What kind of yellow tang is this?

edsimmons

Premium Member
Zebrasoma-flavescens-white-31.jpg


All I have to say is WOW!
 
A garden variety Yellow tang, its expelled its zooanthellae and has bleached due to stress, (probably from collection and transit),......get it under some metal halides and feed more. The color should come back in a couple of weeks.
 
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Cool picture. :)

It's hard to know what's up with these fish. Some online stores sell them as hybrids of Z. flavescens and Z. scopas. Z. scopas does interbreed with Z. flavescens and Z. rostratum over parts of its range. However, if this picture was indeed taken in Hawaii, Z. scopas doesn't occur there. There is a theory that the discoloration is due to a fungal infection. Below are pictures of a xanthic Z. scopas in Greg Schiemer's 40 gallon tank when he purchased it, and then a few months later. It eventually turned brown like a run of the mill scopas tang. There are also some specimens of Z. flavescens that have been brown in the wild and turned yellow in captivity.

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My first assumption was some albino genetics may have been at play or cross breeding morphology. Most likely the latter. Anyone ever see an albino fish? Im sure their out there, I'd think anyway.


-Justin
 
Ed that fish is flippen awesome though, pale white face with "Bam!" yellow eyes, what a trip, nice post.

-Justin
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10110377#post10110377 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Justin74
My first assumption was some albino genetics may have been at play or cross breeding morphology. Most likely the latter. Anyone ever see an albino fish? Im sure their out there, I'd think anyway.


-Justin

Fresh water catfish Corydoras true albino varieties readily available. Some Cichlids too.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10110377#post10110377 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Justin74
My first assumption was some albino genetics may have been at play or cross breeding morphology. Most likely the latter. Anyone ever see an albino fish? Im sure their out there, I'd think anyway.


-Justin

No, but there are white variants for sure. If you look in Scott Michael's Angelfishes and Butterflyfishes book there are pictures of Bicolor and Regal angels where the blue is replaced by white. There are also Queen angel populations at St Paul's Rocks that have koi-like coloration, many times with a lot of white.
 
They're just a rare variant that occurs naturally. You'll see them off Kona from time to time. I think I can dig up a picture.
 
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