🚚 Dry goods ship Australia-wide 🐠 Livestock — buy online, collect in store 🧪 In-store water analysis
Eastwood AquariumMarine only
SavedCart
Home  /  Fish profiles  /  Yellow Eye Bristletooth Tang
Yellow Eye Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus)

Yellow Eye Bristletooth Tang

Ctenochaetus strigosus
Reef SafeAlgae & Detritus GrazerOne Tang Per Tank
Family
Tang / Surgeonfish
Care level
Intermediate
Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Reef safe
Reef safe
Max size
18 cm
Min tank
300 L · 79 gal
Origin
Central Pacific (Hawaii)
Diet
Herbivore
Food
Nori, Marine algae, Spirulina, Herbivore pellets, Mysis
Currently out of stock →Join the waiting list

Overview

The Yellow Eye Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) — better known as the Kole Tang — is one of the most useful and reef-friendly tangs you can keep. Adults wear a deep maroon-to-purple-brown body with fine horizontal striping and freckling, set off by the bold, bright yellow ring around the eye that gives the fish its name. Juveniles start out more golden-tan before darkening with age.

What sets bristletooth tangs apart is the mouth: instead of the rasping teeth of other tangs, they have fine, flexible comb-like bristles that let them scrape film algae and detritus off rock and sand. That makes the Kole an exceptional clean-up grazer — it works surfaces other tangs ignore.

It stays smaller than most tangs at around 18 cm, which lets it fit into more modest systems, and it's relatively hardy and forgiving. Note that genuine Hawaiian-collected Kole Tangs have become scarcer since Hawaii's collection suspension, so availability and price can vary. All told, it's a superb, functional reef fish for an intermediate keeper.

Compatibility

The Kole is peaceful toward most of its tankmates and slots neatly into a community reef — it generally leaves other fish alone and busies itself grazing. Its territorial streak is reserved for other tangs, especially other bristletooths and its own kind, toward which it can be quite assertive.

As a rule, keep one bristletooth (and ideally one tang overall) per tank unless the system is large. If you do want to mix tangs, use different genera and body shapes, add them together, and give everyone plenty of space. Being on the smaller, milder side, a Kole can itself be bullied by larger, more aggressive surgeonfish, so choose its tankmates with that in mind. It's fully safe with corals, shrimp, crabs, snails and clams.

Health & quarantine

The Kole is one of the hardier, more forgiving tangs and is often suggested as a good first tang, but it still deserves proper care. It's reportedly a little less ich-prone than some surgeonfish, yet a quarantine period and a slow, drip acclimation remain strongly recommended. A mature tank with established live rock and natural film algae to graze helps it settle and thrive. Watch the diet closely: bristletooths are susceptible to nutritional issues like colour loss and head-and-lateral-line erosion (HLLE) if underfed on greens, and be cautious with heavy use of activated carbon, which has been associated with HLLE in tangs. Stable, well-oxygenated water and a varied, algae-rich diet keep it in top condition.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Kole Tang reef safe?
Yes — it's one of the best reef tangs going. It won't harm corals, shrimp, crabs, snails or clams, and it actively benefits the tank by grazing film algae and detritus. There's a very minor chance it might pick at fleshy polyps or clam mantles, but that's uncommon with this species.
What size tank does it need?
It stays smaller than most tangs at around 18 cm, so roughly 300 litres is a sensible minimum, with bigger better for such an active swimmer. It's one of the few tangs that can work in a slightly more modest reef, provided there's open swimming space and plenty of live rock to graze.
Can I keep more than one, or with other tangs?
Keep one bristletooth per tank as a rule — they're territorial toward their own kind and other Ctenochaetus. Mixing tangs only works in larger systems using different genera and body shapes, added together. Also watch that larger, more aggressive tangs don't bully this milder species.
Is it a good algae eater?
Outstanding. Its bristle-like teeth are specialised for scraping film and detrital algae off rock and sand — surfaces many other tangs can't work effectively. It's one of the most useful clean-up grazers you can add, though you should still supplement with Nori and prepared greens.
Why are Kole Tangs sometimes hard to find or pricey?
Genuine Ctenochaetus strigosus is largely endemic to Hawaii, and collection there has been suspended since early 2021, reducing supply and pushing prices up. Similar-looking bristletooth species from other regions are sometimes offered as alternatives, so it's worth checking exactly which species you're buying.
Do I need to quarantine it?
Yes, it's recommended. While the Kole is a bit less ich-prone than some tangs, a quarantine period and a slow acclimation still greatly improve your odds. Pair that with a varied, algae-rich diet and stable water to guard against the colour loss and lateral-line issues this species can develop.

Care guidance is drawn from our own experience — every fish is an individual, so treat it as a starting point, not a guarantee. Not sure if a species suits your tank? Come ask us in store. New to the terms? Read the care-terms glossary.