Acanthurus nigricans

[Deacon]

...LiveAquaria calls it a white-cheeked Tang (Acanthurus nigricans).

Anybody have any experience with this species? Is it an ich magnet like the powder blue?

thanks

[crvz]

I don't like the term "ich magnet", but I will agree that these fish are as sensitive as the powder blue, achilles, and other similar Acanthurus species. The Acanthurus japonicus is often touted as the more robust of the two species that fall under the "powder brown" name (the other being the one you're asking about), but all these fish take a certain level of experience that make them challenging. The best thing to have success with these fish is to find a healthy specimen, but often this is luck as much as anything. I would recommend liveaquaria as a source of quality livestock, but before you pull the trigger on anything, can you elaborate on the setup you hope to add this fish to and what other inhabitants will share its home?

[Deacon]

Thanks for the reply.

I've got a 125 gal. fish only tank with a yellow tang, cortez rainbow wrasse, humu humu trigger in the display and a niger trigger currently in QT.

I think I'll pass on the acanthurus tangs for this tank. Maybe for the future reef tank I'm currently planning in the back of mind.......