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The Naso Tang (Naso lituratus), also widely known as the Lipstick Tang or Orangespine Unicornfish, is a majestic and iconic marine fish featuring a sleek, elongated greyish-brown body accented by striking, bright orange lips and a distinct patch of neon yellow wrapping around its eyes. As it matures, it develops a brilliant yellow-to-orange border along its dorsal and anal fins, two fierce orange hooks (caudal spines) at the base of its tail, and elegant, sweeping thread-like streamers trailing from the tips of its tail fin. Known for its docile nature and interactive personality, it is a magnificent giant that brings exceptional grace and smooth motion to colossal marine displays.
Tank Requirements
Minimum Tank Size: 180 to 240 gallons or larger; as a heavy-bodied and exceptionally fast open-water swimmer, it requires a minimum tank length of six to eight feet to prevent boundary-pacing stress and support its rapid growth.
Aquarium Decor: Open upper and middle racing channels paired with massive, wide rockwork structures to form large caves. It requires a heavy-duty turnover rate and high-capacity protein skimming to ensure the water column remains heavily saturated with dissolved oxygen.
Temperature: 72°F – 78°F (22°C – 26°C).
Salinity (Specific Gravity): 1.020 – 1.025.
pH Range: 8.1 – 8.4.
Care and Feeding
Diet: Herbivore; has a specialized wild preference for brown macroalgae rather than green microalgae. Provide massive, continuous daily offerings of dried brown or green marine algae sheets (nori), spirulina-enriched flakes, and premium herbivore pellets, supplemented with frozen mysis shrimp to maintain its substantial body weight.
Reef Safe Rating: Reef safe; it is completely peaceful and harmless toward small polyp stony (SPS) corals, large polyp stony (LPS) corals, soft corals, and mobile invertebrates, though its powerful tail flips can accidentally brush against unglued frags.
Temperament: Peaceful; it is notoriously one of the most docile and amicable of all the large tang species, rarely starting territory battles with non-tang tank mates. However, it can occasionally face bullying from more aggressive surgeonfish if it is introduced after them, and its razor-sharp caudal hooks must be respected during handling.
The Naso Tang (Naso lituratus), also widely known as the Lipstick Tang or Orangespine Unicornfish, is a majestic and iconic marine fish featuring a sleek, elongated greyish-brown body accented by striking, bright orange lips and a distinct patch of neon yellow wrapping around its eyes. As it matures, it develops a brilliant yellow-to-orange border along its dorsal and anal fins, two fierce orange hooks (caudal spines) at the base of its tail, and elegant, sweeping thread-like streamers trailing from the tips of its tail fin. Known for its docile nature and interactive personality, it is a magnificent giant that brings exceptional grace and smooth motion to colossal marine displays.
Tank Requirements
Minimum Tank Size: 180 to 240 gallons or larger; as a heavy-bodied and exceptionally fast open-water swimmer, it requires a minimum tank length of six to eight feet to prevent boundary-pacing stress and support its rapid growth.
Aquarium Decor: Open upper and middle racing channels paired with massive, wide rockwork structures to form large caves. It requires a heavy-duty turnover rate and high-capacity protein skimming to ensure the water column remains heavily saturated with dissolved oxygen.
Temperature: 72°F – 78°F (22°C – 26°C).
Salinity (Specific Gravity): 1.020 – 1.025.
pH Range: 8.1 – 8.4.
Care and Feeding
Diet: Herbivore; has a specialized wild preference for brown macroalgae rather than green microalgae. Provide massive, continuous daily offerings of dried brown or green marine algae sheets (nori), spirulina-enriched flakes, and premium herbivore pellets, supplemented with frozen mysis shrimp to maintain its substantial body weight.
Reef Safe Rating: Reef safe; it is completely peaceful and harmless toward small polyp stony (SPS) corals, large polyp stony (LPS) corals, soft corals, and mobile invertebrates, though its powerful tail flips can accidentally brush against unglued frags.
Temperament: Peaceful; it is notoriously one of the most docile and amicable of all the large tang species, rarely starting territory battles with non-tang tank mates. However, it can occasionally face bullying from more aggressive surgeonfish if it is introduced after them, and its razor-sharp caudal hooks must be respected during handling.