Tang ID *One year later
 

Well I'm a little baffled by this guy as I can't find an answer anywhere so perhaps the tang experts on here can give me a hand.
He has orange around his eyes like a kole tang, his tail is white and there is a metallic blue stripe on his ventral fin.
Any ideas?

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/2533/p1060578.jpg
(Sorry about the fuzzy photo, I named him Flash Gordon for a reason:lol:)
Levi

I think i need a few clues, like a clearer picture and maybe a hint like where it came from.
Its an Acanthurus tang i think I just cant really narrow it down without a better picture.

Thanks I will grab the camera and some pellets

Acanthurus thompsoni maybe? (White tailed surgeonfish)

http://www.hawaiisfishes.com/fish_of.../fom_06_05.htm

(Scroll down, because this is a page from Hawaii, and apparently, Hawaiian endemics of this species don't have the white tail, whereas everywhere else, they do. Look for the section "Two species or one?")

I'm thinking it may develop more coloring at it gets bigger...possibly. So here's a couple guesses of mine after doing some Googling. Your fish couple also be a naturally occuring hybrid. It happens. That's what I think happened to my Kole Tang. I think it is a hybrid with a Yellow tang...or possibly just a color mutation.

A. leucocheilus
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Acanthuro...ng2%5B1%5D.jpg

A. fowleri
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Acanthuro...%20fowleri.jpg

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I have only had him for about 3 months now but man does the fish have personality, that and I have noticed that his colors are subtly changing. None of the photos provided are bang on, then again he's eating/ growing like a little pig so I will post some more photos in a month or so. Myka have any pictures of your Kole tang?
Levi

As far as I can tell, I believe you have a Acanthurus auranticavus, better known as the orange socket surgeonfish. Hope you have a big tank as this little guy tops out at over a foot long at maturity.

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...urgeonfish.jpg

Agree with Stones.

Yea, that picture looks bang on to the OP's pic... Nice tang!:mrgreen:

Sweet
 

Wow thanks guys, can always rely on Canreefers for a fast acurate ID! He's currently in my 65 Display/ Frag and like I said growing like a pig. Once he gets a little larger he has a giant display tank at the LFS waiting for him.
Levi

Nice fishy!

You could also send him to my new tank when its up and running too!

I know it is a long shot but check out Bariene Tang. I just googled it as Fragalot has two for sale and I keep going back to your picture. Interesting anyways!

its tail ring tang i actually have the same fish in my 300 and they grow like crazy mine eats like non stop and helps with detritus!
gorgeous fish wait till he gets scared and shows his true colors!
lol

Few updated photos of Flash after a year of growth, hes growing like crazy. I'm almost positive on the ID being Acanthurus auranticavus, his colors change from Ghost White to Gray to Black and he has the craziest silver stripes down his side when hes angry.

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8184/p1110756z.jpg

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/5733/p1110758.jpg

http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/5458/p1110766y.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8453/p1110771.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2096/p1110773.jpg

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/7237/p1110775.jpg

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/1170/p1110780.jpg

Looks great. Just curious, you say "almost" positive - what's the hesitation, are there features that make you sometimes think otherwise?

For one the lack of information, after tones of searches I'm getting lots of fragmented results. I'm pretty sure this is an actual Orange-Socket Surgeonfish but if anyone has a Marine fishes book to ID it would be greatly appreciated.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2858/tangs.jpg

Most of the photos I'm finding are in the ocean @ full size and with bad resolution so its hard to be sure. The tang in the above photo has yellow permeated through its Dorsal fin and what looks like a blue pigment on the anal fin while mine lacks both. I'm also seeing some differences in the eye color (Which could be the flash) but my fish has a much more pronounced orange color around the eye (aka Orange-Socket lol).

To confuse me even more the tang changes color from Gray to silver to white to black and all combination in-between.

Looks like a Acanthurus auranticavus to me

http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/images/5YL99qr4S7.jpg

Beautiful fish....whatever he is. :mrgreen: