Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Naso Tang
Naso lituratus (Forster, 1801)
Also called Orangespine unicornfish, Clown unicornfish, Orangespined unicornfish, Black-finned unicornfish, Stripefaced unicornfish
From Indo-Pacific, from Japan south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia and east to Hawaii and French Polynesia; also Clipperton Island in the eastern Pacific.12
At a glance the quick version
Maximum length; 46 cm standard length per FishBase.
Looks how to spot one
Scaled, oval unicornfish
A sleek, oval fish with a brownish-grey to bluish-grey body that turns yellowish underneath. It has bright orange lips, a dark mask over the face, a yellow patch on the nape and a black band along the dorsal fin. Two vivid orange, forward-hooked plates sit on each side of the tail stem. Unlike several of its relatives, it has no horn on its forehead.21
Personality what they are like
A peaceful, confident cruiser often seen in pairs or small groups, happy to share space with suitable companions.21
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A powerful swimmer that ranges over coral, rock and rubble. It does best with lots of open swimming room and strong water flow.12
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Marine reef fish for a mature saltwater aquarium. Typical reef-tank conditions are 24-27 C, salinity 1.022-1.025 specific gravity and pH around 8.2, matching the warm tropical reefs it comes from. Keep water quality stable and offer algae-based meals every day. The blade-like tail spines are sharp, so move it with a net or container rather than bare hands. It appreciates well-oxygenated water and strong currents.312
Home where they are happiest
Lives in lagoons and on outer reefs, usually 5-30 m deep and as deep as 90 m; young fish stay on shallow rocky reefs. A very large reef aquarium with high oxygen levels, strong current and algae to graze suits it. No minimum tank volume from a primary source was found.12
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A herbivore that mostly eats leafy brown seaweeds such as Sargassum and Dictyota. Offer plenty of marine seaweed in the aquarium.12
Company who they like around
Adults usually live in small groups or pairs and spawn in pairs. It enjoys company of suitable tank mates.12
The story where it all began
Johann Reinhold Forster, the naturalist on Captain Cook's second voyage, described the fish in 1801 as Acanthurus lituratus, probably from Tahiti. It belongs to the unicornfish genus Naso, though it lacks the horn several of its relatives carry.2
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is a unicornfish without a horn: it lacks the forehead projection seen in some relatives.2
- 2
Adults have a black tongue.1
- 3
Helpful gut bacteria called Epulopiscium assist surgeonfishes like this one in digesting algae.2
- 4
Its main foods are the brown seaweeds Sargassum and Dictyota.1
- 5
Near Guam it spawns all year round.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed May 2010)1
- Taxonomy
- Family Acanthuridae (unicornfishes, genus Naso); described by Johann Reinhold Forster in 1801 as Acanthurus lituratus2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Naso Tang. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Salinity checkevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water testevery week
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Glass cleanevery week
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Naso lituratus summary fishbase.seused for distribution, depth, length, diet, colour, IUCN status
- Wikipedia: Naso lituratus en.wikipedia.orgused for names, description, habitat needs, behaviour, taxonomy, digestion
- Wikipedia: Reef aquarium en.wikipedia.orgused for general reef aquarium water parameters
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.