Saltwater
Yellowfin surgeonfish
Acanthurus xanthopterus
Acanthuridae, Acanthurinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 70 cm
- Body shape
- Deep-bodied
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 7,228 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in American Samoa, Australia, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, and 53 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Live in various reef habitats, sand slopes and lagoons. Juveniles inhabit shallow, protected, turbid inshore waters while adults prefer deeper areas of protected bays and lagoons. Also in outer reef areas. Benthopelagic. Schooling species, feed on diatoms, detritus film of sand, filamentous algae, hydroids, and pieces of fish. Probably the only surgeonfish that readily takes bait.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Acanthurus blochii
- Acanthurus crestonis
- Acanthurus fuliginosus
- Acanthurus grammoptilus
- Acanthurus matoides
- Acanthurus rasi
In other languages
- Gulfinnet kirurgfisk
- Cuvier's Surgeonfish, Purple surgeonfish, Ring-tailed surgeonfish, Ringtailed surgeonfish, Surgeonfish, Yellow-mask surgeon, Yellow-masked surgeon, Yellowfin sturgeonfish, Yellowfin surgeon, Yellowmask surgeonfish
Articles
All articles
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
From freshwater to saltwater3 min read
What is different in a saltwater aquarium: salt, refractometer, live rock and corals. An introduction for anyone thinking of giving it a try.