| Acanthurus pyroferus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Acanthuridae |
| Genus: | Acanthurus |
| Species: | A. pyroferus |
| Binomial name | |
| Acanthurus pyroferus Kittlitz, 1834 |
|
Acanthurus pyroferus is a Tang from the Indo-Pacific-excluding hawaii and lives primarly around steep shallow slopes near the coast with clear sand and calcerous corals (hard corals) . It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 25 cm in length. Also known as the mimic tang or chocolate tang. It gets the common aquarium trade name, mimic tang, from the juvenile stage mimicking the coloration of pygmy angelfish around it . This is generally a shy fish in the aquarium and is usually seen alone and occsionaly in small groups. There are several different versions of juvenile fish ranging from the lemonpeel angelfish to the ebili angelfish. Mimic tangs are grazers and like all surgeonfish is an oppurtunistic eater (Exploiting chances offered by immediate environment/circumstances). It does however feed primarily on benthic algae (algae growing on the bottom).