Paracanthurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paracanthurus |
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| Paracanthurus hepatus, most known specie of this genus | |
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Paracanthurus
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The Palette Tang (scientific name: Paracanthurus hepatus) is a beautiful and popular fish. It's a type of surgeonfish, known for its bright blue body, yellow tail, and a black mark that looks like an artist's paint palette. You can find this fish swimming in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean. Many people also keep them in marine aquariums because of their stunning colors.
About the Palette Tang
The Palette Tang is easy to spot with its unique colors. It has a bright blue body, a sunny yellow tail, and a black shape on its side that looks like a painter's palette. In some areas, like the west-central Indian Ocean, its lower body can be yellow.
This fish can grow up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) long. It has a flat, round shape, almost like a pancake. Its nose is pointed, and it has very small scales. The Palette Tang has 9 spines on its back fin and 3 spines near its tail on the bottom.
People call this fish by many different names. Some common ones are regal tang, palette surgeonfish, blue tang, royal blue tang, hippo tang, and pacific regal blue tang.
Where They Live
Palette Tangs live in a very wide area. You can find them in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean. They also live in the seas that connect these two big oceans.
These fish love to live near reefs. They have been seen in places like East Africa, Japan, Samoa, New Caledonia, and the famous Great Barrier Reef.
Palette Tangs usually live in pairs or in small groups. These groups can have up to 10 or 12 fish swimming together. They are ready to have babies when they are about 9 to 12 months old.
The Palette Tang is one of the most common and popular fish kept in marine aquariums around the world. If you keep them in an aquarium, they need a lot of space. If they don't have enough room, they might become aggressive towards each other.
What They Eat and How They Reproduce
When Palette Tangs are young fish, they mostly eat tiny living things called plankton. As they grow into adult fish, they become omnivorous. This means they eat both plankton and algae.
Palette Tangs reproduce by spawning. This usually happens in the late afternoon and evening. When the fish are spawning, their color changes. They go from a dark blue to a lighter, pale blue.
See also
In Spanish: Pez cirujano azul para niños
