Powder blue tang

Description

The powder blue tang is one of the most elegant and sought-after reef fish. It has an oval, flattened body of soft pastel blue, with a black face and head, a white throat, and a dorsal fin and tail of bright yellow. Like all surgeonfishes, it bears a sharp bony blade on each side of the tail base, used in defence.

Habitat and distribution

It lives on tropical coral reefs of the Indian Ocean, from the coasts of East Africa to the Maldives, Seychelles and as far as Indonesia. It frequents the clear, shallow waters around reefs, where it moves actively in search of algae.

Behaviour and diet

It is a diurnal, herbivorous fish that feeds mainly on algae grazed from rocks and corals, thereby helping to keep the reef clean. It can be territorial, especially towards other similarly coloured surgeonfishes, and sometimes forms small schools in the wild.

Aquarium care

It is perhaps the most popular surgeonfish of its genus in the aquarium hobby, prized for its spectacular pattern. It is, however, delicate: it needs a very large tank, excellent water quality, a diet rich in greens and careful management, as it is prone to disease and stress. It should be handled with care because of the spines.

Conservation

It is classed as least concern. Like all reef species, though, it depends on the health of the corals; collection for the aquarium trade should be managed sustainably so as not to affect wild populations.