zemuron114
In Memoriam
All black tangs will have the white stripe on the dorsal line as they get bigger. the small ones don't!
nice fish. i saw it before it went out.. HUGE!!
nice fish. i saw it before it went out.. HUGE!!
Got my Black Tang
- Thread starter myerst2
- Start date
copps
Premium Member
I remember ~15 years ago getting a giant black tang in at the LFS I worked at in high school (note: black tangs this size are scientifically referred to as "dinner plates"). All I could think was "what a honker!"
I've had my larger one for years... got him at that hard to find medium size of the average yellow tang... he's grown slowly over the years...
And my little newer guy I got in '06... not so little anymore but fortunately Zebrasoma grow relatively slow...
Copps
I've had my larger one for years... got him at that hard to find medium size of the average yellow tang... he's grown slowly over the years...
And my little newer guy I got in '06... not so little anymore but fortunately Zebrasoma grow relatively slow...
Copps
flameangel88
New member
myerst2: beautiful tang you got there.
I think our Emp are around the same stage:
I think our Emp are around the same stage:
chevy69002000
In Memoriam
looks awesome
I have the same fish, same size. The white stripe is common and not a sign of stress. It's an indication that you have a mature specimen, juveniles can not do this. Why they do it is another question I can't answer but I do know that mine sports the white stripe periodically.
Laddy
New member
Where do black tangs thrive in the wild? Do they share the same space as yellow tangs? Same diet?
Copps said it the best on his TOTM thread, when he said something about having $5k in corals in the tank, and people will sit and stare at the yellow tang wizzing by.........as for the blackies, they're stunning!
Copps said it the best on his TOTM thread, when he said something about having $5k in corals in the tank, and people will sit and stare at the yellow tang wizzing by.........as for the blackies, they're stunning!
myerst2
Active member
They are mostly collected around Christmas Island. They don't share the same area as yellows for the most part. To each there own on what fish you like. If you have been keeping marine fish for 10+ years you don't care about a yellow. They are beautiful but a black in person is amazing and can't be appreciated by pics. Tim
copps
Premium Member
The natural range of yellows and blacks do not overlap. The "Christmas Island" that black tangs come from is in the Pacific, also known as Kiritimati , in the Line Islands. The Indian Ocean Christmas Island is an ocean away and along with the nearby Cocos-Keeling Islands sees mostly one export for the aquarium trade... Joculator angels (Centropyge joculator). A few other unique things trickle out of there... like this guy .
Unfortunately Christmas Island itself is just about fished out of black tangs, which is why we usually only see the dinner plates and first year drops (tiny guys)... other parts of its range where there is no collection are unaffected...
When did you see this guy? That guy in Hanauma is most likely an aquarium release and is well known on Oahu... he was even documented by well known Hawaiian fish author John Hoover here... Very cool that you got to see him...
Copps
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Red Sea Purple Tang
Active member
Very cool! Nice to see the larger Black Tangs!
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