Help identifying this tang

[martinsp]

I just got this tang they told me it is a Thompson tang, but I check and its not even close.

Both pics are of the same fish a few minutes apart

can somebody help me identify the species?

 

[ca1ore]

Looks like a Naso to me. Hard to say which species though. Brevirostris perhaps. They manifest those white blotches when stressed. How big is it?

 

[martinsp]

About 2 inches.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Could be N. brevirostris or N. vlamingi.

 

[Elegance Coral]

Naso lituratus

 

[ca1ore]

Hard to tell when that small. Some kind of naso though.

 

[4FordFamily]

This looks like a washed out Naso tang. Possibly ill or malnourished.

 

[Elegance Coral]

It is a stressed out Naso lituratus.
It shows no signs of being malnourished though. Just stressed. Probably from being recently handled. Like being captured and stuffed into a bag and transported, or being in a small or otherwise stressful situation.
Just make him comfortable, keep up on those greens, and he'll likely be fine.
Peace
EC

 

[Carterfish]

First pic looks like a definite Naso. Second almost looks like a valmingii it’s so Grey. Probably a naso tang though.

 

[nereefpat]

To be clear, all tangs mentioned above are in the Naso genus.

 

[ca1ore]

To be clear, all tangs mentioned above are in the Naso genus.

Yes, funny how that seems to escape so many. When naso tangs are that small, regardless of the specific species, it can be difficult to identify them. For anyone that has actually kept a tang in the naso genus, those white blotches are very common in a stressed but not necessarily diseased fish. It is possible it is a very unhappy lituratus, thought the head coloration is usually apparent even at that size/age. It's not a bluespine (N. Unicornis) because the blue tail base is also usually apparent at that age. I'm sticking with brevirostris, though vlamingi is a distinct possibility.

 

[martinsp]

Guys, thanks for all the quick responses, he was very stressed I took those pics right after I put him in a new tank with new tankmates.
He is doing much better today, he is eating and spots are gone.
here are some updates pics
what do you guys think now?

 

[ca1ore]

Now it looks more like N. Lituratus.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looks like a juvenile blonde Naso. or orange spined unicorn tang.
I believe it is likely the unicorn juvenile

 

[Elegance Coral]

It is clearly Naso lituratus. That last pic should clear up any confusion. Great fish. Intelligent, friendly, and easily trained. Not bad to look at either.
Peace
EC

 

[vetteguy53081]

Naso Literatus is also known as orange spined unicorn