Tang ID Help?

[FireYo]

Picked this guy up at a LFS a while ago. The fish was only listed as "striped tang". They didn't really know what to label him, and I have to say after a couple weeks of research, I have no idea either. I have looked through every Acanthurus and Ctenochaetus description I could find, and still notang.

When first obtained and under stress, the colors were muted and are just now really starting to show. I know it is still a juvenile and colors are not fully developed and will probably change over time. What is apparent now, about 3 inches long, yellow pectoral fins, yellow around eye with slight band going anterior, yellow rimmed posterior dorsal and anal fins with blue at the bases of dorsal and anal fins, white "spine" with black around it, and a white tail that when under stress, the posterior end can look darker. I would not consider the tail to be lunate.

Any thoughts welcome, but I'm afraid this may be a sit around and wait type of adventure.

 

[kingdieselfish]

Yellow eye like tang

 

[pktech]

Could be a thompsons ...

 

[Barracuda]

Acanthurus Xanthopterus - Yellowfin surgeonfish

 

[FireYo]

Acanthurus Xanthopterus - Yellowfin surgeonfish

One of my thoughts as well. The white caudal fin is really throwing me off though.

 

[pktech]

One of my thoughts as well. The white caudal fin is really throwing me off though.

I think it's a thompsons - I've seen this fish in person & it has a whitetail. Changes colors when excited or stressed, Liveaquaria's description:

"Be the first to showcase this unique import in your home aquarium! Named for Bishop Museum artist and technician John W. Thomson, Thompson's Surgeonfish (Fowler 1923), is a plankton-eating tang with a uniformly dark brownish-purple body and pale yellow accents highlighting its fins and tail.

When planning your aquarium, keep in mind that in the wild, Thompson's Surgeonfish are found schooling in steep outer reef slopes and drop-offs over coral and sand. They prefer feeding on large gelatinous zooplankton, fish eggs, and crustaceans. Provide plenty of water movement and aeration to best replicate their natural habitat. "

Just my opinion, but regardless - congrats looks like a winner!

 

[FireYo]

I think it's a thompsons - I've seen this fish in person & it has a whitetail. Changes colors when excited or stressed, Liveaquaria's description:



"Be the first to showcase this unique import in your home aquarium! Named for Bishop Museum artist and technician John W. Thomson, Thompson's Surgeonfish (Fowler 1923), is a plankton-eating tang with a uniformly dark brownish-purple body and pale yellow accents highlighting its fins and tail.



When planning your aquarium, keep in mind that in the wild, Thompson's Surgeonfish are found schooling in steep outer reef slopes and drop-offs over coral and sand. They prefer feeding on large gelatinous zooplankton, fish eggs, and crustaceans. Provide plenty of water movement and aeration to best replicate their natural habitat. "



Just my opinion, but regardless - congrats looks like a winner!

Thanks for the reply, hadn't seen that description of a Thompson's before.

 

[Barracuda]

One of my thoughts as well. The white caudal fin is really throwing me off though.

Xanthopterus's have quite the chameleon effect when juveniles. The white caudal fin colors can change from white to brown to brown/blueish sheen.

The yellow pectoral's, blueish/ white caudal scalpel, eye coloration, & mouth structure, etc. show it is a Yellowfin Tang.

Nice specimen - they grow quite large

 

[FireYo]

Xanthopterus's have quite the chameleon effect when juveniles. The white caudal fin colors can change from white to brown to brown/blueish sheen.

The yellow pectoral's, blueish/ white caudal scalpel, eye coloration, & mouth structure, etc. show it is a Yellowfin Tang.

Nice specimen - they grow quite large

Barracuda, Thanks for the further reply, very informative. It will be fun to watch grow and change as time goes on.

 

[jaa1456]

Definitely not a Thompsons. I had a unidentified tang that looked like that until it was roughly 5"s. Many people thought it was a hybrid, it ended up being a Bariene tang that didn't really follow the Juvi descriptions. I ended up selling it to a guy with a 750 gallon tank.

 

[FireYo]

Definitely not a Thompsons. I had a unidentified tang that looked like that until it was roughly 5"s. Many people thought it was a hybrid, it ended up being a Bariene tang that didn't really follow the Juvi descriptions. I ended up selling it to a guy with a 750 gallon tank.

Interesting. Bariene has been on the short list as well. If this is one of the larger Tang species it may have to move on in the future as well. I don't think a mega tank is in my financial future.