Originally Posted by
Sid2003
http:///forum/post/3012773
Thanks for your appreciation and your help.
By the way, how can I tell if I have a PB or a White Cheek Tang? I thought they were the same fish with multiple names.
I was hoping you wouldn't ask. There has been confusion surrounding this fish since I can remember. The two fish involved are Acanthurus japonicus & A. nigicans. A. japonicus is considered a much hardier fish and is the one sold on this site as powder brown. The SWF.com pic isn't great; but A. japonicus has a lot more white on its on its face. I can't post links on the forum; but if you Google (images) the scientific name of both fish, you should find good pics of both. I'd also suggest you find a good online base of SW fish; knowing what you're buying is vital. Bob Fenner's book, "The Conscience Marine Aquarist" (buy a copy) has great side-by-side pics; if I remember right. I'm not sure if the new edition of this book is out, but the original edition is where I remember seeing the pics and my copy is hiding.
Edit: To add to the confusion, I found Ferrer's book and he refers to A. nigricans as the Powder Brown and A. japonicus as the white-faced; but says it is often sold as the PB. He does say that A. japonicus is a much hardier fish.