The chevron tang, Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis, has long been a popular aquarium tang, and for good reason. Juveniles are brilliantly colored and, like many tangs, does an admiral job of eating nuisance algae. Nearly all chevron tangs make their way to…
Surgeonfish
My Marine Fish Are Plotting Against Me!
A little-known fact about marine fish kept in aquariums is that they’re passive-aggressive and churlish and enjoy mocking their owners. Okay, I know we’re not supposed to anthropomorphize our livestock, but based on a recent disastrous attempt at an aquarium…
Chronic Stress in Captive Tangs
Tangs and surgeonfish are a diverse, beautiful, and often highly personable group of fish. It is no wonder that so many of us want to keep these fish in our systems. Inexperienced keepers do the right thing by going to…
Socotra is a convergence of hybrid reef fish
Socotra is a far flung island of the Western Indian Ocean which is incredibly hard to reach, and even harder to study underwater. A couple years back however, a team of researchers including California Academy of Sciences ichthyology curator and…
Aberrant regal tang is turning heads at Abyss Aquatic Warehouse, UK
The regal blue tang is one of the perennial favorite fishes of the aquarium hobby, with many admirers loving the bold blue, black and yellow coloration which is so unlike any other reef fish. The appearance of the blue tang…
The speciation, biogeography and hybridization of Zebrasoma
The family Acanthuridae boasts of charismatic, charming and iconic reef fishes that are immediately recognizable both in the field and in the trade. All eighty or so species spanning the six various genera have a single unifying trait, and that is…
Second ever hybrid gem tang collected in Mauritius
The gem tang is arguably the most coveted of all surgeonfish species, making the first ever documented gem tang hybrid quite a sensation. Another hybrid gem tang has been collected and we have even better pictures of this stunning specimen…
Massive migrating school of surgeonfish discovered in the Philippines
Two weeks ago, we were in the Philippines scouting for new and exciting corals to grow at the RVS 4-star Mariculture facility. While diving certain areas which have perhaps never been seen by humans using SCUBA equipment, we stumbled upon…
Awesome Fish Spotlight: Zebrasoma xanthurum, the Purple Tang
It’s been some time since we last featured an Awesome Fish Spotlight, and what better way to continue than with an evergreen aquarium favourite from a well loved genus. Zebrasoma is without a doubt the blue eyed boy of the…
Speciation and hybridisation of the Acanthurus nigricans complex
The family Acanthuridae with its six charismatic genera are some of the most beloved and recognisable fish both in the field and in the trade, serving as iconic reef denizens which play important roles in herbivory. The six genera holds…