The Tang Price Ladder: From Scopas to Gem Tang
Two dozen tang types, priced across vendors — a clean ladder from beginner workhorses to grail fish.
Published July 29, 2026 · figures recomputed from data through October 20, 2026 · by Reef Price Index
No saltwater fish family maps price to prestige as cleanly as tangs. The family runs from workhorse algae grazers at pocket-money prices to genuine grail fish, and because we track 22 tang types across vendors daily, the whole ladder fits in one honest table.
The tang price ladder
| Tang | Low | Median | High | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mimic Tang | $76.99 | $76.99 | $76.99 | 3 |
| Clown Tang | $62.99 | $80.99 | $98.99 | 16 |
| Lemon Tang | $80.99 | $89.99 | $110.99 | 5 |
| Sailfin / Desjardini Tang | $59.99 | $92.99 | $454.99 | 75 |
| Scopas Tang | $89.99 | $119.99 | $129.99 | 27 |
| Blue Hippo Tang | $59.99 | $119.99 | $374.99 | 82 |
| Lieutenant Tang | $104.99 | $127.49 | $314.99 | 16 |
| Epaulette Tang | $164.99 | $164.99 | $164.99 | 8 |
| Unicorn Tang | $134.99 | $172.49 | $209.99 | 18 |
| Powder Blue Tang | $80.99 | $179.99 | $239.99 | 34 |
| Orange Shoulder Tang | $79.99 | $239.99 | $399.99 | 19 |
| Naso Tang | $179.99 | $239.99 | $629.99 | 77 |
| Gold Rim Tang | $179.99 | $239.99 | $299.99 | 16 |
| Sawtail Tang (Prionurus) | $132.99 | $245.49 | $576.99 | 6 |
| Purple Tang | $180.99 | $349.99 | $584.98 | 19 |
| Bariene Tang | $149.99 | $389.99 | $993.99 | 9 |
| Dussumier Tang | $146.99 | $399.99 | $1,539.99 | 21 |
| Vlamingii Tang | $499.99 | $499.99 | $499.99 | 23 |
| Sohal Tang | $292.99 | $524.99 | $1,287.99 | 16 |
| Powder Brown / White Cheek Tang | $99.99 | $592.49 | $1,327.99 | 29 |
| Achilles Tang | $359.99 | $635.99 | $755.99 | 17 |
| Gem Tang | $599.99 | $824.99 | $979.99 | 17 |
Today the ladder runs from Mimic Tang (median $76.99) to Gem Tang (median $824.99) — a 11× span within one family of broadly similar fish.
What the rungs are made of
- Collection origin and depth. The expensive tangs are expensive to collect: remote ranges, deeper reefs, restrictive fisheries. The gem tang's $824.99 median is a Mauritius/Réunion supply-chain fact, not a demand fad.
- Aquaculture, where it exists, resets a rung. Captive-bred purple tangs now undercut wild imports outright — the most interesting finding in our captive-bred pricing study. As more tang species close the breeding loop, expect their rungs to drop the same way.
- Size class moves price within a rung. Vendors sell tangs in small/medium/large grades, and the large grade of a mid-tier tang can out-price the small grade of a prestige one. The table's ranges include all grades.
The advice hiding in the table
Function is available at the bottom of the ladder: the classic algae- control tangs cluster in the two cheapest quartiles, and a $76.99 grazer eats the same algae as a grail fish. The upper rungs are aesthetics, rarity, and bragging rights — real value to plenty of keepers, but be honest about which product you're buying. And one non-price note that belongs in any tang article: tangs are active swimmers that need tank length; the cheapest tang in a too-small tank is the most expensive mistake on this page. Match the species to your tank first, then use the median to judge the deal.