General Description~
There are over 80 species of surgeonfish worldwide and 25 of these varieties live in Hawaiian waters. Although they come in many different color variations, they all share the same basic structure. The name “surgeonfish” comes from their hard spines at the base of their tail. They have one spine on each side of their body that lies flat in a groove until the fish is provoked. In times of danger, a surgeonfish will flip its tail and the spines pop out like small knives. They resemble a surgeons’ scalpel, thus arose the name of surgeonfish.
The body of a surgeonfish is deep and laterally compressed with high set eyes. The body is protected by tiny scales. Both dorsal and anal fins are large and extend for most of the length of the body. The mouth is comparatively small and contains a single row of narrowly set sharp teeth which is used to munch algae.
Surgeonfish are herbivores and reside in the shallow waters of the coral reef. They feed on algae, so look for them near rocks that get a lot of filtered sunlight. But a few species of surgeon fish feed primarily on zooplankton and detritus. Depending on the variety of surgeonfish, you will find them alone or in small groups. They are not typically form large group but still in a small groupings.
SurgeonFish Appearance~
Surgeonfish can grow to 22 inches, depending on the variety, so they are often among the easiest fish to see in Hanauma Bay. Their size and variety of color make them become a prominent animal in the bay's ecosystem.The largest surgeonfish in the region of us are the Yellowfin Surgeonfish. They average at 21 inches and eat almost any type of algae available. They are lighted in color yellow pectoral fins and yellow markings around the eye. Except for their size, they do not stand out much in the bay because of their light coloring and minimal markings.
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| Yellowfin Surgeonfish |
The Whitespotted Surgeonfish (in picture) is another resident of the Hanauma Bay region. They can be found in group on seaweed right where the surf is crashing. They are white and black with two large white stripes toward their head, and white spots covering the remaining two-thirds of their bodies. They have a black and white striped tail. The white spots are part of their camouflage as they resemble bubbling water.
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| Whitespotted Surgeonfish |
Orangeband surgeonfish are also easily recognizable. They look like they are split in half with a white head and gray tail region. Their midsection starts out grey and ends in a black tail. They have a bright orange band in the white portion of their body placed just behind each eye. These fish swim rotate along the sandy ocean floor and eat the scraps from other fish. They are like the garbage men which take a garbage in each region
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| Orangeband Surgeonfish |
Another~
Surgeonfish will also help control excessive algae growth in the aquarium and they are praised for their fondness of eating even thread algae. Surgeonfish is not a good choice if you have beautiful algae in your aquarium that you wish to keep because the surgeon will devour them.
Surgeonfishes are considered fairly tricky to keep and are not recommended for novice marine aquarists. They can grow fast and it is therefore always important to check the maximal size of it.
How To Take A Care~
If you want to keep surgeon fish you should ideally provide them with an aquarium filled with plenty of live rock and algae. The smallest species, such as Zebrasoma flavescens, can be kept in a 200 L (53 gallon) aquarium. Zebrasoma flavescens is not only small; it is also a peaceful species that can be kept in a community aquarium with other peaceful fishes.
If you wish to keep one of the larger surgeonfishes you will need a 1000 L (275 gallon) aquarium or larger since they can reach a length of 30 cm (1 foot). Large surgeons are typically highly territorial and will not hesitate to use violence to guard their territory. Keeping reveral members of the same species is difficult, unless you have a really large and cleverly decorated aquarium with room for several territories.
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