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Little Shop of Coral

Convict Tang (Acanthurus triostegus)

Convict Tang (Acanthurus triostegus)

$100.00 CAD
$100.00 CAD
Sale Sold out
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A bold, zebra-striped grazer that brings constant motion and personality to your reef. The Convict Tang is best known for its clean black-and-white banding and its love of algae making it a hardworking, eye-catching addition to larger, established systems. When given plenty of swimming space and regular feedings, this tang can be a surprisingly active and hardy long-term show fish.

Why we love it

  • Striking black-and-white “convict” striping that pops in reef lighting

  • Active open-water swimmer with tons of character

  • Excellent grazer that helps manage nuisance algae in mature tanks

  • Best kept with other robust fish in larger, well-aquascaped systems

Feeding

Convict Tangs do best with frequent herbivore-friendly feeding:

  • Nori/seaweed sheets (daily)

  • Spirulina and quality herbivore pellets/flakes

  • Frozen blends with marine algae
    Tip: A well-fed tang is typically less territorial and far more resilient.

Tank & Setup Notes

  • Provide strong flow, high oxygenation, and ample swimming room

  • Rockwork should include multiple hiding zones and grazing surfaces

  • Best added to stable, mature aquariums with natural algae growth

Compatibility Tips

  • Can be pushy with other tangs—add carefully, ideally using an acclimation box

  • Typically does well with wrasses, clownfish, angels (with caution), triggers (system-dependent)

  • Avoid cramped community tanks or setups with limited grazing space

Acclimation & Health

Like many tangs, Convict Tangs can be sensitive to stress and are more prone to common marine parasites when conditions are unstable. A slow acclimation and a proper quarantine routine (when possible) are strongly recommended.

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LIGHT

LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.

MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height. 

HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.

FLOW

LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.

MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.

HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.

SKILL

ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.

While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.

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