I couldn’t think of a fish to write about for
this month’s column until I stumbled upon a debate in one of the “Reefs.org”
forums.The debate was
over the ethics of keeping the Vlamingi tang (Naso
vlamingi) in home aquariums.The Vlamingi tang grows to be a spectacular reef fish; it’s
hardy, eats well in captivity, doesn’t bother sessile invertebrates,
and rarely quarrels with other reef fish.Sounds like the perfect addition to your reef aquarium, right?Well, I left out one fact.It grows to an adult length of two feet!Juvenile specimens, in the two to four inch range, are
frequently available for sale.If
maintained well, they will rapidly outgrow the largest of home
aquariums.I’m not
going to tell you not to buy this fish or any other fish, but I feel
it’s important for every aquarist to do their research BEFORE buying
living creatures for their aquariums.All too often I see posts on the various forums that start out
with “I just bought this fish/coral.Can someone help me identify it?”I don’t want to make this a column about ethics but I will
present some of the arguments on both sides of the issue.
Some aquarists say they
plan to keep a particular fish until it outgrows their home
aquarium and then donate it to a public aquarium.While this sounds reasonable, it shouldn’t be assumed
that the local public aquarium will accept your donation.Many public aquariums are inundated with donations of fish
and simply don’t have the room or need for many fish.
We all know of or heard
of aquarists releasing fish into local waters when they’ve tired
of them or they’ve outgrown their aquariums.If you’re considering this practice, check out these
links related to the snakehead fish:
A
group of Vlamingi tangs cruise along the glass in this 20,000
gallon reef aquarium located at Atlantis Marine World in
Riverhead, New York.
In addition to the danger this
presents to indigenous fish and invertebrates, there is the
potential for introducing foreign diseases.It’s also unlikely that the animal will survive in
non-native waters, so there are no good reasons to support this
practice.
I’ve also seen the
statement, “I’ll get a bigger aquarium when it grows.”While this is honorable, it often never materializes.The fish frequently suffers and dies long before a new and
appropriate habitat is obtained.
Then there is the attitude
that you’re not going to keep the fish alive long enough for it to
outgrow your aquarium anyway.While
this is rarely said aloud, we all know it’s out there.Aquarists with this mentality should find another hobby.
The
other side of the argument is illustrated by these statements:“So what if we purchase a fish that will outgrow its
cage.”“After all, we’re not obliged to recreate a natural
habitat for a fish to live out its natural lifespan.”“It’s already been taken from its “home” and placed
in a glass box, so what difference does it make how long it
lives?”“Let’s not kid ourselves; we’re not coming close to
creating a natural reef in our homes anyway.”“Assuming it’s not an endangered species, there’s no
harm done.”“After all, we capture many species of fish to eat and no
one complains about that.”There is some validity to these arguments.After all, what is the point of our home aquariums?Guilty pleasures, a home decoration, an educational
instrument.In any case, the goal is rarely to see how close we can come
to keeping a fish alive for its natural lifespan.
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This 5 inch juvenile Vlamingi
tang is beginning to display its adult coloration.
Let’s return to the Vlamingi
tang.The Vlamingi tang is part of the large family of tangs and
surgeonfish, Acanthuridae.It belongs to the sub-family, Nasinae, which contains the
single genus, Naso.There are 20 species of Naso
tangs, including the Vlamingi tang.Naso tangs are
distinguished by the two fixed spines on the caudal penduncle.In other tangs and surgeonfish, the spines retract into a
sheath.Some Naso
tangs develop nasal protrusions as they mature.These can be small humps or single large horns, hence the
name “unicornfish.”
All
the Naso tangs get very
large by aquarium standards.Adult
sizes range from 12 inches up to 36 inches (Naso annulatus)!Most
of the Naso tangs are
somewhat understated in coloration, with the exceptions of perhaps N. lituratus and N. elegans.Even the Vlamingi tang is a bit of an ugly duckling.The magnificent coloration doesn’t manifest itself until
the fish reaches 8-10 inches in length.
Naso
tangs are primarily mid-water planktivores.They cruise reef walls in large numbers and feed on passing
zooplankton in the tidal currents.They will also graze the substrate for algae, a trait that is
more pronounced in some species than others (e.g., N.
lituratus and N. elegans).
Naso
tangs are a widespread species and occur throughout the Indo-Pacific
Ocean, but are not present in the Atlantic Ocean
A
sub-adult Vlamingi tang at 10 inches in length shows off its
gaudy coloration and the beginning of its nasal hump.
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sponsor of this column
Vlamingi tangs can be
maintained singly or in groups in the aquarium.Unlike other tangs, there is rarely any infighting,
assuming you don’t introduce another large male into an
aquarium containing an established specimen.Male Vlamingi tangs are impossible to distinguish from
females when they’re juveniles.They’re both colored gray with spots of blue and areas
of brown coloration, but undergo dramatic color changes as they
mature.Large
adults develop blue and gold coloration on a palette of brown
and gray.Long
caudal filaments and nasal humps are thought to develop on male
specimens only.
As
I indicated earlier, Vlamingi tangs can reach an adult length
approaching two feet.They
require a lot of swimming room.I recommend an aquarium that’s at least six feet in
length and two feet front to back.Bigger is even better, especially if you’re considering
keeping more than one specimen.They are a spectacular sight in groups.Joe Yaiullo maintains a group of Vlamingi tangs in the
Atlantis Marine World reef aquarium.This aquarium is 30 feet in length and 20,000 gallons in
volume!
Other than space,
Vlamingi tangs have no special needs.They look their best in reef aquariums but don’t
appreciate being crowded by corals and rocks.They literally eat just about anything, but a good diet
should consist of an assortment of meaty seafood.Chopped krill, mysis shrimp, plankton, crab meat, and
clams are good sources of nutrition, along with occasional
spirulina-enriched flakes and dried macroalage.As planktivores, they should be fed at least twice daily.Vlamingi tangs make good tank mates.They don’t exhibit the territoriality of most of the
other tangs and generally ignore other reef fish.
When shopping for a
Vlamingi tang, be sure to see it eat.They aren’t picky eaters and should begin feeding
quickly in captivity.While
not particularly susceptible to the typical aquarium diseases,
it’s always best to quarantine a new specimen for a period of
at least two weeks before introducing it into a display
aquarium.
