Blue Tang

Some people may call it the blue tang, while others may call it the blue surgeon fish, or maybe even a blue barber, a blue doctorfish, blue tang surgeon fish, blur tang, yellow barber, or a yellow doctorfish. There are many, many names for the blue tang.

    The blue tang is found mostly in the west-Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Bermuda, or from the Gulf of Mexico to south Brazil. They are mostly found in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean Sea. In the east-Atlantic Ocean, they are only found near Ascension Island.

 

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    The blue tangs live in the coral reefs, in rocky or grassy places at depths of 2-40 meters or 6-131 feet. In the coral reefs, they live in holes or creases, where they are safe from predators at night. They could live alone, in pairs, or in group of ten or twelve fish.

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    Blue tangs feed only on algae. They feed on the bottom of coral reefs and rocky surfaces. Sometimes, they form huge groups and graze on algae on the coral reef floor.

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    The blue tang is shaped like a pancake-very flat. Their eyes are close to their fins on the top of their heads. Their mouths are very low on their heads. They even use their tail fins to fend off predators.

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    As the fish matures, it changes colors. The juvenile blue tangs are very small, so they are not usually seen. They change some different colors before becoming an adult. First, it is a yellow color with blue lining around its body and crescents (half-moon shapes) around its eyes.

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    This is a great fish to study. They have a lot of cool facts. So, check them out at the Sydney Aquarium!

         

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