Fish ID (tang)

[nikon187]

Naw that was from catching him from the previous tank and after relocating about 300 lbs of live rock from the 460 to the sump below. 460 is still cloudy lol. Ill have to get some better pics and start a new thread. He is fast becomming a fav of everyone, he loves to be pet. Scratches have all healed

 

[coral_lagoon]

Naw that was from catching him from the previous tank and after relocating about 300 lbs of live rock from the 460 to the sump below. 460 is still cloudy lol. Ill have to get some better pics and start a new thread. He is fast becomming a fav of everyone, he loves to be pet. Scratches have all healed

That is awesome. What size was he when you got him?

 

[dsiu25]

hmm not to be inappropriate, but it looks kind of similar to a a somewhat faded out Palani, or Acanthurus dussumieri... Had the chance to catch a few of those back on Christmas island...

I normally am all about reef keeping and trying to keep fish alive, but it was a local favorite, and ... good eats! Good luck with the fish!

 

[OSTguy]

[/QUOTE]

You cooked my undy! Man, that would've been a nice fish to keep...the undulated trigger on the rocks.

 

[nikon187]

That is awesome. What size was he when you got him?

about the size of a quarter lol.

 

[sandwi54]

about the size of a quarter lol.

How long did it take to grow to 19" for you?

 

[Carant]

acanthurus mata, gets huge ( 24 inches not joking )

This is definitely the ID of this fish.

The key the the yellow through the eyes and the pectoral fins.

The pattern in the dorsal and anal fin as well.

Cheers,
Bruce

 

[nikon187]

How long did it take to grow to 19" for you?

7 short years

 

[SushiGirl]

You really do need to start a thread for that fish, nikon. That thing is a monster. Make sure you talk about how big it was when received and how long it took to get the size it is now. Might be a nice eye-opener for some people LOL.

Next time I go to Dallas World Aquarium, I'm taking the camera from my boyfriend and taking pics of the huge damsels, PJ cardinals, and chromis they have there so people can see how big they really can get. I'll have to make sure to get tangs too. Maybe I should take a tape measure! My boyfriend would hate me if I made him hold a tape measure at a public aquarium while I took pics :lmao:. I'll just have him stand next to the tanks or hold a hand up. It'll probably end up being one finger.

 

[nikon187]

He does now lol

 

[SushiGirl]

I saw that!

 

[tcmfish]

Posted on the other thread, but could also be A. grammoptillus. Very hard to distinguish them.

 

[Fishfirst]

hmm not to be inappropriate, but it looks kind of similar to a a somewhat faded out Palani, or Acanthurus dussumieri... Had the chance to catch a few of those back on Christmas island...

I normally am all about reef keeping and trying to keep fish alive, but it was a local favorite, and ... good eats! Good luck with the fish!

this fish and the fish in question is definately A. xanthopterus. Yellow pectorals the barring on the anal and dorsal fins, it all adds up to xanthopterus and NOT mata which has a completely different body shape as well. These can be seen side by side in several books including the Rudie Kuiter and Debelius World Atlas...

A. mata does NOT have yellow pectorals and does NOT have distinguished barring on the dorsal fin such as this one does.

 

[JohnniG]

my guess would be BIG tang

bingo

 

[joeyt66]

ok well im still not sure the id . Some of the offered id seem close but some do not. I think it's a bad pic as well. So today i couldnt stand see this fella in my sump and decided to add to my tank where i can get a better pic to help postively id this guy . (jewel as my daughter calls it.) It will also be better of for the fish. If i can't find a big enough home for him?her I will donate to one of our close by Big Al's as they have a big display tanks. And i would still get to visit once and a while. (closest ones are close to 2 hours either direction. But oh well!!!!!
Heres a couple of pics today after 30 mins in dispaly tank.

 

[spieszak]

You really do need to start a thread for that fish, nikon. That thing is a monster. Make sure you talk about how big it was when received and how long it took to get the size it is now. Might be a nice eye-opener for some people LOL.

It would be awesome if someone (mod) could tag the picture and story on to the tang tank size recommendations sticky.

 

[Barracuda]

ok well im still not sure the id . Some of the offered id seem close but some do not. I think it's a bad pic as well. So today i couldnt stand see this fella in my sump and decided to add to my tank where i can get a better pic to help postively id this guy . (jewel as my daughter calls it.) It will also be better of for the fish. If i can't find a big enough home for him?her I will donate to one of our close by Big Al's as they have a big display tanks. And i would still get to visit once and a while. (closest ones are close to 2 hours either direction. But oh well!!!!!
Heres a couple of pics today after 30 mins in dispaly tank.

Looks good in the main tank.

This is one of the typical coloration phases of Acanthurus xanthopterus.

 

[nikon187]

+1 Acanthurus xanthopterus

The same as the pic of the big guy

 

[tcmfish]

I'm not saying you guys are wrong, but I don't think you can positively ID them as A. xanthopterus. A. grammoptilus is very similar, and while I don't know the distinguishing characteristics, I believe some of it is collection local, with A. xanthopterus coming from Hawaii and more northern Pacific, and A. grammoptilus coming from Australia and more southern Pacific. If someone could point out the differences I'd gladly listen, but I don't think you can dismiss A. grammoptilus from the discussion, especially at the size of these fish even the big one. I have seen specimens twice as big as the big one, and it is still hard to tell IMO.

 

[orangegoby]

how big is it now?