Description
The blue tang is a high-bodied, compressed, pancake-shaped fish with a pointed snout and small scales. The eye is located high on the head and the mouth is small and low on the head. The dorsal fin is continuous.
The Blue Tang boasts a vibrant electric blue body dressed with bold black markings. In fact, the black that begins at the eyes, traces the dorsal line down to the tail, and circles back above the pectoral fin to create a unique shape reminiscent of a painter's palette. This marking is why the Blue Tang is also known as the Palette Surgeonfish. It is also called the Pacific Blue Tang, and Hepatus or Regal Tang. Regardless of common name, Paracanthurus hepatus is equal parts beauty and peacefulness that suits almost any large community marine aquarium.