Powder Blue Tang : A Guide On Acanthurus Leucosternon

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by Roman Veaila

The Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus Leucosternon) is another popular surgeonfish that we see from time to time. It has a dark blue face, a yellow dorsal fin and a light blue body. Their natural range occurs around the Maldives through to Sri Lanka.

$50 to $60 bucks will buy you a juvenile, which make it more expensive than adult Blue Tangs (Paracanthurus Hepatus) or even adult Yellow Tangs (Zebrasoma Flavescens).

Members of the same genus usually get some aggression while fishes outside the surgeonfish family are let alone. In the wild, Powder Blue Tangs are either found alone or with a shoal. If more than one is desired then introduce them at the same time to limit aggression.

Attaining 8 inches in length, they are considered a moderately large surgeonfish. Nothing smaller than a 100 gallons should be used to house the powder blue tang.

Powder Blue Tangs are reef safe.

Despite the fact that they’re primarily herbivores in the wild, they are open to just about anything offered once acclimated. Krill, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, pellets, they take them all.

Algae sheets like nori are a great algae to feed all herbivorous fish.Prices vary greatly depending on the brand. Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies may be a little too pricey for some. They produce good algae sheets though. They’re also available as flakes, which is very convenient since there’s very little work involved during feeding.

Most nori sheets are produced for human consumption, primariy as sushi wrappers. Some are cheap while the really high quality sheets can be very expensive.

You’ll need to secure the nori to a clip. You could DIY a clip yourself and spend a couple of bucks on a commercial type. The sheets are sometimes rolled up and cut beforehand, most however, feed it as is. Secure the nori to your algae clip and attach it to the side of the aquarium.

Another good food to feed herbivores are Formula Two by Ocean Nutrition. It has an extra amount of algae in it along with a good mix of seafood, trace minerals, vitamins and more. It is available as a flake food, pellet or frozen cube.

While Formula Two is a good flake, it surpassed by Sea Veggie mixed flakes by Two Little Fishies. A great all-rounder with a good balance of ingredients, New Life Spectrum comes highly recommended as well.

About the Author:

Roman Veaila is a hobbyist that has kept numerous reef aquariums. In his spare time he writes guides on marine fishes. Visit his hubpage for a more detailed guide on the Acanthurus Leucosternon as well as the always popular Yellow Tang.

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