All fish / Acanthuridae

Bluelined Surgeonfish

Acanthurus nigroris

Also known as blue lined surgeonfish, blackspot surgeonfish, maiko, bluelined tang, black-spot surgeonfish, ナガニザ, 黑斑刺尾鱼

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A brown to olive surgeonfish covered in fine wavy blue lines, with a small black spot at the rear base of the dorsal and anal fins and a crescent shaped tail. It is kept by reef aquarists as an active grazer that helps keep nuisance algae down.

Care at a glance

Care level: Moderate
Temperament: Semi
Adult size: 20 cm
Temperature: 24 to 27 °C
pH: 8.1 to 8.4
Smallest tank: 700 litres
Keep as: Single specimen, or a group only in a very large system
Diet: Herbivore: filamentous algae, nori, marine algae pellets, spirulina flakes and some mysis
Swims: Middle of the tank
Lifespan: 10 to 20 years
Water: Marine (saltwater)
Wild range: Hawaiian Islands and central Pacific (Line Islands, Johnston Atoll)

Breeding

It spawns in groups in open water, releasing floating eggs that hatch into long lived pelagic larvae. It has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

Needs plenty of swimming room and will quarrel with other surgeonfish of similar shape; the scalpel spine by the tail can cut hands. Often confused with the closely related Acanthurus nigrofuscus and A. nigricauda.