Blue tang

Care at a glance

The blue tang, known to the wider public as Dory, is one of the most beautiful marine fish there is — and one of the most underestimated. Tiny juveniles grow into a thirty-centimetre fish that swims from side to side all day, which calls for a tank with genuine length rather than height.

It is notorious for its susceptibility to white spot; a quarantine period before the reef tank is not excessive caution with this species but standard practice. Beyond that it is reef-safe and peaceful towards other fish, though not towards other tangs. Feed algae daily, such as nori on a clip, as it wastes away on meaty food alone.

Good to know

• Outgrows most home tanks
• Territorial

Best not combined with

• Yellow tangZebrasoma flavescens
• Purple tangZebrasoma xanthurum
• Powder blue tangAcanthurus leucosternon
• Powder brown tangAcanthurus japonicus

Related species

• Ocellaris clownfishAmphiprion ocellaris
• Yellow tangZebrasoma flavescens
• Royal grammaGramma loreto
• Six-line wrassePseudocheilinus hexataenia
• Firefish gobyNemateleotris magnifica
• Banggai cardinalfishPterapogon kauderni