The Blue Tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus) enjoys the distinction of being one of the five most recognizable maine fishes along with the percula clownfish (Percula, Ocellaris), flame angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus), yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) and the royal gramma (Gramma Loreto). It remains the sole species under the genus Paracanthurus. Its body is a stunning bright blue while it has thick black markings that stretch out from its eyes to its tail.

The blue tang is also one of the stars of the hit movie, Finding Nemo. It is also known as the Palette Surgeonfish, Royal Blue Tang, Hippo Tang and the Regal Tang. Both the blue and yellow tangs combine to become the two most popular surgeonfishes in the hobby. Collected heavily from throughout the Indo-Pacific, it is a very affordable fish. Juveniles retail for around $25 while adults can fetch up to $80 per specimen. As with all surgeonfish, the blue tang is susceptible to ich and lateral line erosion so pick so keep a look out for any sign of the two.

The blue tang is a relatively peaceful fish towards other species outside the tang family. One of the reasons why it enjoys such popularity in the hobby. They can be hostile towards other surgeonfish, especially blue tangs so the general rule should be one blue tank per aquarium.

In they wild they are a shoaling fish. If many are kept together in a large tank they can often be seen swimming together. Always introduce multiple blue tangs at the same time. Aggression is normally seen when putting a new blue tang in with an established one.

Their maximum attainable length is 12 inches. Fish that size need tanks upwards of a 100 gallons. Due to heavy collection many, specimens no bigger than an inch are common. At that size they will grow very very fast so don't be fooled into putting them in a 30 gallon tank..

Ample swimming space are needed by blue tangs so the scape should reflect this. They need at least a few caves/niches as they bed down in these areas every night.

In the wild, blue tangs are primarily herbivores. They form large shoals and will graze on algae for most of the day. In captivity a vast percentage of their diet should be made up of algae based foods. They are completely reef safe (Unlike marine angelfish) making them very popular choices for larger reef aquariums.

Nori/seaweed sheets are a favorite offering among hobbyists. You can buy either branded seaweed (Julian Sprung)or you can run down to your local supermarket and get some cheap nori there. Buy unflavoured, plain nori. They sometimes come with spices so you want to avoid those. Clip the sheet with a commercial nori clip or a device of your own doing and attach it to the side of the tank.

While they are mainly vegetarians in the wild, they will normally consume anything that is offered in a saltwater aquarium. Meaty foods should make up a small percent of their daily diet.

High quality food mixes like formula one and formula two should be offered as well as mysis shrimp and a good pellet food. New Life Spectrum produces some excellent pellets for all marine fishes.

You may see lettuce being fed to surgeonfish at pet stores. Both romaine and iceberg lettuce don't offer much nutritionally so you want to avoid lettuce altogether.

Related posts:

1. Paracanthurus Hepatus : Care And Requirements Of The Popular Blue Tang
2. The Blue Tang : A Guide On The Most Popular Surgeonfish
3. Powder Blue Tang : A Guide On Acanthurus Leucosternon
4. The Blue Tang : A Guide On The Most Popular Surgeonfish
5. Achilles Tang : An In-Depth Guide On The Rare And Expensive Acanthurus Achilles

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Written by Roman Veaila using tags: blue-tang-depth, blue-tang-onlone-pet, palette surgeonfish