Striated Surgeonfish

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to French Polynesia, north to southern Japan, south to Australia. Found in lagoons and outer reefs.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Acanthuridae. Grows to a maximum of 26 cm. Features specialized, flexible comb-like teeth designed for scraping biofilm.

Social Behavior: Highly active, constantly swimming. Strongly territorial against other tangs, particularly similarly shaped species.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Dark brownish-orange body with numerous fine longitudinal blue lines, and orange spots on the face. Genders look identical.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum 380 liters. Requires stable rockwork with lots of open surface areas for algae grazing. Good water current is appreciated.

Diet and Feeding: Herbivore/Detritivore. Provide dried seaweed (nori), spirulina pellets, and high-quality flakes, alongside frozen foods like mysis.

Water Quality: Keep temperature at 24-28°C, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025 SG. High-grade filtration and stable parameters are essential.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Peaceful towards non-tang species. May be aggressive towards other Ctenochaetus or similarly shaped tangs in smaller volumes.

Aquarium Reproduction: Broadcast spawner. Group spawning occurs at dusk. Larvae are pelagic and have not been reared in captivity.

Risks and Diseases: Highly susceptible to marine ich and skin parasites; UV sterilizer is recommended. caudle spines can cause deep cuts during handling.