Tang ID

aeo29067 · Jun 8, 2021

Hello, so I should probably stop going to this questionable fish store because they obviously don't know much about saltwater fish ID but they have really good deals on fish so I keep going over. They sold me a fish yesterday that they told me was a yellow corris wrasse and its pretty obviously a baby tang but I wasn't gonna argue when they dismissed my opinion. When I first bought it, I assumed it was a baby yellow tang but now that it's home and I've gotten a good look at it, could this possibly be an atlantic blue juvenile? If so, has anybody cared for one before, I've only had yellows in the past. It's smaller than my male clownfish right now, so I have it in an acclimation box away for a few days to hopefully minimize any potential aggression. How fast do they grow? I was gonna grow this tang out in my 30 gal and upgrade when I needed to but Atlantics are suppose to get much bigger than yellows. Minimum adult tank size?

nereefpat · Jun 8, 2021

For sure, not a yellow.

It could be a juvenile atlantic blue...it's hard for me to tell with that angle. Is the eye blue?

Most of the Ctenochaetus tangs are also blue as juvies. Chevron and tomini are not.

aeo29067 · Jun 8, 2021

Yes, but not entirely blue. It has spots of blue above and below the pupil.

LiamPM · Jun 8, 2021

Id imagine its a juvenile atlantic blue (Acanthurus coeruleus) by the looks of that.

Half a chance it may be a Mimic juvenile (Acanthurus Pyroferus) but they are usually more "rounded" along the fins.

I hvaent seen either with blue spots above or below the pupil either, although the mimic often has a blue "lash" as it begins to transition.

My money would still be on Atlantic Blue personally.

nereefpat · Jun 8, 2021

I'm thinking Ctenochaetus cyanocheilus. Any chance you could get a good, clear, pic from the side? I know it's hard.

aeo29067 said:
I was gonna grow this tang out in my 30 gal and upgrade when I needed to but Atlantics are suppose to get much bigger than yellows. Minimum adult tank size?

If it is an Atlantic blue, it will need a pretty big tank. I don't think I've ever seen an adult in captivity beyond large public aquaria. A 180 with strategic rockwork and plenty of flow might work as a forever home, although I'm not really sure. Max length would be about 10", and I have seen them about that large while snorkeling/diving.

aeo29067 · Jun 8, 2021

These are the clearest images I can get for right now but I'll be trying again later tonight.

nereefpat · Jun 8, 2021

Nice pics. Honestly, I'm not sure. The juvie atlantic blues I've seen have more blue on the eye and edge of dorsal fin, but this fish is really small. The caudal fin doesn't look quite right either.

Here's an Atlantic blue that is about an inch long: https://www.fishbase.de/photos/Pict...session=&lme=&StartRow=5&TotRec=9&SortBy=iucn

Here's another small one. Besides the color, note the shape of the dorsal/anal/tail fins: https://www.fishbase.de/photos/Pict...session=&lme=&StartRow=0&TotRec=9&SortBy=iucn

aeo29067 · Jun 8, 2021

Thanks! It's a real mystery what this little cutie is so I may have to wait till he's a bit bigger to know for sure. Y'all have given me some good ideas though. Didn't realize so many tangs had yellow juveniles, lol.

Oregon Grown Reef · Jun 8, 2021

aeo29067 said:
Hello, so I should probably stop going to this questionable fish store because they obviously don't know much about saltwater fish ID but they have really good deals on fish so I keep going over. They sold me a fish yesterday that they told me was a yellow corris wrasse and its pretty obviously a baby tang but I wasn't gonna argue when they dismissed my opinion. When I first bought it, I assumed it was a baby yellow tang but now that it's home and I've gotten a good look at it, could this possibly be an atlantic blue juvenile? If so, has anybody cared for one before, I've only had yellows in the past. It's smaller than my male clownfish right now, so I have it in an acclimation box away for a few days to hopefully minimize any potential aggression. How fast do they grow? I was gonna grow this tang out in my 30 gal and upgrade when I needed to but Atlantics are suppose to get much bigger than yellows. Minimum adult tank size?
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I'm absolutely flabbergasted that they tried to say it was a yellow coris wrasse.

mjh712 · Jun 8, 2021

Could be a Juvenile Orange Shoulder (Acanthurus olivaceus).

There's a good pic of a juvenile here

KrisReef · Jun 8, 2021

oregongrownreef said:
I'm absolutely flabbergasted that they tried to say it was a yellow coris wrasse.

It is!
Yellow.
Its a young specimen that will metamorphsize into a chorus wrasse soon and eventually it will dive in the gravel and make a cocoon and emerge as a butterfly.