Nov 2011 - Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)

[jt_milstead]

This months fish of the month is the Powder Blue Tang(PBT).

This is one of the two fish that brought me into this hobby.

Appearance
The Powder Blue Tang, also known as the Powder Blue Surgeonfish, has an oval body shape with extremely colorful, bold markings. It is prized for its vivid colors and bold markings, with several varying shades of blue accented by yellow and white. Bright yellow highlights the dorsal and pectoral fins, and striking blue-black markings outline the face and tail.

Diet
Although Tangs will eat meaty foods along with the other fish in the aquarium, it is important that they are offered plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. This will strengthen their immune system, reduce aggression and improve their overall health.

General Information
It is a commonly-sold fish that is moderately difficult to care for, although its popularity is easily exceeded by the Blue tang and Yellow Tang. They are very prone to Cryptocaryon irritants (marine ich) infections so be careful when purchasing. Most aquarium fish providers run low levels of copper in their systems to keep parasites at bay, but not enough to kill the parasites, when they are brought home they should be kept in an isolation tank for at least 6 weeks before introducing them to the display tank.

A somewhat shy fish, the Powder Blue Tang should be provided with ample room to move around and lots of places to hide. Does best in a well established aquarium with an ample growth of algae present to graze on at its leisure. Considered reef safe, but an individual may pick at large polyped stony corals if not well fed. It is recommended that a 125 gallon or larger aquarium is necessary to provide plenty of swimming room. It is extremely aggressive towards other Tangs or Surgeonfish, especially those similar in form and color, and should be the only one in the tank except in very large systems: introduce all at once if more than one is to be maintained in the same aquarium.




A PBT with Marine Ich