ID of a Tang

[Fin Jackson]

Hi all,
I picked this guy up as a tiny grey baby around 6-8 months ago as 'Assorted Tang'. He was the size of a thumbnail and very hard to ID. Now he has reached a nicer size, palm size-ish he is starting to colour up. I narrowed it down to a few possible species, but google lense would show this guy as multiple species.
I think it is an Acanthurus grammaoptilus (Fineline Surgeonfish), but google lense also kept showing me Acanthurus xanthopterus (Yellowfin Tang) which I have been struggling to find for ages, and Acanthurus auranticavus (Western Australian Ringtail Tang).

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[fishywishy]

Looks like a young Dussumieri tang

 

[fish_collector]

Good find! It could be a lavender tang, but they generally have spots on their face and not lines like yours does. Enjoy him.

 

[Fin Jackson]

Looks like a young Dussumieri tang

Dussumieri tangs are my favourite fish, this guy is currently in a tank with one who is stunning (Still small for a duss only around 6"), if he ends up developing more into dussumieri like colouration ill move him to the frag system.

 

[Fin Jackson]

Good find! It could be a lavender tang, but they generally have spots on their face and not lines like yours does. Enjoy him.

When he was younger he looked exactly like a grayish lavendar tang, only recently started to develope the darker colour and gold/blue stripes and spots.

 

[Fin Jackson]

Definatly think he is Fineline Surgeonfish (Acanthurus grammapitilus)

 

[i cant think]

Definatly think he is Fineline Surgeonfish (Acanthurus grammapitilus)

I’d agree with this - it looks too large to still be a juvenile stage.

 

[Fin Jackson]

I’d agree with this - it looks too large to still be a juvenile stage.

Thanks

 

[fish_collector]

You can send him to me and I'll report back in a few years lol :face-with-tears-of-joy:

I'd imagine you folks down under would get all kinds of fish that we just don't get a chance to see for sale very often. I've never ever seen a dussumieri tang in person but I'm sure they're out there. We've got a LFS here in Phoenix that sometimes has odd tangs in stock, I remember the owner saying they get their fish direct from the exporter so they always have fish no other LFS has. It's the only LFS I have found that can have a masa, a ringtail, a yellow eyed Kole, a gem, a dozen convicts and a mustard tang all at once, going LFS shopping is a favorite thing to do.

 

[Fin Jackson]

Being is Aus is pretty great for the tangs and some angelfish, mainly pomacanthus species. The adult WA ringtail tangs, Eyeliner tangs and Dussumeiri are extremely special and fairly available. You guys are very lucky to have holocanthus angels. I have seen 2 in my 5 years of working for a shop, one for in $1000 for a juvie, and around 2k for an adult.