Bristletooth Tang ID

[mort]

Bristletooth often have elongated tail fins when small and they flatten out as they age. It's also common for them to change quite dramatically in colour, with tail colour being quite different.
If you look here https://www.reeflex.net/kategorie/5.html#katID5 especially at the pictures of ctenochaetus binotatus for a juvi picture with amazing body and tail colour and then at ctenochaetus cyanocheilus and picture 3 as it's quite close to yours and I've seen them with whiter tails which makes it a possible id.

 

[Rybren]

Thanks mort. That is a great resource with much better photos than fishbase, which is what I've been using.

 

[Rybren]

I have to take back my words on there being no yellow on the fins.

After removing all of the blue light I see that the pectoral fins are a light yellow, as are the end tips of the dorsal and anal fins. There is a yellowish band around the base of the caudal fin then it is white.

Again , the photos aren't very good. They were taken with all blues off.

 

[mort]

That second last picture gives it away, that's a Ctenochaetus tominiensis albeit not one with as much orange as you'd normally see. It could colour up as it settles down or just be a less than usual colour morph. You also can't rule out a little hybridism but it not as likely.

 

[Rybren]

Thanks for the help mort and everyone else.

 

[Pbh-reef]

Thanks for the help mort and everyone else.

That was a fun puzzle to solve!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Acan tang and can be aggressive towards other tangs, at least territorial. They are eating machines once comfy with their environment

 

[Rybren]

Acan tang?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Acan tang?

Short for acanthurus

 

[Rybren]

Short for acanthurus

I thought that was what you meant, but wasn't certain. In any case, I think that mort's ID of Ctenochaetus tominiensis is correct. It isn't as bright or as highly coloured as the norm, but it seems to match in all other respects.