Paracanthurus Hepatus : Care And Requirements Of The Popular Blue Tang
Posted by | Posted on 1:42 AM
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). To date, it is the only member of 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. Its common names include the Hippo Tang, Regal Tang, Palette Surgeonfish and the Royal Blue Tang. Along with the yellow tang, this fish is the most popular surgeonfish 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. 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.
There a schooling fish in the wild. 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. Putting another blue tang into a tank with an established one will certainly bring about hostilities between the two.
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. 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 require a few niches/caves to bed down in every night.
Like most of its surgeonfish cousins, blue tangs are herbivores in the wild. They form large schools and actively graze on algae throughout the day. As herbivores, they require large amounts of algae based foods in captivity. 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. Always buy plain, unflavoured nori. They sometimes come with spices so you want to avoid those. Attach your seaweed to a nori clip 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.
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.
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).
The blue tang also enjoyed the limelight as a major character in the movie, Finding Nemo. Its common names include the Hippo Tang, Regal Tang, Palette Surgeonfish and the Royal Blue Tang. Along with the yellow tang, this fish is the most popular surgeonfish 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. 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.
There a schooling fish in the wild. 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. Putting another blue tang into a tank with an established one will certainly bring about hostilities between the two.
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. 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 require a few niches/caves to bed down in every night.
Like most of its surgeonfish cousins, blue tangs are herbivores in the wild. They form large schools and actively graze on algae throughout the day. As herbivores, they require large amounts of algae based foods in captivity. 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. Always buy plain, unflavoured nori. They sometimes come with spices so you want to avoid those. Attach your seaweed to a nori clip 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.
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.
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).
About the Author:
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 the Regal Tang as well as the always popular Zebrasoma Flavescens.
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