Whitespotted surgeonfish

The whitespotted surgeonfish is a marine tang in the family Acanthuridae, found on wave-exposed reef fronts across the Indo-Pacific. Its dark brownish body is marked with numerous small white spots and two or three pale vertical bars, and it carries the characteristic scalpel-like spine at the tail base. It favors turbulent, oxygen-rich surge zones in the wild, where it grazes on filamentous algae. In the aquarium it needs a very large tank with strong water movement, high oxygenation, and open swimming space to match its natural habitat. Its diet should be algae-based with vegetable supplements. It can be skittish and is sensitive to poor water quality, and it may show aggression toward other surgeonfish. These demands make it best suited to experienced marine keepers.