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From the Acanthuroidei suborder, the surgeonfish is a brightly colored marine fish that is also often called the tang. There are almost seventy-five species of this incredible fish found swimming with luxurious precision among the coral reef in most tropical seas. The surgeonfish has a body that is flat with a wide oval shape. One of their most distinguishing characteristics is their amazing ability to completely change their color according to their mood. When calmly swimming about they maintain a consistent color but when a predator approaches the color pattern changes within moments. Another color pattern change occurs at night that reminds one of someone preparing for bed. This often referred to as their pajama color. In some species, such as the yellow tang, even their location affects the color pattern. For instance, when the yellow tang is found in the waters around Hawaii, they are brilliant yellows but in other locations they exhibit a brown coloration. Others, like the blue tang, exhibit a yellow coloration during the juvenile stage of their life but change to a bright blue as adults. Found in the order of Perciformes, these small fish are constantly in motion using their pectoral fins much in the manner a bird uses its wings to fly. Some have even been observed wiping their body and eyes with the pectoral fin, which is quite an amazing feat. Surgeonfish steer using the anal, caudal and flexible ends of the dorsal fin.
The surgeonfish is so named for the scalpel sharp blades that are found on their bodies. The location of these protrusions differs tremendously with the varied genera. In some surgeon fish, such as the unicorn fish, these razor like blades do not move, but appear as a bony curve that is quite poisonous. With the unicorn fish this curved blade appears like a horn of a unicorn pointing forward from the nose. There are also three oval shaped bumps on each side of the tail that can inflict a painful cut. In other species the horn is replace with a single large bump above the nose area but this is equally as sharp. In some species of the tang the well-defined blade moves quite freely when needed. As these species calmly swim the blade is tucked inside a groove on their body. But the moment they are threatened the blade comes out from the rear of the fish, point forward and ready to cut. When these surgeonfish are threatened by other species they will swim beside the intruder swinging their tails to inflict cuts. When their aim is accurate the intruder will receive long, deeply slicing cuts. When humans handle surgeonfish, extreme caution should be taken. Many an unsuspecting person has received deep wounds to their hands when attempting to remove this fish from a net or openly handle it.
In recent years the surgeonfish has become highly popular as an aquarium specimen due to their brilliant color patterns and interesting behavior. Most ocean species are algae-eaters that clean the coral reef with their teeth. Kept in an aquarium these fish seem to thrive when fed a steady diet of algae, small shrimp and mussels. One important aspect of using the surgeonfish in an aquarium is how they relate to other fish. This fish should never be kept in a small tank with other fish, even of its own species, since the constant contact caused by such a crowded space will be cause enough for this fish to view its tank mates as a threat. In the waters off Hawaii, the surgeonfish spawn between the months of December and July. Amazingly, the actual act of spawning appears to be dependent on certain lunar phases since they only spawn during a full moon. The males of most species go through a pattern coloration change as the mating time draws near. All sexually mature fish of the species come together in a large swarm, appearing to become highly agitated. Suddenly they rise quickly a few inches in the water and release their eggs or sperm, after which they return to the group below. The eggs, like those of many of the Perciformes, contain a tiny bubble of oil that causes them to rise to the surface. In just over a day they hatch and the Acronurus appear, but do not begin feeding for around five days. Once the young begin eating their diet consist mostly of the eggs of other fish and small crustaceans.
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