Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)

The Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon) is one of the most striking surgeonfish in the hobby, wearing an electric powder-blue body, bold black face mask, and a bright yellow dorsal fin. It is an advanced-level fish for experienced keepers with large, established, rock-solid stable systems. Browse the rest of our saltwater livestock for tank mates and cleanup crew.

Choose your size above. We offer this fish in Small Medium (roughly 2.5 to 3.5 inches) and Medium (roughly 3.5 to 4.5 inches). Sizes are approximate, and every fish completes a full quarantine and treatment cycle in our fish room before it reaches the showroom.

Care Guide

• Tank size: 125 gallons minimum with at least 6 feet of swimming length. This is a fast, restless open-water swimmer.
• Stability first: only add a Powder Blue to a mature, fully cycled system. Swings in temperature or salinity are the fastest way to trigger ich in this species.
• Water: 74 to 79°F, pH 8.1 to 8.4, salinity 1.020 to 1.025. Keep parameters steady rather than chasing perfect numbers.
• Flow and oxygen: strong flow and heavy surface agitation. Powder Blues live in wave-swept reef flats and need highly oxygenated water.
• Diet: primarily herbivorous. Offer seaweed or nori daily on a clip, supplemented with frozen mysis. Constant grazing keeps this species healthy and reduces aggression.
• Disease prevention: this species is famously ich-prone. A cleaner shrimp or quarantine habit for all new additions goes a long way toward keeping it spotless.

Specifications

Compatibility

Fully reef safe: it grazes algae and ignores corals and invertebrates. Keep only one Powder Blue per tank and avoid other Acanthurus tangs entirely, since lookalike surgeonfish trigger the worst aggression. Dissimilar tank mates like clownfish, wrasses, and gobies work well. A Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp makes an excellent partner and helps with parasite control. If you want a second grazer, choose a different genus such as a Tomini Tang or Scopas Tang, added at the same time or before, never after.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Rod's Food Leafy Purple Seaweed, a certified raw seaweed made for tangs
• Two Little Fishies SeaVeggies Green Seaweed for the daily algae clip
• BRS Nori Seaweed Sheets, an easy pantry staple
• Piscine Energetics PE Mysis as a protein supplement
• Selcon vitamin booster to soak foods and support color and immunity

FAQ

Is the Powder Blue Tang reef safe?
Yes. It is a dedicated algae grazer and will not bother corals, clams, or ornamental invertebrates.

Why is this fish rated advanced?
Powder Blues are the classic ich magnet of the hobby. They need pristine, stable water, big swimming space, and constant grazing food. In a mature system with a steady routine they are hardy and long lived, but they punish shortcuts.

Can I keep it with other tangs?
Never with another Powder Blue or other Acanthurus species. In a large tank it can work alongside tangs from different genera (Zebrasoma or Ctenochaetus) when they are added before or with the Powder Blue.

What do you feed yours?
Ours graze nori daily and get mysis several times a week, so your fish arrives already trained onto prepared foods.