Lined Surgeonfish

Care Summary

The Lined Surgeonfish (Clown Tang) is the most aggressive surgeonfish you can buy, and every account of keeping one long-term involves being upfront about that fact. In exchange for the aggression, you get one of the most spectacularly patterned fish in the family, with those vivid horizontal blue and yellow stripes on a body that looks like it was designed to be a showpiece. It requires exceptional water quality and very high flow; a stressed or poorly fed Lined Tang becomes even more aggressive and stops eating, which is a dangerous spiral. Keep it with other assertive, large fish that can hold their own, or give it a dedicated species tank where the aggression issue essentially disappears.