Today we are going to talk about Blue Tang Fish. The scientific name of this type of fish is Paracanthurus hepatus. This type of Tang Fish is considered to be a species of Indo-Pacific Surgeonfish. Blue Tang Fish, a popular marine aquarium fish, is known to be the only member of the genus Paracanthurus. So let's gather some more information about Blue Tang Fish.
Description
Blue Tang Fish has a number of common names attributed to the species and includes Regal Tang, Palette Surgeonfish, Royal Blue Tang, Hippo Tang, Blue Hippo Tang, flagtail Surgeonfish. This type of fish has a royal blue body, yellow tail and a black "palette" design. The lower body of the Blue Tang Fish, which lives in the west-central Indian Ocean, is yellow.
Blue Tang Fish grows up to 30 cm. Adult Blue Tang Fish weigh about 600 grams and males are generally larger than females. Blue Tang Fish is a pinch. This type of pancake-like fish has a round body, pointed snout-like nose and small scales. This type of fish has 26-25 dorsal soft rays, nine dorsal spines, three anal spines and 24-26 anal soft yellow rays.
This type of fish looks relatively harmless. But Blue Tang Fish can raise a pair of razor-sharp and venomous spines on either side of their tails when in danger. The Blue Tang Fish then whips their bodies from the side and attacks the predators with its venom-filled stinger.
In addition, people who eat this type of fish are known to develop a serious foodborne illness called ciguatera poisoning. And symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness.
Habitat and Diet
This type of fish can be found all over the Indo-Pacific. Blue Tang Fish is found in the Great Barrier Reef of the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Caledonia, Japan, Samoa, East Africa and Sri Lanka. This fish can be found on coral reefs and in the surrounding clear water. Blue Tang Fish live in pairs or in small groups of 8 to 14 individuals.
This fish is omnivorous. And the Blue Tang Fish is known for torturing small aquatic animals known as plankton. Most of the Blue Tang Fish's diet comes from algae. Blue Tang Fish uses small and sharp teeth to cut and scratch algae from a coral reef.
Spawning occurs in the Blue Tang Fish during the late afternoon and evening hours. This event is characterized by a change in color from dark blue to pale blue, similar to the color of this fish. Blue Tang Fish is important for coral health because Blue Tang Fish eats algae and can otherwise be swallowed by growth.
Ecology and Conservation
This type of fish relies mainly on marine algal species for survival. The individual resources available within the Blue Tang Fish habitat are often objects of high competition. This type of fish often succeeds in overrunning these aggressively defended territories by forming large grazing aggregates.
Recent changes in different communities in the Caribbean have had a significant impact on this type of fish population. The movement of Paracanthurus hepatus is largely confined to the habitats of a reef. Accordingly, specific environmental influences on a particular reef site can put tremendous pressure on the local fish population.
Paracanthurus hepatus is considered to be a popular saltwater aquarium specimen. Blue Tang Fish is usually collected from the Caribbean Basin for entry into the commercial aquarium trade. The males of the Blue Tang Fish aggressively court the female members of the school, releasing the eggs and sperm, leading to a rapid upward rush to the surface of the water.
Blue Tang Fish eggs are about 0.8 millimeters in diameter. The eggs of this fish are pelagic and one drop of oil is found for each flotation. The nutritious eggs of the Blue Tang fish are hatched in twenty-four hours and are small and translucent larvae with a silver belly and a volatile mirage. Blue Tang Fish reach sexual maturity at the age of 9-12 months.
Mistaken Identities
Many species of Blue Tang Fish are also found. And this fish is sometimes referred to as the blue leg. Blue Tang Fish includes Acanthurus leucosternon. And this fish can be identified by its black face.
Threats to Survival
This type of fish has been listed as a least endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and how Blue Tang Fish is then targeted by the aquarium trade is considered a threat. In addition, many experts say that about a quarter-million of these species are removed from their homes on the rocks each year. These fish are also home-cooked coral reefs endangered by things like marine acidification and coral bleaching.
Worst of all, this fish and other wild reef fish are usually caught with a square bottle filled with cyanide. Blue Tang Fish amazes people long enough to catch it. Adolescent Blue Tang Fish are usually targeted because the fish are rocky corals where they are caught. But that method can also kill Blue Tang Fish in contact as well as injure and kill other nearby animals.
Facts
- People should not take Blue Tang Fish for food. Blue Tang Fish is very commonly poisonous. The venom in this type of fish actually comes from a type of microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates.
- This type of fish is known as a very social fish. Blue Tang Fish is usually found in at least a pair. Blue Tang Fish is also commonly found in schools of up to 12 fish. Blue Tang Fish are not usually seen making friends with clownfish. But Blue Tang Fish is known to connect with other species of surgeonfish.
- This type of fish is not always blue. The Blue Tang Fish just looks like a cute little version of its adult size. Blue Tang Fish is really yellow with blue-tipped fins. These types of fish can change their colors to some extent depending on how they feel.
- Another blue tang is scientifically called Acanthurus coeruleus and Blue Tang Fish can only be found on the other side of the world as Paracanthurus hepatus.
- This type of fish is really quite dangerous. This is considered to be part of the surgeonfish family named for barbs such as the razor-sharp scalpel stuck near the tail of the fish. The spinal cord of Blue Tang Fish is also toxic.
- People can’t raise blue tangs in captivity. The film dramatically increases the demand for this type of fish so that Blue Tang Fish was caught illegally in the wild to further the demand.
- The rocks could not survive without this type of fish. Blue Tang Fish is a crucial part of the coral reef life cycle because Blue Tang Fish live on a mostly vegetarian diet.
- This type of fish was immortalized by Disney and Pixar. The Blue Tang Fish will be able to recognize its screen non-screen counterpart, the Darya fish. This type of fish itself suffers from short-term memory loss.
- This type of fish has many names for fish. Blue Tang Fish is actually a part of the fish family in humans and Blue Tang Fish is known as Surgeonfish. Other names for this fish include Regal Blue Tang, Pacific Blue Tang and the letter 6 fish.
