Can anyone ID this unicorn tang?

[sjorcdanw]

Hey guys,

I bought this juvenile at my lfs as a naso lopezi but after doing a bit more research online, it looks as though he could be a different species. Was wondering if anyone could ID him? Right now he's about four inches and has no visible signs of any kind of head protrusion.

 

[moriarty]

Any chance you could post a few more pics? From the one posted, I would say that you have a Naso hexacanthus. I could probably help ID with a little more certainty but would need a couple more pics (clearer shot of the caudal fin and head specifically) as a few Naso spp. look very similar as juveniles.

 

[sjorcdanw]

Yeah that was what I was leaning towards as well, but I can't find much information about them let alone anyone who owns one.

 

[SoloChromis]

I believe they are commonly referred to as "blue tail" or simply blue unicorns (Naso brevirostris).

 

[moriarty]

I believe they are commonly referred to as "blue tail" or simply blue unicorns (Naso brevirostris).

Also a possibility, although the caudal fin is a bit more deeply forked than in N. brevirostris. These are a little more common (relatively speaking) in the trade than N. hexacanthus, and there is a pic on fishbase.org of a juvenile N. brevirostris that looks very similar to yours. Also can't completely rule out N. unicornis, as the tips of the caudal fin look to have some yellowish shading.

I brought home a juvenile Naso spp. from my LFS a couple months ago which was labled N. vlamingii. It was just over an inch a the time (has grown to around 3" since), but lacked the blue flecks. Since it's grown a bit, I'm starting to lean toward N. unicornis (would be the third in my system) but it's still tough to be sure, especially since my system is "top down", and it's a fairly active fish.

I'm very interested in seeing how yours progresses with time/growth, so please keep us posted!