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Mimic Tang
Tang

Mimic Tang

Acanthurus pyroferus

A surgeonfish that spends its youth in disguise — a bright yellow juvenile that mimics the Lemonpeel or Herald's angelfish for protection, then matures into a chocolate-grey adult with a dark face and orange gill margin. It is an active, reef-safe grazer that keeps rock and coral surfaces clean and is more peaceful than most Acanthurus toward non-tangs, but it will squabble with other similarly shaped surgeonfish. Hardy for a tang, but it needs a long tank with real swimming room.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
9.8"
Min tank
125 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Herbivore
Zone
Mid-water, Open water, Rockwork
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Mimic Tang gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Lemonpeel AngelfishJuvenile A. pyroferus is a Batesian mimic of the Lemonpeel Angel; once it matures and drops the disguise it typically turns aggressively on the very angel it copied — care sheets explicitly warn against housing the two together.Powder Blue TangMimic Tang and Powder Blue Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Convict TangMimic Tang and Convict Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Achilles TangMimic Tang and Achilles Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Eibli AngelfishEibli Angel (C. eibli) is one of the documented model species juvenile A. pyroferus mimics; the adult mimic tends to attack its mimicked angel, so pairing them is discouraged.Powder Brown TangMimic Tang and Powder Brown Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mimic Tang.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mimic Tang.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mimic Tang.Orange Shoulder TangMimic Tang and Orange Shoulder Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Percula ClownfishMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Percula Clownfish and may harass it.Maroon ClownfishMimic Tang and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Banggai CardinalfishMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Banggai Cardinalfish and may harass it.Pajama CardinalfishMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pajama Cardinalfish and may harass it.Green ChromisMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Chromis and may harass it.Blue DamselMimic Tang and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselMimic Tang and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishMimic Tang and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishMimic Tang and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishMimic Tang and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishMimic Tang and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangMimic Tang and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Helfrich's FirefishMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Helfrich's Firefish and may harass it.Red Sea ClownfishMimic Tang and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yasha GobyMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yasha Goby and may harass it.Tailspot BlennyMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.Sailfin TangMimic Tang and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangMimic Tang and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.McCosker's Flasher WrasseMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful McCosker's Flasher Wrasse and may harass it.Lubbock's Fairy WrasseMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse and may harass it.