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Few folks could name all six genera that make up the aquarium-rich
family Acanthuridae; yet the Doctor- Surgeonfishes are amongst the most
recognized pet, reef-sourced food and diver-recognized fishes on our
planet. More familiar are the genera of Sailfin (Zebrasoma); Comb-tooth
(Ctenochaetus) and several Acanthurus species; with the genus Naso
almost forgotten other than THE Lipstick Tang (N. lituratus, in the
Pacific and N. elegans in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea). In more recent
years there has been an awakening of a few other “nosed” Tangs, with
Vlaming’s Unicornfish, aka the Bignose Tang or more colloquially, the
Vlamingii being next in popularity.
Naso vlamingii does have a bunch going for it as an aquarium species;
though it shares the same requisite needs as THE Naso; adequate space in
terms of tank length and décor arrangement; plenty of algal complement
in its regular feedings, and a need to take care in selecting tankmates
and their order of introduction. These are all very simple requirements
to meet; but alas, there continue to be many specimens loss due to not
abiding by them.
Distribution, Size: Vlaming’s Tang occurs
throughout the tropical to sub-tropical Indo-Pacific; from East Africa
to the Galapagos; S. Japan to southern Great Barrier Reef in Australia;
throughout Micronesia, Noumea and Polynesia’s Tuamotu Islands. The
species habits upper reef slopes along deep drop-offs (where water
movement is brisk); feeding on Zooplankton that rises up with
under-currents.
In the wild this fish attains some 60 cm. /24 inches in fisheries
length; in captivity, about half this size.
Compatibility:
Naso vlamingii can be aggressive toward its own kind and other Tangs,
particularly other members of its own genus. For the most part other
fish species are left alone, as are corals, sessile invertebrates; most
all with the exception of macrophytes (larger, palatable marine algae).
The species is mighty fine in FOWLR to full-blown reef set-ups.
There are some reports of Vlamingii tangs chewing on fleshy corals; and
these are almost due to either behavioral issues brought on by being
placed in too small a system or a lack of proper feeding. Moving the
fish to bigger quarters and adding palatable foods on a more frequent
basis almost always cure these anomalous problems.
Selection:
Size Matters: Avoid too small (under 3”) and
too large (over 6”) specimens, unless the latter have been raised in
captivity. Mid-size, three- five overall inch specimens do best in terms
of collection, handling, shipping; and adapting to captive conditions;
including acceptance of various commercially available types of foods.
Source: Vlaming’s is collected for the trade
mainly out of Indonesia and the Philippines. The better specimens are
had out of Bali and the Solomons, though the latter may come at a
premium price.
Bruises and Split Fins: Aren’t such a
deterrent to my purchasing Tangs… they do get finger-marked through
handling, and fin spines, their caudal peduncle tangs do get hung up on
nets, but these insults usually heal without incident.
Feeding: My usual plug for making sure the
specimen you’re interested in is feeding, the types/kinds of foods you
intend to proffer. IF it isn’t eating, leave it. IF you must have that
one; put a deposit down to hold it and return some days later to see the
feeding demonstration yet again.
One to A Tank Unless: Naso vlamingii is
usually found singly or in a pair, though they do form up aggregations
of a few individuals at times during day-feeding times. This is best
labeled a semi-aggressive fish, territorial toward members of its own
kind and sometimes other Acanthurids, Rabbitfishes (Siganids)…. IF
you’ve got a system of several hundred to thousands of gallons, you
might well keep a pair or more together; but if yours is a mere few
hundreds of gallons, best to stick with one specimen; and place it last
or toward last in your livestocking.
System:
Big, bigger, biggest is best. Some folks suggest that you
can/could keep a Vlamingi in a six foot long, two foot wide… nominal 180
gallon system; others are more honest and state that a 300 gallon, eight
or ten foot length tank should be the minimum. Whatever you do, do NOT
fall prey to the false belief that you can jam this fish in anything
smaller; even “just for now”. This fish can and should grow a few to
several inches per year; and will perish unhappily way ahead of its time
if confined too small a space.
Décor arrangement is important as well; a few free-standing rock
et al. bommies are fine, but you really want to provide a clear
round-about swimming area for this fish to zoom back and forth during
the daylight hours. Being scrunched in will lead to anomalous behavior…
including physical trauma and possibly jumping (leaping out) instances.
Water movement should in a word be vigorous… ten, twenty turns or
more per hour best in directed streams are necessary for swimming
resistance, engendering high dissolved oxygen, low carbon dioxide
saturations, as well as moving along this fish’s copious waste
production.
Feeding:
Some petfish writers state this fish is largely herbivorous. It is not
and will suffer for lack of real nutrition if not offered meaty fare on
a regular basis. My best advice in meeting its needs is to utilize a
good, complete nutritious, floating pelleted staple; and augment this
with algal foods or fresh, palatable macro-algae period; no terrestrial
greens need apply (they’re not digestible and often have pollutants and
pesticides). Avoid flake foods and fall-apart frozen prepared brands.
These prove to be ready polluters more often than not in large systems.
Frequency of feeding should be a minimum of twice daily; more often the
better. If it were up to me; I’d supply the pelleted via an automated
dispenser several times a day during “light” hours (Tangs like most reef
fishes lie on the bottom at night, avoiding predators).
Diseases:
Environmentally causes are the category killer for sources of mortality
with Tangs period. Putting this species in just too small a volume most
notably is an issue; psychologically challenging the fish as well as
presenting metabolite build-up issues. Don’t make the mistake of “I’ll
get a bigger system later” with this fish. I’ve seen specimens grow six
inches in a year… they need to start out in VERY large systems.
Beware of ignoring BGA/Cyanobacteria proliferation. Not only is
this indicative of sliding, worsening water quality, but the BGA itself
is toxic; some species very much so.
Neuromast destruction, aka Head and Lateral Line Erosion is a common
complaint with this Naso species; directly or indirectly due to
avitaminoses, pollution, with the Protozoan Octomita (Hexamita) a latter
involvement; but requiring medicine use if delayed. Otherwise, the usual
approaches to counteracting the pitting; augmenting foods and possibly
the water with HUFAs, Vitamins…. Administering iodide-ate to the system;
doing your best to assure optimized and stable water conditions… is the
way to go.
Tangs are amongst the most highly susceptible family of marine fishes to
Protozoan infestations like Crypt and Velvet; and unfortunately are
intolerant of copper compounds as treatments. There are a few
alternative approaches (moving hosts, vacuuming substrate, hyposalinity,
pH adjusted dips/baths with or w/o formalin…) but I encourage you to
study regarding and use a quinine compound. Chloroquine Phosphate in
particular is useful for these reef disease scourges.
Of the other eighteen species (21 total) of Naso species, there are not many others used in our interest. N. brevirostris (Short-Nose), N. caesius (the Gray), N. unicornis (the Blue-Spine) are seen on an occasional bases; the other get way too large (most more than two feet) and are too somber (gray mostly) to be of much interest in the ornamental trade. The Vlamingi is well-worth considering if you have the space to accommodate a specimen. Feed it well; keep the water clean, and you can look forward to a spectacular centerpiece specimen for years to come.
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