Atlantic Blue Tang??

[disdominican]

Have you gys heard of an Atlantic Blue Tang. It's very similar to a yellow tang only it has a tint of blue and the lining around its eyes are blue. This fish was at the lfs and they had several for 8.99 compared to the yellow tang 17.99. Is this fish reef safe and why is it so cheap. Any info will be helpful.

 

[booya]

The Atlantic Blue tang is a little larger than the yellow tang. It eats the same things. I think that it is surprising that it is so cheap. IMO I do not think that are as pretty as the yellow tang. That’s all I know. Hope it helps.

 

[cadbury]

I swam with them in Florida at Discovery Cove, they have awesome color but they do get huge!!!

 

[bdhough]

I like the pacific yellows to an extent but they do color morph as they get older if i remember correctly. They loose the blue and turn yellow some. Not as vibrant yellow as a hawaiin yellow tang though..... Make sure you like that aspect before getting one. Otherwise they are pretty much the same fish care wise.

 

[cincyreefer]

Juvenile atlantic blue tangs are yellow with hints of blue.... as they mature they will turn a lighter shade of blue. The reason they are so cheap is because they are easily collected from the caribbean.
A caution about them however... they are notorious for carrying parasites and very sensitive to changes. Not nearly as hardy as a yellow tang in my experiences.
IMO they are a fish to avoid.

 

[harlequin]

I have inquired to a site specializing in harder to get fish about these guys. They say they can get them really cheap. They dont keep any on hand because there is almost zero demand. The person I spoke to said they are not very hardy at all even for a tang and their color kind of drab and is no where near as pretty as the other tangs and as stated above subject to change. Its scientific name is Acanthurus coeruleus which as any of you scientifically minded folks might know, the same genus as the Achilles tang and the powder blue tang.

 

[bdhough]

I stand corrected they turn the blue as they age
Ill agree from what i've seen of them they are not as hardy as the Pacific yellows. Possibly a colder water species?

 

[cincyreefer]

No, not a cold water fish... they mainly come from reefs throughout the caribbean and gulf. They are just another one of those caribbean fish (like a rock beauty) that always seem to carry parasites.

 

[harlequin]

Its not that rock beauties carry alot of parasites. Rock beauties die because the vast majority of us cannot meet their feeding requirements. They are definately one of those species that should be left in the sea and thankfully this site has quit selling them. I think the problem is just the same as the tang family in general, they have very fragile bodies and in this case more fragile than most of them.

 

[cadbury]

As far as colors go, I have to disagree, I swam with schools of them and they were brilliant in color, thet look awesome as adults!! But I would'nt think they would be a good choice for the home aquarium...