The yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) along with the blue tang (paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (ocellaris and percula), Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus) and the royal gramma (Gramma Loreto), makeup the 5 most recognizable fishes in the hobby. It is also the most popular tang in the surgeonfish family and its very easy to see why. Its entire body is a brilliant pastel yellow.

The yellow tang is commonly collected from Hawaii and the nearby islands. Once acclimated the yellow tang is a hardy fish that is peaceful with other fishes (Outside of the tang family) which makes it a popular choice for community aquariums. Care should be taken when choosing specimens as most tangs and surgeonfish are ich magnets and also susceptible to lateral line erosion. A heavily collected species, the yellow tang fetches about $30-$40 for smaller individuals while larger ones are priced in the $60-$70 range.

The yellow tang is a relatively peaceful fish that is not prone to bullying other species of fish large or small. Making it an attractive candidate for all aquariums. It can be aggressive towards other members of the tang family but such cases are normally alleviated with providing ample space for all of them.

In they wild they are a schooling fish and such behavior can be witnessed in captivity. When planning on keeping multiple yellow tangs it is essential that they all be introduced at the same time.

The Yellow Tang can reach up to 8 inches in length so its best to stick with larger tanks. While a 150 gallon or larger tank is recommended, they can housed in a 100 gallon aquarium.

They are sometimes bought by unwary hobbyists at sizes as small as 2 inches where they are placed in aquariums as small as 30 gallons. They will quickly outgrow such tanks, leaving the owner with the headache of finding a buyer for it, or finding a larger aquarium to house it. They are a brave fish that don't necessarily require many caves and dark spots for shelter but enough live rock should be provided as they require a place to sleep every night.

Yellow tangs are a schooling fish in the wild that graze on live rock for most of the day. They feed mainly on algae so such foods should be offered frequently. Ensure they get enough algae based foods in captivity as algae makes up the bulk of their diet in the wild. Unlike marine angelfish, they are completely reef safe and do not bother corals, one of the reasons why they're so popular in marine reef aquariums.

Seaweed/Nori sheets are a great food for tangs. You have a choice between branded stuff like Julian Sprungs sea veggies or supermarket brands which can be either cheap or expensive. Be sure to get unflavoured nori.

Despite being herbivores in the wild, they are receptive to a wide range of foods in captivity. So go ahead and feed them a good variety of items, not just greens.

They should be fed good alga and seafood mixes like Formula One and Formula Two by Ocean Nutrition as well as a good pellet. New Life Spectrum produces some excellent pellets for all marine fishes.

I see a lot of fish stores feeding yellow tangs lettuce on a clip. Here's a tip. Never feed your tangs lettuce. Romaine or iceberg, it doesn't matter, nutritionally its garbage.

• The Sohal Tang : A Guide On This Highly Aggressive Red Sea Native by Roman Veaila The Sohal Tang (Acanthurus Sohal) is one of the most beautiful tangs in the family. Black lines streak across its white/cream body while its caudal and pectoral fins are yellow. It is also known as the majestic tang, Arabian tang and the zebra tang. They are collected......
• Paracanthurus Hepatus : Care And Requirements Of The Popular Blue Tang by Roman Veaila 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......
• Aggressive Dog Behavior: What It Really Means Unknown to many dog owners, aggressive dog behavior doesn't happen out of the blue. There are many reasons why dogs behave badly. Because we don't understand dog language though, we may think that dog aggression is unreasonable. It is important to understand that the first step to solving problem......
• Tropical Fish Species review by Gavish Rotem So how can I choose my first tropical fish or should I need to change my fish tank population? There are many families of tropical fish, cichlids, Chaetodontidae, bottom feeders, Characins, Acanthuridae, labyrinth fish, livebearers and much more. Make sure that your desired animal fits to your......

• Review - 'Marine World' Magazine The opinion given of this magazine is of course my own. As the name suggests the publication is devoted to all things salty. I did wonder before I opened the covers as the name could relate to an absolutely huge range of possibilities. However, on closer inspection it is aimed......
• I Did It On Purpose This sounds a bit like a confession and in a way it is. I’ve done something that shouldn’t be done and did it knowingly. Fair confession! Now and again I try to find something out for myself by running an experiment. A scientist would advise that they aren’t experiments......
• Fishing Report: November 23, 2009 Overall, crab fishing has been better than most anglers expected, with some rough saltwater conditions near the end of the week slowing it down a little. Those looking for sturgeon are mostly holding out for some good rains to get them biting again. Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut In Berkeley/Emeryville,......
• How to Catch Yellow Fin Tuna If you eat tuna, then chances are you’ve already sampled this delicious variety of the popular fish. While blue fin tuna are also popular, yellow fin tuna are by far the most commonly caught variety and the one that is commonly used in commercial foods. While you may not have......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: marine aquarium fish, marine tang, Pets, saltwater fish, saltwater tang, tang, Yellow Tang, yellow tang care, yellow tang care guide, yellow tang fish, yellow tang guide, zebrasoma, Zebrasoma flavescens

The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) is one of the most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium industry along with the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (percula, Ocellaris) and the Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus). It is the most popular member of the tang family and it isn't hard to see why. The entire fish is colored a bright pastel like yellow.

This tang hails from Hawaii and its surrounding islands. Once acclimated the yellow tang is a hardy fish that is peaceful with other fishes (Outside of the tang family) which makes it a popular choice for community aquariums. Care should be taken when choosing specimens as most tangs and surgeonfish are ich magnets and also susceptible to lateral line erosion. A heavily collected species, the yellow tang fetches about $30-$40 for smaller individuals while larger ones are priced in the $60-$70 range.

A peaceful fish, the yellow tang does not normally bully larger or smaller tank mates. Making it an attractive candidate for all aquariums. It can be aggressive towards other members of the tang family but such cases are normally alleviated with providing ample space for all of them.

In they wild they are a schooling fish and such behavior can be witnessed in captivity. If more than one is desired they should be introduced into the tank at the same time.

Yellow tangs can grow to 8 inches in length so only house the in larger tanks. Nothing smaller than a 100 gallons should be used, 150 gallon or bigger is recommended.

This popular fish is all too often bought when they're 2 to 3 inches and kept in tanks as small as 30 gallons. They will quickly outgrow such tanks, leaving the owner with the headache of finding a buyer for it, or finding a larger aquarium to house it. They are a brave fish that don't necessarily require many caves and dark spots for shelter but enough live rock should be provided as they require a place to sleep every night.

Yellow tangs are a schooling fish in the wild that graze on live rock for most of the day. As such, a large percentage of their diet should be made up of algae. Ensure they get enough algae based foods in captivity as algae makes up the bulk of their diet in the wild. You will see them in both fish-only tanks as well as reef aquariums because the yellow tang is completely reef safe.

Nori sheets are a good food for these fishes. You have a choice between branded stuff like Julian Sprungs sea veggies or supermarket brands which can be either cheap or expensive. Always get plain, unflavoured nori.

While they are strictly vegetarians in the wild, they will normally consume anything that is offered in a saltwater aquarium. So they should be fed not just greens but a wide variety of items.

They should be fed good alga and seafood mixes like Formula One and Formula Two by Ocean Nutrition as well as a good pellet. A good pellet brand to choose would be those made by New Life Spectrum.

Many fish stores can be seen giving their tangs lettuce to nibble on. Never feed your tangs lettuce. Romaine or iceberg, it doesn't matter, nutritionally its garbage.

Roman Veaila is a hobbyist that has kept numerous reef aquariums. In his spare time he writes guides on marine fishes. Visit his hubpage for a more detailed guide on Yellow Tang as well as the always popular Blue Tang Fish.

• Tips in Selecting Tropical Fish Tanks by Darren Bradley Selecting a tropical fish tank is not just selecting the first one that comes along. You need to consider some factors to ensure that your tropical fish would have a good environment to live and thrive in. That said, listed here are some considerations in choosing among......
• The Blue Tang : A Guide On The Most Popular Surgeonfish by Roman Veaila 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......
• Saltwater Tanks Saltwater tanks are aquariums that mimic an ocean atmosphere to support salt water fish as opposed to fresh water fish. Saltwater tanks are seen to be more difficult to maintain compared to freshwater tanks because they do not have much tolerance for fluctuations that are known to occur inside......
• Your Aquarium And Algae by Mick Turret Anybody that has had an aquarium understands that algae cannot be avoided and it is simply a thing that fish owners, whether salt or freshwater, need to deal with on a regular basis. There's four major types of algae - green, brown, red-brush, and blue green. If......

• ‘Big’ To The Marine Aquarist Most marine aquarists keep mixed reef aquariums, some of them are very small ‘nano’ systems and others could be six footers, large in the hobby world. There are a few who own aquariums even larger. Other aquarists have fish only systems that could be the same in size range......
• How to Choose the Right Hook Believe it or not, the type of hook that you are using can have a big impact on your success rate with catching fish. While we all understand that big fish need bigger and stronger hooks, there are many different styles that can be used. Certain species of fish, such......
• Life Span Of Tropical Marine Fish We look after our fish very well, don’t we. Whether it is a fish only aquarium or reef aquarium, a lot of thought goes into choice, taking into account compatibility, size and character. All in all, the fish should be healthy and happy. The marine aquarium is a stable environment......
• How to Catch Yellow Fin Tuna If you eat tuna, then chances are you’ve already sampled this delicious variety of the popular fish. While blue fin tuna are also popular, yellow fin tuna are by far the most commonly caught variety and the one that is commonly used in commercial foods. While you may not have......

Written by Henry Logan using tags: marine aquarium fish, marine tang, Pets, saltwater fish, saltwater tang, tang, Yellow Tang, yellow tang care, yellow tang care guide, yellow tang fish, yellow tang guide, zebrasoma, Zebrasoma flavescens

The Purple Tang (Zebrasoma Xanthurum) is another surgeonfish that enjoys some popularity among those looking for uncommon surgeonfish. They are exact copies of the yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) except for two differences, they are purple and they are aggressive. Their bodies are a deep purple while their pectoral and tail fins are yellow. Their purple colors will darken with age.

Purple tangs are mainly collected from the Red Sea and rarely from Sri Lanka. They retail for a lot more than Yellow Tangs do. Large purple tangs can cost as much as $200 per specimen while you should expect to pay between $80 to $90 for juveniles.

These fishes are one of the more aggressive tangs, similar to the Sohal Tang that are also found in the same area. They are very aggressive towards other purple tangs and members of the genus Zebrasoma. Put them in to aquarium at the same if you wish for more than one purple tang.

They reach 8 inches in captivity despite growing up to 10 inches in the wild. They need large amounts of swimming space. A tank no smaller than a 100 gallon is appropriate.

Great news for those with corals, they are completely reef safe. They are algae eaters in the wild so ensure a large part of their diet in captivity has enough algae.

While they're herbivores in the wild, they will consume a wide variety of foods in captivity. Krill, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, pellets, they take them all.

Algae sheets like nori are a great algae to feed all herbivorous fish. Price will vary depending on the brand you choose. Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies may be a little too pricey for some. Its good stuff though. They come in flake form too, making feedings very convenient.

Most nori sheets are produced for human consumption, primarily as sushi wrappers. Prices vary here as well, some are cheap, some are expensive depending on quality.

You'll need to secure the nori to a clip. You could DIY a clip yourself and spend a couple of bucks on a commercial type. Some people fold the sheets before clipping while others just clip it as is. Use the suction cup to attach it to your aquarium and you're done, you can enjoy the show.

Formula Two is a good quality algae based mix for herbivores. It has an extra amount of algae in it along with a good mix of seafood, trace minerals, vitamins and more. It comes in 3 forms, frozen cube, flake or pellet.

The best flake for surgeonfish are those produced by two little fishes, Sea Veggie mixed flakes, Formula Two comes in second. It you're looking a great all rounder with balanced ingredients then you can't go wrong with New Life Spectrum pellets.

• Blue Tang : An In-Depth Guide On Paracanthurus Hepatus by Roman Veaila 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......
• Centropyge Argi : Care and Requirements On The Cherub Pygmy Angelfish by Roman Veaila The most endearing member of the genus Centropyge (Dwarf angelfish family). Centropyge argi is merely a dwarf version of regular dwarf angelfish. They are sold in sizes ranging from an inch to 3 inches. At 3 inches, this angelfish is a fully grown adult and will not......
• Zebrasoma Flavescens : The Popular Yellow Tang The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) is one of the most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium industry along with the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (percula, Ocellaris) and the Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus). It is the most popular member of the tang family and it isn't hard to......
• The Blue Tang : A Guide On The Most Popular Surgeonfish by Roman Veaila 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......

• Kona Kampachi -- Sustainably Farmed Yellow Tail from Kona Blue [pics] Have you ever hear of the Kona Kampachi?  Well I think you will be hearing a lot more about it soon... The Kona Kampachi is a sashimi grade Hawaiian species of yellowtail (amberjack family and related to hamachi) with no detectable mercury or PCBs... AND IT IS SUSTAINABLE FARMED by Kona Blue.......
• The Yellow Tang This fish is one recognized by all marine aquarists; it is very popular and commonly kept. If a splash of colour is required then this is one of the fish to consider, it attracts the eye like a magnet does metal. The fish is properly called Zebrasoma flavescens. It is......
• What Is The Best Algae Eater? That is a difficult question, and one which I cannot directly answer because most algae eaters have a type they are most fond of and many of these creatures may well ignore other types. What needs to be done is consider the algae that is causing a problem and hopefully......
• This Wonderful Hobby The marine reef aquarium gives the opportunity for aquarists to own and view something special. In the world of hobbies this must rate near the top if not at the top. Photography is an embracing hobby to its devotees, but produces copies of the real thing even if done artistically.......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: marine aquarium fish, marine tang, Pets, Purple Tang, purple tang care, purple tang care guide, purple tang guide, saltwater aquarium fish, saltwater fish, saltwater tang, surgeonfish, tang, Zebrasoma xanthurum

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.

• Powder Blue Tang : A Guide On Acanthurus Leucosternon by Roman Veaila One of the more popular surgeonfish, the Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus Leucosternon) is a common offering in the hobby. It has a dark blue face, a yellow dorsal fin and a light blue body. They are commonly seen from the Maldive's all the way through to Sri......
• Securing the Best Fish Tank Supplies by Darren Bradley Anyone can easily set up a fish aquarium for a hobby or for decorative purposes nowadays. Fish supplies like fluorescent lighting and aquarium gravel are easily available, with many fish tank suppliers setting up shops on the Internet. As much as starting your own fish aquarium at......
• Biorb Fish Tank - The Popular Choice Are you interested in the Biorb Fish Tank to become the new classy home for your fish? If so then you'll be pleased to know that not only is the Biorb tank cool and stylish, but it is also very simple to set up and maintain. Also, there is......
• The Purple Tang : A Guide On The Rare And Aggressive Zebrasoma Xanthurum by Roman Veaila The Purple Tang (Zebrasoma Xanthurum) is another surgeonfish that enjoys some popularity among those looking for uncommon surgeonfish. They are exact copies of the yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) except for two differences, they are purple and they are aggressive. Their bodies are a deep purple while their......

• I’ve Heard Of The Cleaner Shrimp But What Is The Cleaner Fish? I would imagine that all marine aquarists have heard of, and probably seen, the cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). This colourful shrimp is very popular, becoming used to the aquarist very quickly and even walking around on the hand if the opportunity presents itself - a large and strangely shaped fish......
• Fishing and Boating Lexicon Continued Carolina Rig Continued - In certain situations, such as the clear waters that are found in some reservoirs out in the west, or when the winter weather is making it a good idea to scale down in size, there is actually an alternative form of the rig that may work......
• An Aquaristic Nightmare I intend looking at two fish problems. These two problems are probably the most feared by marine aquarists. Those who keep a [tag-self]fish only aquarium[/tag-self] could sweat a little less, but the owner of a [tag-self]reef aquarium[/tag-self] can have real trouble. The first is the so-called marine [tag-self]white spot[/tag-self], or......
• Re-iterating The Importance Of Aquarium Water Movement Seawater that is not moving or sluggish could be close to ‘dead’. In that condition it is not going to carry out the important functions that are necessary. I remember once reading in a marine hobby book that the aquarist needn’t worry too much about fish and seawater movement, the......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: blue hippo tang, blue tang, blue tang fish, hippo tang, marine aquarium fish, marine tang, paracanthurus hepatus, Pets, regal tang, saltwater tang, surgeonfish

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 also enjoyed the limelight as a major character in the movie, Finding Nemo. It is also known as the Palette Surgeonfish, Royal Blue Tang, Hippo Tang and the Regal Tang. Along with the yellow tang, this fish is the most popular surgeonfish in the hobby. One of the most heavily collected fishes from the Indo-Pacific, they are very affordable. Juveniles retail for around $25 while adults can fetch up to $80 per specimen. The blue tang, like all surgeonfish is susceptible to lateral line erosion and marine parasites so pick your specimens with care.

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 are hostile towards blue tangs and to a lesser extent, other surgeonfish so do not add more than one blue tang per aquarium.

In they wild they are a shoaling fish. If more than one is present in a large tank, such behavior can be witnessed. 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. As such they should be housed only in larger tanks upwards of 100 gallons. Because this fish is heavily collected, there will be many small specimens no bigger than an inch. They grow very fast at that size and will easily outgrow a 30 gallon in a matter of months.

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.

Like most of its surgeonfish cousins, blue tangs are herbivores in the wild. They form large shoals and will graze on algae for most of the day. As herbivores, they require large amounts of algae based foods in captivity. Unlike marine angelfish, they are completely reef safe and do not bother corals, making them hugely popular fish for large marine reef aquariums.

Seaweed/Nori sheets are commonly offered. You can either buy seaweed produced and packaged specifically for marine fishes (Julian sprungs sea veggies) or you can go to your local supermarket and buy some nori sheets there. Always buy plain, unflavoured nori. Avoid those that are come spiced. Clip the sheet with a commercial nori clip or a device of your own doing and attach it to the side of the tank.

Blue tangs will normally consume anything offered in captivity despite the fact that they are mainly vegetarians in the wild. A small percentage of their diet should come from meaty foods.

Formula one and formula two food mixes are a good choice as well as krill, mysis shrimp and a high quality pellet. A highly reputable food for all marine fishes are those that are produced by New Life Spectrum.

Once in a while you'll see pet stores feeding lettuce to their tangs. You want to avoid lettuce as it doesn't offer much nutritionally (romaine or iceberg, doesn't matter).

• Zebrasoma Flavescens : The Popular Yellow Tang The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) is one of the most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium industry along with the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (percula, Ocellaris) and the Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus). It is the most popular member of the tang family and it isn't hard to......
• Achilles Tang : A Guide On This Highly Prized Surgeonfish by Roman Veaila This beauty known as the Achilles tang (Acanthurus Achilles) pops up in the trade from time to time. Dark chocolate colors its entire body while a single orange teardrop is present on its spine. White, orange and chocolate lines its tail. It goes by other names that......
• Powder Blue Tang : A Guide On Acanthurus Leucosternon by Roman Veaila One of the more popular surgeonfish, the Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus Leucosternon) is a common offering in the hobby. It has a dark blue face, a yellow dorsal fin and a light blue body. They are commonly seen from the Maldive's all the way through to Sri......
• Bird Cages: Facts You Must Appreciate If You Reside In An Affluence Home by Chidi Duru Whether you simply want to upgrade the birdcage that you currently have for your feathered friend, or whether you intend acquiring a new feathered friend, there are a few things one should take into consideration when buying a prestigious birdcage. Never be tempted to rush off to......

• The Regal Tang This fish in addition to the regal tang is also known as the blue surgeonfish, but is properly called Paracanthurus hepatus. The fish must be known to just about every marine aquarist. It is a beautiful blue with a yellow tail, with darker shading along the edge of the dorsal......
• How to Get Up Early and Go Fishing Comfortably [/caption]Some people love the early mornings - the way the dew on the grass looks and smalls, the early-morning sky tumbling by in its reflection on the serene fresh-lake water, and the great moments where the only sound around is the splashing of a freshly-caught fish. It sounds great, but......
• The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing by Scott Bannerot and Wendy Bannerot Scott and Wendy Bannerot are two of the most well respected personalities in the world of Cruiser fishing and this book was certainly well received and a needed resource for those looking to get into cruiser fishing. It really is a whole other world and you'll need to go in......
• Florida Fish - But They Don’t Live There Wild coral reefs are wonderful places to view, either by snorkel or scuba dive. Reef formations with various corals, and lots of varied fish. But there’s a problem - or a potential problem anyway. Some of the fish don’t belong on some reefs. All reef fish come from warm seawater......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: blue hippo tang, blue tang, blue tang fish, hippo tang, marine aquarium fish, marine tang, paracanthurus hepatus, Pets, regal tang, saltwater tang, surgeonfish

One of the more popular surgeonfish, the Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus Leucosternon) is a common offering in the hobby. It has a dark blue face, a yellow dorsal fin and a light blue body. They are commonly seen from the Maldive's all the way through to Sri Lanka.

Pricier than the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus)or even the yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens), juveniles retail for about $50 to $60 while larger specimens go for $100 to $120.

While fishes from outside the surgeonfish family are usually safe, members within the same genus are not. In the wild, Powder Blue Tangs are either found alone or with a shoal. If you're aiming for more than one powder blue tang, its important to introduce them all together at the same time, thereby limiting aggression.

A moderately big surgeonfish, they usually grow up to 8 inches in captivity. Nothing smaller than a 100 gallons should be used to house the powder blue tang.

They are reef safe, making them great choices for large reef aquariums.

Despite the fact that they're primarily herbivores in the wild, they are open to just about anything offered once acclimated. Krill, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, pellets, they take them all.

A good form of algae to feed tangs would be nori sheets. Price will vary depending on the brand you choose. Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies may be a little too pricey for some. Good quality stuff though. They're also available as flakes, which is very convenient since there's very little work involved during feeding.

Thankfully there are many other brands that produce nori primarily for human consumption. High quality sheets can cost quite a bit while the regular stuff is very affordable.

A clip is normally used to secure the nori for feeding. Commercial clips are cheap, but you could probably DIY one yourself with some household items. The sheets are fed as is or they're folded and cut beforehand. Secure the nori to your algae clip and attach it to the side of the aquarium.

Ocean Nutrition produces another good quality food, Formula Two. It has an extra amount of algae in it along with a good mix of seafood, trace minerals, vitamins and more. It is available as a flake food, pellet or frozen cube.

The best flake food for the yellow tang would be Sea Veggie mixed flakes followed by formula two flakes. A great all-rounder with a good balance of ingredients, New Life Spectrum comes highly recommended as well.

• The Yellow Tang : Care And Requirements Of Zebrasoma Flavescens by Roman Veaila The yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) along with the blue tang (paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (ocellaris and percula), Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus) and the royal gramma (Gramma Loreto), makeup the 5 most recognizable fishes in the hobby. It is also the most popular tang in the surgeonfish family......
• Yellow Tang - The Most Popular Surgeonfish The surgeonfish are a admired set of saltwater aquarium fishes in the marine aquarium industry. Overall, tangs are pretty large as far as ornamental fishes are concerned. However our tang of interest, the Yellow Tang, is one of the smaller varieties of surgeonfish. Their scientific tag is Zebrasoma Flavescens.......
• Blue Tang : An In-Depth Guide On Paracanthurus Hepatus by Roman Veaila 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......
• Achilles Tang : A Guide On This Highly Prized Surgeonfish by Roman Veaila This beauty known as the Achilles tang (Acanthurus Achilles) pops up in the trade from time to time. Dark chocolate colors its entire body while a single orange teardrop is present on its spine. White, orange and chocolate lines its tail. It goes by other names that......

• I Know About Seawater Quality, But... Marine aquarists aim to maintain seawater which is of the highest quality. The reward for doing so is a vibrant aquarium, be it a fish only, corals only or mixed reef, and without the intrusion of nuisance algae. ‘Quality’ means the seawater is stable, the pH in the region......
• Potential Problems With A Fish Only Aquarium The fish only system is probably not as popular as a captive reef but there are plenty of aquarists who maintain one. There are advantages to it as well. The fish only aquarium can house fish that would not be welcome on a captive reef because they are predatory......
• Food For Thought Food is required by all life for energy and general health. Lots of food of the wrong type may provide some energy but the contents will not supply the general needs of the life form. So it is important to feed the life in the marine aquarium the correct type......
• Customizing a Budget It is a good idea for you to put together your own unique budget work sheet when it comes to getting started in setting up a budget for your household. Make sure that the categories and the information that you use to plug in your budget information pertains to your......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: Acanthurus, acanthurus leucosternon, marine aquarium, marine aquarium fish, marine tang, Pets, powder blue tang, powder blue tang care, powder blue tang care guide, powder blue tang guide, saltwater aquarium fish, saltwater fish, saltwater tang, surgeonfish, tang

The Sohal Tang (Acanthurus Sohal) is one of the most beautiful tangs in the family. Black lines streak across its white/cream body while its caudal and pectoral fins are yellow.

It is also known as the majestic tang, Arabian tang and the zebra tang.

They are collected from the Red Sea and near Sri Lanka. Among hobbyists the sohal tang is highly prized, it is a pricey fish. Smaller sohals go for between $110 to $150 while adults fetch more than $200. Very large show quality sohal tangs can fetch up to $350.

Like their cousins they are susceptible to lateral line erosion and marine ich so exercise care when buying one.

Sohal tangs are aggressive fish. Nothing really frightens this tang. Not even scuba divers are exempt from their aggressive behavior.

Assuming everyone knows their place, sohal tangs can get along with other species of fish. However, it is aggressive towards other tangs. Members of the genus acanthurus (Achilles Tang, Powder Blue Tang) are particularly susceptible to aggression. Lastly, putting two sohals into a small tank is sure to produce a dead or severely injured fish.

Sohal tangs are commonly seen living alone in the wild, unlike most of their cousins. Perhaps this has something to do with their heightened levels of aggression.

They are very hardy but like most tangs they are prone to parasite attacks (ich) and lateral line erosion.

Topping out at 18 inches, the sohal tang isn't just bad to the bone, its huge. Thankfully, it only reaches lengths of up to 10 to 11 inches in captivity. The minimum size tank for this beast is 100 gallons. They need a lot of space to swim so the bigger the better.

These fishes are completely reef safe. As they are grazers in the wild, a large part of their diet should be algae based foods.

While they're herbivores in the wild, they will consume a wide variety of foods in captivity. They'll take pellets, krill, and mysis shrimp, no problem.

We should ensure that a large part of their diet is algae based, since they eat so much of it in the wild.

Algae sheets like nori are a great algae to feed all herbivorous fish.Depending on the brand, prices vary greatly. Some people may find Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies to cost a little too much. They produce good algae sheets though. They're also available as flakes, which is very convenient since there's very little work involved during feeding.

Most nori sheets are produced for human consumption, primariy as sushi wrappers. High quality sheets can cost quite a bit while the regular stuff is very affordable.

You'll need to secure the nori to a clip. Commercial clips are cheap, but you could probably DIY one yourself with some household items. The sheets are fed as is or they're folded and cut beforehand. Once the nori is secured, stick the clip to the side of the tank, sit back, and enjoy the show.

Another good food to feed herbivores are Formula Two by Ocean Nutrition. It has an extra amount of algae in it along with a good mix of seafood, trace minerals, vitamins and more. It is available as a flake food, pellet or frozen cube.

The best flake for surgeonfish are those produced by two little fishes, Sea Veggie mixed flakes, Formula Two comes in second. A great all-rounder with a good balance of ingredients, New Life Spectrum comes highly recommended as well.

Never feed your tangs lettuce. You'll normally see this happening at pet stores that are trying to save a few bucks. Nutritionally, lettuce offers very little and should not have a place in this hobby.

• Why Fish Tank Heaters Are Important by Darren Bradley Setting up a fully functional aquarium does not merely require a fish tank and a stand. There are a few accessories you need to set up, and among the most important are fish tank heaters. Aquarium heaters help maintain the right temperature in the water, which is......
• How to Choose Betta Fish Tanks and Supplies by Darren Bradley Do you like brightly colored fish in your aquarium? Then, chances are that you would like to have betta fish because they have bright and beautiful colors and you can choose from a wide range, including green, blue, turquoise, yellow, orange, and red. However, you might have......
• A Tropical Fish Guide With Some Easy To Follow Tips So you're ready to discover the very exciting and rewarding world of owning tropical fish? You have made an excellent choice! Exotic pet ownership is fun and challenging. You have a lot of responsibilities at the beginning but once you've learned about how to care of your tropical fish,......
• Improving Your Aquarium With Fish Tank Accessories Although buying a good-sized fish tank is important for any aquarist, choosing the right types of fish tank accessories also merits enough attention. From choosing the right substrates to aquarium enhancements, it is important to make sure that the accessories you choose are suitable to the tank. Accessories for fish......

• This Weeks Recipe I have not tried this yet, but it looks SO YUMMY! I  Plan on making these cookies this week. Feel free to add a good 4 you recipe!   CHOCOLATE- SPIKED OATMEAL     COOKIES         Makes 16  INGREDIENTS: • Olive oil cooking spray   • 1 1/4 cups quick-cook old-fashioned oats   •......
• Controlling Fish Tank Diseases Disease in the aquarium is one of the main fears of aquarists. Once the presence of a disease is known the aquarist’s stress level shoots up and quite understandably so - at the worst there could be a full aquarium wipe-out. When the word disease is mentioned most straightaway think......
• Kona Kampachi -- Sustainably Farmed Yellow Tail from Kona Blue [pics] Have you ever hear of the Kona Kampachi?  Well I think you will be hearing a lot more about it soon... The Kona Kampachi is a sashimi grade Hawaiian species of yellowtail (amberjack family and related to hamachi) with no detectable mercury or PCBs... AND IT IS SUSTAINABLE FARMED by Kona Blue.......
• Jumping Back in to the "Pool" After a few month hiatus, I've gone and done it.  And, I've done it for a very good cause.  My son. I setup a 20 gallon freshwater tank in his room.  We've got some nice live plants, and today just added four fish (two red platty's and two black mollies).......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: Acanthurus, Acanthurus Sohal, marine aquarium fish, marine tang, Pets, saltwater fish, saltwater tang, Sohal Tang, sohal tang care, sohal tang care guide, sohal tang guide, surgeonfish, tang

This beauty known as the Achilles tang (Acanthurus Achilles) pops up in the trade from time to time. Dark chocolate colors its entire body while a single orange teardrop is present on its spine. White, orange and chocolate lines its tail. It goes by other names that include the red-tail surgeonfish and the achilles surgeonfish.

This highly prized tang is endemic to Hawaii. They get picked up very quickly as soon as they are for sale so finding one may prove difficult.

A very expensive fish, small specimens go for $100 or slightly more while adults can fetch up to $300 per fish. Very big show quality specimens can fetch even more, $400 and above.

Unfortunately, this fish doesn't do so well outside of its natural habitat. They seem to be more delicate than other tangs like the yellow tang (zebrasoma flavescens) or the Blue Tang (paracanthurus hepatus). And thats not the entire story, these tangs don't seem to feed prepared foods.

Like its brethren they are also prone to lateral line erosion, hole in the head disease and marine parasites.

Achilles tangs have been known to interbreed with goldrim tangs (acanthurus nigricans) in the wild. They're highly prized offspring rarely appear on the market and usually cost quite a bit.

An aggressive species, they can be very hostile to larger tank mates. Smaller species like gobies, damsels and dottybacks are usually left alone. They do not take too kindly to sharing tank space with other tangs and can be absolutely brutal towards other achilles tangs. As always, if you insist on keeping multiple tangs always introduce them at the same time and make sure your aquarium is large enough for them.

The Achilles tang reaches 9 inches in the wild, which translates into 7 inches in a aquarium. The minimum size tank for them should be a 100 gallons. Larger tanks are recommended as they require ample swimming room.

Getting these fishes to eat in captivity is challenging to say the least. Nevertheless, we should try our best.

Great news for those with corals, they are completely reef safe. In the wild they graze on algae throughout the day so their foods in captivity should reflect this.

Once acclimated, they accept a variety of foods other than algae. They will eat brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, krill and whatever else you offer.

We should ensure that a large part of their diet is algae based, since they eat so much of it in the wild.

Nori is a good form of algae to feed tangs.Depending on the brand, prices vary greatly. Some people may find Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies to cost a little too much. They produce good algae sheets though. They come in flake form too, making feedings very convenient.

Most nori sheets are produced for human consumption, primarily as sushi wrappers. Prices vary here as well, some are cheap, some are expensive depending on quality.

A clip is normally used to secure the nori for feeding. You can buy a commercial type of fashion one up yourself. The sheets are fed as is or they're folded and cut beforehand. Once the nori is secured, stick the clip to the side of the tank, sit back, and enjoy the show.

Ocean Nutrition produces another good quality food, Formula Two. Along with mixed sea food, vitamins and whatnot, there is an extra amount of algae added to the mix. It comes in 3 forms, frozen cube, flake or pellet.

The best flake food for the yellow tang would be Sea Veggie mixed flakes followed by formula two flakes. A great all-rounder with a good balance of ingredients, New Life Spectrum comes highly recommended as well.

Never feed your tangs lettuce. Pet stores that are trying to save a few bucks normally feed their tangs lettuce. Lettuce doesn't have a place in this hobby as nutritionally its rubbish.

• The Blue Tang : A Guide On The Most Popular Surgeonfish by Roman Veaila 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......
• Achilles Tang : An In-Depth Guide On The Rare And Expensive Acanthurus Achilles by Roman Veaila The Achilles tang is a beautiful fish that pops up from time to time. It is a dark chocolate throughout with a single orange teardrop on its spine. White, orange and chocolate lines its tail. It is commonly known as the Achilles surgeonfish and the red-tailed surgeonfish.......
• Centropyge Multicolor : Guide On The Expensive Deep Water Multicolor Angelfish by Gabriela Desouyez The Multicolor angelfish (Centropyge Multicolor) is a deep water angel that live at depths from 50 to 200+ feet in the wild. Probably named after the variety of colors present on its body. Its body is white while its chest has a patch mixed with yellow, orange......
• The Blue Tang : A Guide On The Most Popular Surgeonfish by Roman Veaila 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......

• Review of Dr Shapiro's Guide to Picture Perfect Weight Loss Tomorrow is a holiday, which is why you are reading a book review today. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. Enjoy the fireworks and BBQs! Dr. Shapiro's book The Guide to Picture Perfect Weight Loss combines several interesting factors into one plan to help readers lose weight. While you......
• Top 10 Weight Loss Myths Debunked There are always rumours that fly around a bit like old wives tales that never seem to go away these are commonly known as myths or urban myths. If I slash my calories will I lose weight quicker ? I'm afraid it doesn't quite work like that, a lot of......
• It's Probably a Coty Fragrance When I was in high school, there was a popular Coty fragrance that might have just been referred to as Coty at the time. It had a distinct baby powder scent and was discontinued long ago. It was pleasant enough, but it was wildly popular at my school and so......
• Installing a Pet Door Installing a unique door for your dog or your cat is a great way for you to make pet ownership a little simpler, because it will allow your pet to go out and come in at will rather than scratching at the door for your attention all throughout the day.......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: acanthurus achilles, achilles tang, achilles tang care, achilles tang care guide, achilles tang guide, marine aquarium fish, marine fish, marine tang, Pets, saltwater fish, saltwater tang, surgeonfish, tang

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. Beautifully colored with an iridescent blue throughout its body with thick black markings that begin from the eyes and stretch all the way to its yellow tail.

The movie Finding Nemo featured a blue tang as one of its main characters. 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. The blue tang is a very affordable fish due probably because they are commonly found and heavily collected from the wild. 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.

Towards other species of fish the blue tang is quite peaceful. Which is why (besides its beauty) it enjoys such popularity in the marine aquarium hobby. They are hostile towards blue tangs and to a lesser extent, other surgeonfish so do not add more than one blue tang per aquarium.

In they wild they are a shoaling fish. If more than one is present in a large tank, such behavior can be witnessed. When housing more than one blue tang, they should always be introduced 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. As such they should be housed only in larger tanks upwards of 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.

Like most of its surgeonfish cousins, blue tangs are herbivores in the wild. 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. Unlike marine angelfish, they are completely reef safe and do not bother corals, making them hugely popular fish for large marine reef aquariums.

Seaweed/Nori sheets are commonly offered. You can either buy seaweed produced and packaged specifically for marine fishes (Julian sprungs sea veggies) or you can go to your local supermarket and buy some nori sheets there. Always buy plain, unflavoured 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.

Blue tangs will normally consume anything offered in captivity despite the fact that they are mainly vegetarians in the wild. Meaty foods should make up a small percent of their daily diet.

Formula one and formula two food mixes are a good choice as well as krill, mysis shrimp and a high quality pellet. A highly reputable food for all marine fishes are those that are produced by New Life Spectrum.

Once in a while you'll see pet stores feeding lettuce to their tangs. Both romaine and iceberg lettuce don't offer much nutritionally so you want to avoid lettuce altogether.

• Powder Blue Tang : A Guide On Acanthurus Leucosternon by Roman Veaila One of the more popular surgeonfish, the Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus Leucosternon) is a common offering in the hobby. It has a dark blue face, a yellow dorsal fin and a light blue body. They are commonly seen from the Maldive's all the way through to Sri......
• Fish Diseases Prevention If you own an aquarium, keeping your fish happy and healthy is the most important thing. Fish can get many diseases and this can be costly and stressful. Preventing disease is the best cure. There are some things that you can do to stop and prevent diseases. The most......
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• Zebrasoma Flavescens : The Popular Yellow Tang The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) is one of the most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium industry along with the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (percula, Ocellaris) and the Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus). It is the most popular member of the tang family and it isn't hard to......

• The Nano Reef Tank - Is It Suitable For The Beginner When a beginner starts to research this hobby cost obviously becomes a factor and for very good reason. The larger the aquarium which is chosen the more equipment which is required, more water, more lighting, more salt etc. The list goes on and on. For this reason the potential saltwater......
• Aquarists And The Declining Reefs There is little argument nowadays over whether or not there is any decline in the health of wild coral reefs. The discussion now seems to be more about the speed of decline. Some reefs remain relatively fine, but others are getting into a sorry state. Scientists tell us about......
• Kona Kampachi -- Sustainably Farmed Yellow Tail from Kona Blue [pics] Have you ever hear of the Kona Kampachi?  Well I think you will be hearing a lot more about it soon... The Kona Kampachi is a sashimi grade Hawaiian species of yellowtail (amberjack family and related to hamachi) with no detectable mercury or PCBs... AND IT IS SUSTAINABLE FARMED by Kona Blue.......
• Ever thought of becoming a vegetarian or maybe eve... Ever thought of becoming a vegetarian or maybe even vegan, why do I say this quite simply this I have been reading a article on Steve Pavlinas blog, about this very thing. In a nutshell it talks about two stages he went through in his life from eating meat and......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: blue hippo tang, blue tang, blue tang fish, e, h, hippo tang, home & family, l, m, marine aquarium fish, marine tang, P, paracanthurus hepatus, pet, Pets, pets_and_animals, regal tang, s, saltwater aquarium fish, saltwater tang, surgeonfish, u

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. The blue tang is also known as the Hippo Tang, Royal Blue Tang, Regal Tang and the Palette Surgeonfish. Along with the yellow tang, this fish is the most popular surgeonfish in the hobby. One of the most heavily collected fishes from the Indo-Pacific, they are very affordable. Prices range from $25 fr a small specimen to $80 for an adult. The blue tang, like all surgeonfish is susceptible to lateral line erosion and marine parasites so pick your specimens with care.

Towards other species of fish the blue tang is quite peaceful. 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.

This species forms large shoals in the wild. If more than one is present in a large tank, such behavior can be witnessed. When housing more than one blue tang, they should always be introduced at the same time. Aggression is normally seen when putting a new blue tang in with an established one.

Blue tangs reach a maximum length of 12 inches. As such they should be housed only in larger tanks upwards of 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..

Blue tangs need large amounts of room to swim so the aquarium scape should be setup up accordingly. 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 schools and actively graze on algae throughout the day. In captivity a vast percentage of their diet should be made up of algae based foods. Unlike marine angelfish, they are completely reef safe and do not bother corals, making them hugely popular fish for large marine reef aquariums.

Nori/seaweed sheets are a favorite offering among hobbyists. You can either buy seaweed produced and packaged specifically for marine fishes (Julian sprungs sea veggies) or you can go to your local supermarket and buy some nori sheets there. Always buy plain, unflavoured 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. A small percentage of their diet should come from meaty foods.

Formula one and formula two food mixes are a good choice as well as krill, mysis shrimp and a high quality pellet. New Life Spectrum produces some excellent pellets for all marine fishes.

You may see lettuce being fed to surgeonfish at pet stores. You want to avoid lettuce as it doesn't offer much nutritionally (romaine or iceberg, doesn't matter).

• Blue Tang : An In-Depth Guide On Paracanthurus Hepatus by Roman Veaila 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......
• How to Start Your Own Aquarium Setting up an aquarium is easy to do and a satisfying way of entering into the fascinating hobby of keeping fish. You can enjoy the ease of a freshwater fish community or venture into the more demanding realm of a salt-water aquarium. The color and movement of aquarium fish......
• The Purple Tang : A Guide On The Rare And Aggressive Zebrasoma Xanthurum by Roman Veaila The Purple Tang (Zebrasoma Xanthurum) is another surgeonfish that enjoys some popularity among those looking for uncommon surgeonfish. They are exact copies of the yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) except for two differences, they are purple and they are aggressive. Their bodies are a deep purple while their......
• The Coral Beauty : Care and Requirements of the popular Centropyge Bispinosus by Gabriela Desouyez Commonly available, the Coral Beauty Angel is a much cheaper dwarf angel than much of its cousins. They retail for $15 to $20 at most pet stores. It is very popular angel (not as popular as the Flame Angel though), the combination of flame like coloration on......

• Digital Cameras Online Online Digital Camera Sales, Deals & Ripoffs Online digital camera sales have more than double in today society. It is easier for people to compare and shop online that it is to browse local stores. The Internet [/caption] allows you to do side by side comparisons for different makes and......
• Finding and Killing Nemo along with my Debt Snowball About 4 months ago, I found a 75 gallon tank, wooden stand, glass tops and light for $150 on Craigslist. New, this equipment would cost close to $800.00. Using my Craigslist tips, I purchased it for $100, a steal. I had always wanted a salt water aquarium, and thus......
• The Marine Betta There are so many fish that are attractive and tempt the aquarist, from small to moderate to large in size. Some are aggressive, some sensitive but are they suitable for the aquarium? The answer of course is mainly ‘yes’, with the addition that they all need to have their preferred......
• Kona Kampachi -- Sustainably Farmed Yellow Tail from Kona Blue [pics] Have you ever hear of the Kona Kampachi?  Well I think you will be hearing a lot more about it soon... The Kona Kampachi is a sashimi grade Hawaiian species of yellowtail (amberjack family and related to hamachi) with no detectable mercury or PCBs... AND IT IS SUSTAINABLE FARMED by Kona Blue.......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: blue hippo tang, blue tang, blue tang fish, e, h, hippo tang, home & family, l, m, marine aquarium fish, marine tang, P, paracanthurus hepatus, pet, Pets, pets_and_animals, regal tang, s, saltwater aquarium fish, saltwater tang, surgeonfish, u

The Achilles tang is a beautiful fish that pops up from time to time. It is a dark chocolate throughout with a single orange teardrop on its spine. White, orange and chocolate lines its tail. It is commonly known as the Achilles surgeonfish and the red-tailed surgeonfish.

This highly prized tang is endemic to Hawaii. A quick seller, finding one in the market may prove frustrating.

A very pricey tang, small specimens go for $100 or slightly more while adults can fetch up to $300 per fish. Extra large show quality specimens can fetch even more, $400 and above.

Sadly, this tang doesn't do all that well in captivity. Unlike some other species like the blue tang (paracanthurus hepatus) or the yellow tang (zebrasoma flavescens), they seem to be a bit more delicate. But that's only part of the story, they're not too keen on prepared foods either.

Like its brethren they are also prone to lateral line erosion, hole in the head disease and marine parasites.

In the wild, achilles tangs are known to interbreed with the goldrim tang (acanthurus nigricans). They're highly prized offspring rarely appear on the market and usually cost quite a bit.

Considered an aggressive surgeonfish, they've been known to harass other large tank mates. Smaller species like gobies, damsels and dottybacks are usually left alone. They do not take too kindly to sharing tank space with other tangs and are relentlessly hostile towards other achilles tangs. As always, if you must keep multiple achilles tangs always keep put them in at the same time and make sure your tank's big enough.

The Achilles tang reaches 9 inches in the wild, which means a maximum length of 7 inches or so in captivity. The minimum size tank for them should be a 100 gallons. Larger tanks are recommended as they require ample swimming room.

Getting these fishes to eat in captivity is challenging to say the least. Nevertheless, we should try our best.

They do not eat corals, making them reef safe. They are algae eaters in the wild so ensure a large part of their diet in captivity has enough algae.

Despite the fact that they're primarily herbivores in the wild, they are open to just about anything offered once acclimated. Krill, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, pellets, they take them all.

We should ensure that a large part of their diet is algae based, since they eat so much of it in the wild.

A good form of algae to feed tangs would be nori sheets.Depending on the brand, prices vary greatly. Some people may find Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies to cost a little too much. Good quality stuff though. They come in flake form too, making feedings very convenient.

Thankfully there are many other brands that produce nori primarily for human consumption. Some are cheap while the really high quality sheets can be very expensive.

You'll need to secure the nori to a clip. You could DIY a clip yourself and spend a couple of bucks on a commercial type. The sheets are sometimes rolled up and cut beforehand, most however, feed it as is. Secure the nori to your algae clip and attach it to the side of the aquarium.

Ocean Nutrition produces another good quality food, Formula Two. Along with mixed sea food, vitamins and whatnot, there is an extra amount of algae added to the mix. Available in three forms, pellet, flake or frozen cube.

The best flake food for the yellow tang would be Sea Veggie mixed flakes followed by formula two flakes. A great all-rounder with a good balance of ingredients, New Life Spectrum comes highly recommended as well.

Do not feed your tangs lettuce of any kind (romaine or iceberg). You'll normally see this happening at pet stores that are trying to save a few bucks. Lettuce doesn't have a place in this hobby as nutritionally its rubbish.

• Blue Tang : An In-Depth Guide On Paracanthurus Hepatus by Roman Veaila 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......
• Yellow Tang - The Most Popular Surgeonfish The surgeonfish are a admired set of saltwater aquarium fishes in the marine aquarium industry. Overall, tangs are pretty large as far as ornamental fishes are concerned. However our tang of interest, the Yellow Tang, is one of the smaller varieties of surgeonfish. Their scientific tag is Zebrasoma Flavescens.......
• Centropyge Loriculus : A Guide On The Brilliantly Colored Flame Angel by Gabriela Desouyez The stunning Flame Angelfish is the most popular dwarf angelfish, more popular than even the Coral Beauty Angelfish. Like the queen angelfish (holacanthus ciliaris), the flame angel is one of those fishes that every wanted or had at one point in the hobby.Its common name is the......
• What Should I Feed My Fish? In their natural surroundings, it is common for fish to eat only when they are hungry. Whenever there is an abundance of food, fish eat much food however, when there is not much food they can go for several days without eating. This trend has made fish to become opportunistic......

• It's Probably a Coty Fragrance When I was in high school, there was a popular Coty fragrance that might have just been referred to as Coty at the time. It had a distinct baby powder scent and was discontinued long ago. It was pleasant enough, but it was wildly popular at my school and so......
• Nitrate And How To Reduce It All salt water aquarists will know about nitrate, or at least I hope so. Nitrate (NO3) is a product of the nitrogen cycle, and follows on from Ammonia/Ammonium (NH3/NH4) and [tag-ice]Nitrite[/tag-ice] (NO2). The full nitrogen cycle will lead to nitrogen gas which is removed by gas exchange at air/water interfaces.......
• Remember The Lighting What is the most important part of a marine system? Lighting? Well no, it isn’t, seawater quality is the number one with both fish only and reef aquariums. High seawater quality means there shouldn’t be any indication of ammonia or nitrite. Nitrate should be as low as possible (the......
• Lots of Tool Tips Another Nutty Trick Let us say that you need to remove a nut with the use of an open end wrench but the wrench is too large for the nut. When you can do is insert a coin or a washer in between the nut and the wrench. The coin......

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: acanthurus achilles, achilles tang, achilles tang care, achilles tang care guide, achilles tang guide, marine aquarium fish, marine fish, marine tang, pet, Pets, pets_and_animals, saltwater aquarium fish, saltwater fish, saltwater tang, surgeonfish, t, tang