Chevron Tang nicknamed Hawaiian Bristletooth, is one of the best home aquarium saltwater fish species, which is highly sought after by marine hobbyist. Unlike the rest of the tang fish, chevron is unique in the sense that it has a bright orange red coloration combined with blue and purple lines covering its body. As with all other surgeonfish species, the juvenile fish will display full bright coloration but as they mature and grow older the adult tang will turn into slightly darker brown color. The size of a chevron tang is also small compared with the other Ctenochaetus in the same group, often reaching only about 7 inches in length. However, being small does not mean that you should house them in lower capacity fish tank because just like any of their saltwater cousin, they prefer wide swimming space to achieve normal growth development and as such 80-gallon tank is the minimum you should provide.Aquarium setup for your chevron tang should have an established population of corals and live rock before you add them in. Since they spend most of their time searching for algae as food, nibbling on the rock surface, you must ensure that the tank is equipped with proper aquarium lighting so that they have ample supply of algae to find when they swim around. In fact, once in a while, you can also add supplements such as marine algae wafer, which you can easily bought in pet stores in order to provide extra nutrition and enrich their diet.
The best water temperature for your tang fish is to control it within 22 to 26 degree Celsius range. In order to achieve that, make sure that you have a reliable aquarium heater to use during cold season or if you are staying in hot region, make sure that there is an aquarium chiller to cool it down and bring the temperature within the desired range. Good water circulation is not only important for your coral population but this will also ensure that the aquarium water is oxygen rich so that your Chevron Tangs will thrive well in it. As such a desirable aquarium setup should have a proper aeration system such as using a powerhead filter to create the surface agitation and at the same time cleans up the water. In order to prevent spread of saltwater fish disease, it is also best to use a UV sterilizer in order to lower bacteria population count so that your pet will not be exposed to danger of contracting disease from other tank mates.
Overall, the chevron tang is considered a hardy saltwater fish that is not sensitive towards slight changes in water parameters and living condition, as they will generally adapt to it. When it comes to community behavior, the fish will get along with other species such as clownfish, angelfish and other invertebrates without showing aggression or territorial behavior. As such they definitely make excellent pets and are certainly wonderful prized addition to any marine community tank setup.
If you are a first timer when it comes to saltwater aquariums, I would suggest you read up on some environmental considerations for your saltwater tanks.
