Description
Paracanthurus hepatus, also known as the blue tang or hippo tang, shows a vibrant blue body with black almost horseshoe shaped stripe on its upper body, a yellow edged tail with black lobes, and can grow up to 30cm in length.
Paracanthurus Tangs should be added to aquariums with plenty of swim room and rockwork for grazing and hiding. If sufficient algae isn’t present in the aquarium supplement with algae sheets. Tank size should be considered before purchasing as the adult Paracanthurus Tangs can become quite large. Also known as Surgeonfish because of the sharp spine at the base of their tail. This “scalpel” is used for protection, handle carefully as it is very sharp. They are considered reef safe but may pick at small, mobile and sessile invertebrates if not well fed. Provide a varied diet of marine meaty and algae-based foods multiple times daily. Paracanthurus Tangs have been known to be aggressive towards similarly shaped Tangs.