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Powder Blue Tang
Tang

Powder Blue Tang

Acanthurus leucosternon

Arguably the most striking surgeonfish in the trade — a powder-blue body, jet-black face, and bright yellow dorsal — but one of the least forgiving. It is a relentless open-water swimmer that demands a long tank and pristine water, and it is famously prone to ich and to shipping stress, so it is strictly for experienced keepers with a quarantine routine. Peaceful with non-tangs, but hostile to other surgeonfish; keep one.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
9.1"
Min tank
125 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Herbivore
Zone
Mid-water, Open water
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Powder Blue 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.

Convict TangThe convict tang is the victim here, not the aggressor. Powder blue tangs are territorial toward other surgeonfish and are especially hostile to fellow Acanthurus species — in the wild they actively drive off shoals of convict surgeonfish with their tail scalpels. In a tank the convict tang has nowhere to retreat to.Sunburst AnthiasSunburst anthias are explicitly described as easily intimidated by large tangs. A powder blue is a fast, restless, territorial grazer that will keep the anthias wedged in the rockwork and off its food.Achilles TangPowder Blue Tang and Achilles Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Mimic TangPowder Blue Tang and Mimic Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Powder Brown TangPowder Blue 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 Powder Blue Tang.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Powder Blue Tang.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Powder Blue Tang.Orange Shoulder TangPowder Blue 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.

Maroon ClownfishPowder Blue Tang and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blue DamselPowder Blue Tang and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselPowder Blue Tang and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishPowder Blue Tang and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishPowder Blue Tang and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishPowder Blue Tang and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishPowder Blue Tang and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishPowder Blue Tang and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangPowder Blue Tang and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Helfrich's FirefishPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Helfrich's Firefish and may harass it.Red Sea ClownfishPowder Blue Tang and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yasha GobyPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yasha Goby and may harass it.Tailspot BlennyPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.Sailfin TangPowder Blue Tang and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangPowder Blue Tang and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishAggressive tangs are listed among the boisterous tankmates that make the matted filefish hide and feed badly. A powder blue's constant fast movement is exactly the kind of pressure this slow, wary fish avoids.Orchid DottybackPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Orchid Dottyback and may harass it.Mandarin DragonetPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Yellow Clown GobyPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.