All fish / Acanthuridae

Atlantic Blue Tang

Acanthurus coeruleus

Also known as blue tang, caribbean blue tang, atlantic blue surgeonfish, blue surgeonfish, yellow tang juvenile, blue doctor, ブルータング, 大西洋蓝刺尾鱼, 蓝倒吊

Juveniles are bright yellow, then turn blue as they grow, and adults are a deep powder or violet blue with fine darker lines. People keep it as an active, striking grazer that helps keep algae down in large reef and fish-only systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

25 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

700 litres

Keep as

Single specimen, or a group introduced together in a very large tank

Diet

Herbivore: nori and other marine algae, spirulina-based foods, plus some mysis and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: Bermuda and Florida through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to Brazil; Ascension Island

Breeding

It spawns in groups in open water, releasing tiny floating eggs with a long planktonic larval stage. It has not been bred in home aquariums in any reliable way, so trade fish are wild caught.

Good to know

It needs a long open swimming space and can be aggressive towards other tangs, and the sharp spine at the tail base can cut hands. Prone to marine whitespot, so quarantine new fish; yellow juveniles are sometimes confused with the yellow tang.