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Powder Brown Tang
Tang

Powder Brown Tang

Acanthurus japonicus

A handsome surgeonfish with a warm brown body, a jet-black face split by a bright white cheek crescent, and yellow-and-orange fin margins — often confused with the trickier Powder Blue. It is an active grazer that keeps a long tank's rockwork clean and is reef-safe, peaceful with non-tangs but hostile to other surgeonfish. Its catch is disease: it is notably prone to ich and skin parasites and to shipping stress, so strict quarantine and stable water are essential.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
8.3"
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 Powder Brown 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.

Powder Blue TangPowder Brown Tang and Powder Blue Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Convict TangPowder Brown Tang and Convict Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Achilles TangPowder Brown Tang and Achilles Tang are the same genus (Acanthurus) and will fight — keep only one.Mimic TangPowder Brown Tang and Mimic 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 Brown Tang.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Powder Brown Tang.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Powder Brown Tang.Orange Shoulder TangPowder Brown 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 Brown Tang and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blue DamselPowder Brown Tang and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselPowder Brown Tang and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishPowder Brown Tang and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishPowder Brown Tang and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishPowder Brown Tang and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishPowder Brown Tang and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishPowder Brown Tang and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangA. japonicus bullies tangs added after it; against a Zebrasoma of similar size the fix is a large tank plus simultaneous stocking (add the Powder Brown last only if space is generous).Helfrich's FirefishPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Helfrich's Firefish and may harass it.Red Sea ClownfishPowder Brown Tang and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yasha GobyPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yasha Goby and may harass it.Hippo TangPowder Brown can pick on other surgeonfish, but the Hippo Tang's very different body shape and open-water habit lower the conflict — a mild watch-item in an adequately sized reef, not a hard clash.Tailspot BlennyPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.Sailfin TangPowder Brown Tang and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangPowder Brown Tang and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishPowder Brown Tang and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Orchid DottybackPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Orchid Dottyback and may harass it.Mandarin DragonetPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Yellow Clown GobyPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.