Tangs
ok, I'm not trying to compare your book to Scott Michael's Marine Fishes (or your knowledge to his) but, you always say that A. japonicus is hardier than A. nigricans and he switches the two, is this some mistake or is it just a difference of opinion ( of course this assumes that you have spoken to each other and that you know about his views on these two fish, which are probably not the case... )
Curiously yours, Yaron Aronowicz
<<Geez, don't know... I would ask Scotter... as well. His works are very careful... and there are MANY differences of opinion in our huge fields here... 
But on this specific, I do consider (okay my confidence limits are high enough), know the White Cheek, Acanthurus japonicus to outlive (historically... not one hobbyist with limited experience, but thousands of specimens...) the Powder Brown, A. nigricans (formerly glaucopareius)... by a HUGE margin...  Bob Fenner>>

White-cheek tang, Acanthurus nigricans  9/17/05
I recently got one of these from Hawaii direct. It is beautiful, very active and quite aggressive. It is 5" long. It will chase my 5" saddle grouper, 8" niger trigger, 7" Bluejaw trigger, and even make my new 12" red Coris watch it's tail. It loves dried seaweed, Nori like the site suggested, and dried brown algae. It has not eaten pellets or meat yet. I am curious about the longevity claim on the site. This fish is aggressive, more than I thought, and very healthy. Have you heard of this? <These tangs are generally aggressive toward other tangs.  This should simmer down.> Could this fish still be in the die in 3 months or less category? If so, what to look for. <Dan, Acanthurus tangs are not the easiest tangs to keep.  They are ich magnets so to speak.  Your tank is MUCH too small to keep the sizes of fish you are keeping. Most tangs from this family are difficult to keep alive more than three months.  Your stocking level alone will more than likely shorten this time.> This alone will add stress to the fish.> I have an Eheim wet/dry that sprays in 2 gallons every minute creating a ton or air in the water, and all together the water cycles 18 times an hour. I have 2 large skimmers and 2 emperor 400's also, UV, and nitrate reducer by Aquaripure that actually keeps them under 20 ppm. The tank is a 100 gallon with about 175 lbs of rockwork. <Good luck, James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks, Dan North.

Goldrim Tang question what?   3/27/06
Bob,  <James today.  Bob is in Hawaii chomping at the bit to get home.>
How are you? Love the site. <Thank you.> Wanted to ask a question about tangs.......I was wondering about the durability of the goldrim tang. Is it better than the Achilles Tang? <I would say yes.> I tried two of the achilles tangs and they both got Ich and died. <Acclimation/quarantine?>  In you articles you say they are more durable than most of the tangs in this family. Also, would a Sohal tang be a better fit. I know you feel that these fish are very hardy. <Hardy for a fish in this family.  Cannot compare to damsel hardiness for sure.>  My tank is only 100 gallons and I have a yellow and purple tang. When I did have the Achilles tang, all three got along fine. I would love an experts advise.  <I wouldn't add another tang in your 100.  The tangs you have will get quite large and three will be a crowd.>
Thanks,  <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>   
  Jeromy