Naso Brevirostris and Naso Unicornis

[metasyntactic]

Has anyone kept a unicornfish and able to give me some advice? I've tried reading as much info as I could lay my hands on but they aren't all that common so there's less info on them compared to other tangs.

I've had my heart set on one for a few years now and I'm getting to the point where I'm finally ready to pull the trigger on one (probably a spotted unicornfish). I'm fully aware of their size and am looking at building a 7"x3"x3" 470 gallon tank specifically to meet their space requirements. I'm looking at a full glass tank since I know that they can't withdraw their spines and have a habit of rubbing up against the glass where they would scratch up acrylic.

I'm trying to find out if there's any other behaviors or requirements I should know about. Like, how aggressive are they? I'd love to keep this with a yellow belly hippo tang, an Achilles tang, and a sargassum triggerfish but not if it's going to beat them up. Do I need to adjust the planned dimensions of my tank to allow more height or width? How messy of an eater are they? Should I beef up my filtration? They seem pretty reef friendly but will I need to worry about him bulldozing or moving stones/coral?

 

[ca1ore]

I've kept both - have a spotted at the moment in my 8' 450. Ignores and is ignored by almost all my fish. Large sailfin gave him a bit of trouble initially, but not ultimately serious. Never have had any issues with them scratching the front panel. It is a swimmer though - go 8' or even 10' if you can.

 

[metasyntactic]

I've kept both - have a spotted at the moment in my 8' 450. Ignores and is ignored by almost all my fish. Large sailfin gave him a bit of trouble initially, but not ultimately serious. Never have had any issues with them scratching the front panel. It is a swimmer though - go 8' or even 10' if you can.

Unfortunately I can't go any larger than 7'. As it is, I'm having to assemble my aquarium in the basement because I can't get the completed aquarium down the stairs. There's a U in the stairs and 7' is the maximum I can get without cutting out drywall and framing to make room.

 

[nereefpat]

I've only seen them at public aquariums. They seem to be gentle giants, like the other Naso tangs.

I would reiterate how big they are, growing to about 2 foot. I like the 3' width of the tank, but perhaps N. lituratus or elegans would be better in the 7' length. They are a little smaller, at about 1-1 1/2'.

Good luck. Those three tangs and trigger would certainly be an impressive group.

 

[ca1ore]

My brevirostris came to me at about 9" and hasn't really grown in the 6 months or so I have had it. I think it is unlikely to reach it's full 2' size, but clearly it could.

 

[metasyntactic]

My brevirostris came to me at about 9" and hasn't really grown in the 6 months or so I have had it. I think it is unlikely to reach it's full 2' size, but clearly it could.

From talking to blue zoo aquatics, they live up to 20 years and take a while to reach adult size.