Mata Tang

Acanthurus mata

JUVENILE

The Mata Tang, Acanthurus mata, also known as the Elongate Surgeonfish, has a silver body with a bright orange bar across its eyes. The Mata Tang does best in a large established reef community tank with plenty of rock work and macro algae for grazing. It is not recommended to keep this tang with members of its own species. The Mata Tang will take primarily a herbivorous diet consisting of Spirulina, marine algae, and spinach but will also take some meaty foods. They require a large tank of at least 150 gallons to thrive, though bigger is better. The Mata Tang can be aggressive towards some coral and small sessile inverts. Overall, the Mata Tang is a fascinating unique species of surgeonfish that does best in large tank where it can both swim freely, and hide in the nooks and crannies of the rockwork.