The Convict Tang, which likely gets its name from the black striping and white coloration on its body, is a wonderful saltwater fish that only grows to about 8 inches when fully grown. They’re often overlooked by other more brilliantly colored species of tang, but they’re great fish with fantastic personalities. Some fishkeepers consider them more peaceful compared to other tangs. This article will explore Convict Tang’s aquarium requirements, dietary needs, common tank mates, and more.
Aquarium Requirements
Convict Tangs don’t get immensely large. They will only grow to be about 8″ at their max size. This makes them a great choice for 125-gallon aquariums. More volume is always recommended, but a 125-gallon fish tank should provide a fair amount of swim space for this fish species. Your aquarium should have live rock to provide hiding spaces for your Convict Tang and other fish that inhabit the fish tank.
Tangs are sensitive
Many people speculate that tangs have very small scales, a thin slim coat, or scales shaped in a way that makes them prone to diseases such as flukes, hole in the head, and HLLE. Keep a watchful eye for symptoms.
Are Convict Tangs Reef Safe?
Tangs are reef-safe in most circumstances. They will not bother invertebrates such as snails, shrimp, crabs, and starfish. However, there is a small possibility of them going rogue on coral. Sometimes they fixate on one species of coral, one type of coral, or go through a phase of eating coral. It’s not a very common occurrence. They may be lacking a nutrient the coral provides, so it’s important to keep your tang fed with a variety of foods.
Macroalgae in the display aquarium will not grow or even survive successfully with a Convict Tang inside. They have an herbivorous appetite and will make a quick meal from most of your species of macroalgae. Sea Lettuce, Red Ogo, and Caulerpa are some algae species your tang will likely consume without a problem.
Water Parameters
The Convict Tang has very similar water parameter requirements compared to most saltwater fish. It’ll do great in water temperatures between 72 – 78°F (22.2 – 25.6°C), ideally between 76 and 78°F, pH levels between 8.1 – 8.4, dkH levels between 8 – 12, and salinity levels between 1.020 – 1.025 sg. Frequent water changes with high-quality marine salt will provide you with the required water parameters, excluding temperature. You’ll need an aquarium heater to acquire the appropriate water temperature.
Food & Diet
Being herbivorous, Convict Tangs should have algae/nori as their main source of food. I recommend feeding them algae sheets at least every other day and supplementing the off days with pellet food, flake food, or protein-rich frozen foods such as Mysis Shrimp or Brine Shrimp. They’ll likely graze on hair algae and other species of algae that grow inside the aquarium, but what grows in your fish tank will not sustain a tang at all.
Tank Mates
Tangs are very versatile with what species of fish they can be kept with. In an appropriately sized aquarium, they’ll be fine with most saltwater fish. Some of my favorite Convict Tang tank mates include Clownfish, Foxface, Dwarf Angels, Wrasses, and Gobies. However, many other species will do just fine with this fish. Caution should be used when introducing other tangs with your Convict Tang. You may see territorial altercations between the fish. The closer in shape the fish are, the more aggression you might see. I do not recommend adding more Convict Tangs into the same aquarium for this reason.
Breeding
Due to their aggressive personalities towards other Convict Tangs, I do not recommend keeping more than one in the same aquarium. This makes breeding impossible.
Final Notes
Unfortunately, the Convict Tang is often overlooked for other, more vibrant, or well-known species of tang. They’re fantastic fish to keep, don’t get incredibly large, and have a unique coloration you don’t often see in fish. I’ve enjoyed keeping a Convict Tang in the past, and I recommend you give them a try yourself. If you have experiences with Convict Tangs you’d like to share, let me know!
