The Sohal Tang (Acanthurus Sohal) is one of the most beautiful tangs in the family. It has black lines stretching across its white/cream body while its pectoral and tail fins are yellow.
Its common names include the zebra tang, majestic tang and the Arabian tang.
They are collected from the Red Sea and near Sri Lanka. Among hobbyists the sohal tang is highly prized, it is a pricey fish. Adult sohal tangs retail for about $200+ while smaller specimens can be had for about $110 to $120. Very large show quality sohal tangs can fetch up to $350.
Like their cousins they are susceptible to lateral line erosion and marine ich so exercise care when buying one.
Sohal tangs are aggressive fish. This tang knows no fear. They will even display hostilities towards scuba divers in the wild.
Assuming everyone knows their place, sohal tangs can get along with other species of fish. However, it is aggressive towards other tangs. Members of the genus acanthurus (Achilles Tang, Powder Blue Tang) are particularly susceptible to aggression. Lastly, putting two sohals into a small tank is sure to produce a dead or severely injured fish.
Sohal tangs are normally found alone in the wild, unlike most of their brethren. Perhaps this has something to do with their heightened levels of aggression.
They are very hardy but like most tangs they are prone to parasite attacks (ich) and lateral line erosion.
At 18 inches the sohal tang doesn’t just have the attitude of a bully, its got the size for it as well. Thankfully, such lengths in captivity are unlikely, expect a maximum length of 10 to 11 inches. This beast should be housed in an aquarium no smaller than a 100 gallons. Larger tanks are recommended as they require ample swimming room.
They are reef safe, making them great choices for large reef aquariums. They are algae eaters in the wild so ensure a large part of their diet in captivity has enough algae.
Once acclimated, they accept a variety of foods other than algae. They will eat brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, krill and whatever else you offer.
We should ensure that a large part of their diet is algae based, since they eat so much of it in the wild.
Algae sheets like nori are a great algae to feed all herbivorous fish.Prices vary greatly depending on the brand. Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies may be a little too pricey for some. They produce good algae sheets though. They’re also available as flakes, which is very convenient since there’s very little work involved during feeding.
Most nori sheets are produced for human consumption, primariy as sushi wrappers. Some are cheap while the really high quality sheets can be very expensive.
You will need a clip of some sort to secure the nori sheet. Commercial clips are cheap, but you could probably DIY one yourself with some household items. The sheets are sometimes rolled up and cut beforehand, most however, feed it as is. Once the nori is secured, stick the clip to the side of the tank, sit back, and enjoy the show.
Ocean Nutrition produces another good quality food, Formula Two. Along with mixed sea food, vitamins and whatnot, there is an extra amount of algae added to the mix. Available in three forms, pellet, flake or frozen cube.
The best flake food for the yellow tang would be Sea Veggie mixed flakes followed by formula two flakes. It you’re looking a great all rounder with balanced ingredients then you can’t go wrong with New Life Spectrum pellets.
Lettuce, romaine or iceberg varieties should never be fed to your tangs. Pet stores that are trying to save a few bucks normally feed their tangs lettuce. Nutritionally, lettuce offers very little and should not have a place in this hobby.