Help with I.D. of Bristletooth

[skizzard22]

Hey guys, I have been a reader for several years. First real post though. I bought a Bristletooth tang several months back and we have had trouble identifying it. One of the guys at my local fish store thinks he knows what it is and says it may be rare. I was just wondering what you all thought?!?

Thanks!

 

[hogfanreefer]

C. flavicauda?

 

[skizzard22]

C. flavicauda?

Thanks hogfanreefer! That makes sense, and that is what they believed it to be as well. I just looked them up and the info said they change their color to a shade of red as they mature. Do you or anyone else have experience with this? If that happens it would be sweet to experience!

 

[hogfanreefer]

I don't know if I would call it red, more of a deep maroon or magenta.

Not sure thats what yours is. They start out yellow as a juvi and slowly change to the color of the mature one above. Yours looks almost blue but it could be the lighting.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Could also very well be a juvenile Acanthurus Nigrofuscus. They look like bristletooth in the beginning. Flavicauda has more red body and yellow around eyes. Another guess would be striatus but unlikely. If I were to bet it would be juvenile Acanthurus Nigrofuscus aka Lavender tang

 

[AuburnTiger1]

My guess would be Acanthurus Nigrofuscus as mentioned above.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Here are a couple pics of A. Nigrofuscus I found on the web that closely resemble your tang http://fins.actwin.com/fish/species/index.php?t=9&i=629

 

[CoralsAddiction]

P.S. it's far from rare ($25-$40) but one of the easiest, if not the easiest, acanthurus tangs to keep.

 

[skizzard22]

Yeah I believe you guys are right now that I have seen those Pictures. It looks more like the AKA "Brown Tang." I have some decent actinic lighting so that would give it the blue hue, it is a gray color in natural light.

Thanks again everyone!!