QUICK STATS

Care Level: Moderate
Diet: Herbivore / Omnivore
Temperament: Peaceful to Semi-Aggressive
Reef-Safe: Yes
Venomous/Toxic: No
Approximate Purchase Size: 2-4"
Approximate Max Size: Around 6.5-8"
Recommended Tank Size: 70-90 Gallons or Larger

TWO SPOT BRISTLETOOTH TANG

The Two Spot Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus binotatus), also known as the Two Spot Surgeonfish, Blue Eye Bristletooth Tang, or Blue Eye Kole Tang, is a smaller to medium-sized bristletooth tang known for its active grazing behavior, subtle body coloration, yellow to orange facial accents, blue eye ring, and two darker spots near the base of the tail.

Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs belong to the bristletooth tang group, meaning they use specialized comb-like teeth to scrape film algae, detritus, and biofilm from rockwork and aquarium surfaces. Basically, they are tiny reef janitors with attitude, a grazing schedule, and a defensive tail scalpel because apparently even cleanup crews need weapons.

This species is considered reef-safe and should not bother corals or most invertebrates when properly fed. It is generally peaceful with many community fish but may become territorial toward other tangs, surgeonfish, or similarly shaped algae grazers. Smaller tang, yes. Emotionally above petty turf disputes? Absolutely not.

Note: Image is a representation of what to expect. The fish you receive may vary slightly in size, color, eye coloration, spotting, maturity, and overall appearance.

AQUARIUM REQUIREMENTS

AQUARIUM SIZE

A minimum tank size of 70 gallons or larger is recommended for a Two Spot Bristletooth Tang, with 90 gallons or larger preferred for long-term comfort, stronger swimming room, and community reef setups.

This species stays more manageable than many larger tangs, but it is still an active surgeonfish that needs open swimming space, mature rockwork, and stable water quality. A longer aquarium with usable swimming lanes is better than a tall narrow tank pretending volume alone solves everything. Fish, tragically, live in shapes, not just gallons.

HABITAT RECOMMENDATIONS

Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs do best in mature aquariums with open swimming space, stable rockwork, strong filtration, and plenty of grazing surfaces.

Aquascaping: Provide open swimming room along with stable rock structures for grazing, shelter, and territory. Avoid overly cramped aquascapes that block swimming paths.

Substrate: Sand, fine aragonite, crushed coral, or bare-bottom systems can all work. This species does not depend heavily on the substrate.

Rockwork: Live rock is strongly recommended. It provides grazing surfaces, hiding places, territory, and biological filtration.

Tank Maturity: A mature aquarium is preferred, especially one with natural film algae, detritus, and biofilm growth. Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs benefit from regular grazing opportunities throughout the day.

Tank Cover: A tight-fitting lid is recommended. Tangs are not the most famous jumpers, but large startled fish can still make sudden athletic mistakes with expensive consequences.

WATER PARAMETERS

Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs are generally hardy once established, but they still need clean, stable marine conditions. “Bristletooth” does not mean “immune to bad water,” though apparently the hobby keeps trying to negotiate with chemistry.

Temperature: 74-80°F
pH Level: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.020-1.026 specific gravity
Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate: Ammonia and nitrite should remain undetectable. Nitrate should be kept as low as reasonably possible, ideally below 20 ppm.
Water Flow: Moderate to strong water movement is ideal. Provide strong oxygenation, efficient filtration, and enough flow to move waste toward filtration while still allowing comfortable swimming space.

DIET

Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs are primarily herbivorous to omnivorous grazers. As a bristletooth tang, they naturally scrape film algae, biofilm, detritus, and tiny food particles from hard surfaces. A diet rich in algae-based nutrition is important for maintaining body weight, color, digestion, and long-term health.

PRIMARY DIET

Frozen Food: Offer algae-rich frozen foods, mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, marine blends, and other high-quality frozen foods. We at Summit City Coral prefer frozen foods such as LRS Herbivore Frenzy and PE Mysis.

Prepared Herbivore Foods: High-quality herbivore pellets, marine algae pellets, spirulina flakes, and omnivore blends can help provide balanced nutrition.

Algae-Based Foods: Nori, seaweed sheets, spirulina, algae wafers, herbivore blends, and marine algae foods should be offered regularly. Clip seaweed sheets to the glass or rockwork so the tang can graze naturally.

Natural Grazing: Established live rock with film algae, biofilm, and detritus helps support natural feeding behavior. This should be viewed as supplemental, not the entire feeding plan. A Two Spot Bristletooth Tang is not a free algae-control subscription with a tiny tail knife.

FEEDING FREQUENCY

Feed small amounts 1-2 times per day, with algae-based foods offered frequently. Tangs do best when they can graze throughout the day, so regular access to seaweed or algae-based foods is strongly recommended.

COMPATIBILITY

Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs are generally peaceful to semi-aggressive and can work well in community reef aquariums with appropriate tank mates. They are usually calmer than some larger or more aggressive tangs, but they may still become territorial once established.

COMMON TANK MATES

Fish: Clownfish, cardinalfish, wrasses, gobies, blennies, rabbitfish, foxfaces, dwarf angelfish, larger peaceful fish, and other community reef fish.

Avoid: Other tangs or surgeonfish in smaller aquariums unless the tank is large enough and introductions are carefully managed. Avoid very timid fish that may be outcompeted and overly aggressive fish that may constantly harass the tang.

Other Tangs: Use caution when mixing with other tangs. Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs may show aggression toward other surgeonfish, especially similarly shaped grazers or other bristletooth tangs. Larger aquariums, careful introduction, and plenty of territory help reduce conflict.

Invertebrates: Usually safe with cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, urchins, and common cleanup crew animals.

Coral: Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs are considered reef-safe and should not bother soft corals, LPS, SPS, zoanthids, mushrooms, clams, or anemones when well-fed. Like many herbivores, underfed individuals may become more likely to investigate surfaces they should leave alone, because hunger remains a terrible consultant.

BEHAVIORAL NOTES

Temperament: Peaceful to semi-aggressive. Usually manageable in properly sized aquariums, but may become territorial once established.

Bristletooth Grazing: Uses specialized teeth to scrape film algae, biofilm, and detritus from rockwork and aquarium surfaces.

Algae Grazing: Helpful for film algae, soft algae growth, biofilm, and detritus on hard surfaces. Still requires regular feeding and should not be used as the entire algae-control plan.

Reef Compatibility: Excellent for reef tanks when properly fed. They generally ignore corals and most invertebrates.

Swimming Style: Active swimmer that needs open swimming paths and should not be cramped into undersized aquariums.

Tang Scalpel: Like other surgeonfish, Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs have a sharp scalpel-like spine near the tail used for defense. Use caution when catching, transferring, or working around the fish. It is not venomous, just equipped with a tiny biological box cutter, because fish apparently needed hardware.

Territoriality: May show aggression toward other tangs or similarly shaped fish, especially after becoming established.

Coloration: Typically shows tan, brown, gray, orange, yellow, or blue accents depending on age, stress, diet, maturity, and lighting. The blue eye ring and dark tail-base spots are key visual features.

Hardiness: Often considered a manageable tang once established, but it still needs stable water quality, strong nutrition, mature rockwork, and proper swimming space.

Disease Susceptibility: Like many tangs, Two Spot Bristletooth Tangs can be prone to external parasites when stressed. Quarantine, observation, strong nutrition, and stable water quality are strongly recommended.

Tank Size Reality: This is one of the more manageable tangs, but it is still an active surgeonfish. “Smaller tang” does not mean “small tank fish,” because apparently words are not legally binding in aquariums.

Jumping: A tight-fitting lid is recommended. Large fish can still make sudden, athletic mistakes.

ACCLIMATION PROCESS

This acclimation method helps reduce stress by gradually introducing the fish to your aquarium’s temperature and water chemistry.

1. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS & ATO

Turn off aquarium lights to reduce stress. If you have an Auto Top Off system, switch it off before starting acclimation.

2. FLOAT THE BAG

Float the sealed bag in the aquarium for 15-20 minutes to allow the temperature in the bag to equalize with the tank.

3. OPEN BAG, ADD FISH TO CONTAINER

Carefully open the bag and transfer the fish and shipping water into a clean bucket or container.

4. ACCLIMATE USING TANK WATER

Add 1/4 cup of tank water to the container every 5 minutes for 40 minutes.

5. TRANSFER FISH TO AQUARIUM

Once acclimation is complete, gently transfer the fish into the aquarium using a net or specimen container. Use caution near the tail spine when handling tangs. Discard the shipping water. Do not pour shipping water into your aquarium.

6. REFILL THE AQUARIUM WITH SALTWATER

You may need to replace the saltwater removed during acclimation with fresh mixed saltwater.