Yes, there is a type of fish commonly called a tang.

What a tang fish is

  • “Tang” is the aquarium and common name for several species of saltwater fish in the family Acanthuridae, which also includes surgeonfish and unicornfish.
  • They are small to medium reef fish, usually up to about 30 cm long, with oval bodies and very bright colours.

Common examples of tangs

  • Blue tang / regal tang : The famous bright blue fish with a yellow tail, known from movies and found on Indo‑Pacific coral reefs.
  • Yellow tang : A vivid yellow reef fish popular in marine aquariums and found around Hawaiian reefs.
  • Other types include purple tang, unicorn tang, Vlamingi tang and many more, with over 80 species in the broader group.

Where tangs live and what they eat

  • Tangs mostly live in warm tropical and subtropical seas, especially around coral reefs in the Indo‑Pacific and Caribbean regions.
  • Most species graze on algae, acting like underwater “lawnmowers” that help keep reefs clean.

TL;DR: Yes, “tang” is a real name for various colourful reef fish (like the blue tang and yellow tang), mainly algae‑eating marine species in the Acanthuridae family.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.