welcome. Here is my Sohal
And here he is with some of his tank mates.
