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Tomini Tang
Tang

Tomini Tang

Ctenochaetus tominiensis

The Tomini Tang is a small bristletooth surgeonfish with a brown body, finely spotted face and flame-yellow dorsal and anal fins. Using its comb-like teeth it grazes film algae and detritus off the rockwork, making it a genuinely reef-safe and useful cleanup grazer. It is one of the more manageable tangs for mid-size reefs, generally peaceful once settled but tang-territorial toward newcomers, so it is best added later in the stocking order.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
5.9"
Min tank
75 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 Tomini 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.

Kole TangTomini Tang and Kole Tang are the same genus (Ctenochaetus) and will fight — keep only one.Chevron TangTomini Tang and Chevron Tang are the same genus (Ctenochaetus) and will fight — keep only one.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tomini Tang.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tomini Tang.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tomini Tang.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tomini Tang.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tomini Tang.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tomini Tang.Spanish HogfishSpanish Hogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tomini Tang.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishTomini Tang and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blue DamselTomini Tang and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselTomini Tang and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishTomini Tang and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishTomini Tang and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishTomini Tang and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishTomini Tang and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishTomini Tang and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangTomini Tang and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Sea ClownfishTomini Tang and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yasha GobyTomini Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yasha Goby and may harass it.Sailfin TangTomini Tang and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangTomini Tang and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangTomini Tang and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishTomini Tang and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow Clown GobyTomini Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyTomini Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Neon GobyTomini Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Neon Goby and may harass it.Convict TangTomini Tang and Convict Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clark's ClownfishTomini Tang and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.