Dr. John Ernest (Jack) Randall (†), Hawaii
Info
(Schmidt, 1931)
The Japan Surgeonfish or Brown Powder Tang is to be considered as sensitive as Acanthurus leucosternon or the Blue Powder Tang.
To put it mildy, it has a rather poor report of survival in captivity. Especially the Brown Powder Tang is often caught by using poison which harms its health even before shipment.
As the Blue Powder Tang, the Brown Powder Tang is very susceptible to marine ich, so using an uv sterilizer is highly recommended.
Healthy and acclimated specimen are generally good community fish which should be fed a diet rich in vegetable matter supplemented by meaty fare like krill etc. Since it is an active swimmer it should be offered ample of swimming space.
We think that whether you will be able to successfully establish a Japan Surgeonfish in your tank also depends on the condition in which the fish arrives and how fast its intestinal microflora will adapt to substitute food.
Synonyms:
Acanthurus japonica (Schmidt, 1931)
Acanthurus japonicas (Schmidt, 1931)
Hepatus aliala japonicus Schmidt, 1931
Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopterygii (Class) > Perciformes (Order) > Acanthuridae (Family) > Acanthurinae (Subfamily) > Acanthurus (Genus)
The surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae), popular in marine aquaristics, are also called surgeonfishes.
They have horn-like blades in front of the tail root, they use as mainly defensive weapon (defense) against predators, but this sharp weapon is also used in fights among themselves.
Deep cuts in the body of opponents can cause permanent injuries, but often death occurs immediately.
If surgeonfishes are to be kept in pairs in an aquarium, fights between the fishes can be the order of the day, we could observe this several times with the very popular Hawaiian surgeonfish (Zebrasoma flavescens).
The scalpel-like blades can cause deep cuts, this is also true for the careless aquarist who wants to touch or catch the fish with unprotected hands.
Another problem can occur if one wants to catch surgeonfish with a landing net and transfer them after catching, the horn blade can easily get caught in the net.
Caution: Careless handling of the animal can cause deep cuts!
The Japan Surgeonfish or Brown Powder Tang is to be considered as sensitive as Acanthurus leucosternon or the Blue Powder Tang.
To put it mildy, it has a rather poor report of survival in captivity. Especially the Brown Powder Tang is often caught by using poison which harms its health even before shipment.
As the Blue Powder Tang, the Brown Powder Tang is very susceptible to marine ich, so using an uv sterilizer is highly recommended.
Healthy and acclimated specimen are generally good community fish which should be fed a diet rich in vegetable matter supplemented by meaty fare like krill etc. Since it is an active swimmer it should be offered ample of swimming space.
We think that whether you will be able to successfully establish a Japan Surgeonfish in your tank also depends on the condition in which the fish arrives and how fast its intestinal microflora will adapt to substitute food.
Synonyms:
Acanthurus japonica (Schmidt, 1931)
Acanthurus japonicas (Schmidt, 1931)
Hepatus aliala japonicus Schmidt, 1931
Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopterygii (Class) > Perciformes (Order) > Acanthuridae (Family) > Acanthurinae (Subfamily) > Acanthurus (Genus)
The surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae), popular in marine aquaristics, are also called surgeonfishes.
They have horn-like blades in front of the tail root, they use as mainly defensive weapon (defense) against predators, but this sharp weapon is also used in fights among themselves.
Deep cuts in the body of opponents can cause permanent injuries, but often death occurs immediately.
If surgeonfishes are to be kept in pairs in an aquarium, fights between the fishes can be the order of the day, we could observe this several times with the very popular Hawaiian surgeonfish (Zebrasoma flavescens).
The scalpel-like blades can cause deep cuts, this is also true for the careless aquarist who wants to touch or catch the fish with unprotected hands.
Another problem can occur if one wants to catch surgeonfish with a landing net and transfer them after catching, the horn blade can easily get caught in the net.
Caution: Careless handling of the animal can cause deep cuts!
