Fish ID ?

[JohnMckroidJr]

Taken on the Sabiki while trying to find bait in 80ft of water on an area of coral reefs.

[Salty]

Definitely a species of Surgeonfish! We used to get different species from all over back when I managed a saltwater aquarium shop. This one looks like a "Doctorfish" to me.
I'm curious, how warm was the water in the area you caught this fish?

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Salty

Definitely a species of Surgeonfish! We used to get different species from all over back when I managed a saltwater aquarium shop. This one looks like a "Doctorfish" to me.
I'm curious, how warm was the water in the area you caught this fish?

Looks like you nailed the ID. Sea Temp was around 78 degrees. On another website, A member ID'd it as a Doctorfish Tang. I guess Tang's are a species of Surgeonfish?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctorfish_tang

[Salty]

Yes, "tang" is the more common name for surgeonfish, especially in the aquarium trade. Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Unicorn Tang, etc.
Fun fact: They get the name "Surgeonfish" from the sharp, blade-like spine in front of their tail on each side of their body. They are territorial and will aggressively use these spikes to fend off other fish or potential threats by side-swiping their targets. So if you happen to catch one again, be careful when handling them!

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Salty

Yes, "tang" is the more common name for surgeonfish, especially in the aquarium trade. Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Unicorn Tang, etc.
Fun fact: They get the name "Surgeonfish" from the sharp, blade-like spine in front of their tail on each side of their body. They are territorial and will aggressively use these spikes to fend off other fish or potential threats by side-swiping their targets. So if you happen to catch one again, be careful when handling them!

Woah, I heard that the tail has a sharp edge, but that's like a pocket knife. Next time I am going to check it out. Good to know, Thanks.

[BenCantrell]

Darn, haha, I missed an ID post! Doctorfish is right. That's a fairly big one.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by BenCantrell

Darn, haha, I missed an ID post! Doctorfish is right. That's a fairly big one.

Yeah! I would have expected life list ichthyologist Ben to have chimed in sooner! LOL, glad you confirm.