The Blonde Naso Tang is a gorgeous fish that is also known as the Orange-Spine Unicorn Fish and makes a stunning addition to a home aquarium. As a juvenile this large, thick bodied tang, is grey with a yellow stripe on its dorsal and lower fins. As it matures it becomes much darker in colour and turns a gorgeous blueish grey. Its striping also darkens and becomes more vibrant with age. The Blonde Naso Tang is one of the largest tangs and can grow as large as 18”. It is generally peaceful towards its tank mates, but can be aggressive to other similarly shaped tangs.
The Blonde Naso Tang is found in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, where it lives among corals, rockwork and reef rubble. In the wild, it is generally found in small groups but should generally be housed singly in a home aquarium. It is a very active fish and so requires a large tank with plenty of room for swimming. Since it is a herbivore it also requires ample live rock for grazing. It will also eat algae off the substrate if necessary. It is known to sometimes jump so a tight fitting lid is a must.
Like other tangs, the Blonde Naso Tang is a herbivore and will spend its day scouring the rockwork for algae. However, it will also eat the same pellet foods as most other aquarium fish. It is still important that its diet is supplemented with plant material, such as nori, in order to maintain good health long term. It can also be fed a quality flake food such as Vitalis Algae Flakes. For a hobbyist with a large enough tank the Blonde Naso Tang makes both a beautiful and useful addition to a home aquarium. Its beautiful colours makes it truly eye-catching and its appetite for many types of nuisance algae is an added bonus.