Pin-striped Surgeon (Acanthurus nubilus)

Pin-striped Surgeon Acanthurus nubilus
Name	Pin-striped Surgeon
Name Lat.	Acanthurus nubilus
Family	Surgeonfishes
Family lat.	Acanthuridae
Order	Surgeonfishes
Order lat.	Acanthuriformes
Origin	Indo-Pacific
Habitat	Intermediate zone
Diet	Planktivore
pH	8.1-8.4
Hardness	8-10 °KH
Behavior	Semi-aggressive
Keeping	Individual
Reef Compatible	With caution
Care Level	Difficult
Life Span	N/A
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	25 cm
Temperature	22-28 °C
Salinity	33-36 ‰
Aquarium	~ 750 l
US Units
Size	10"
Temperature	72-82 °F
Salinity	1.020-1.025 sg
Aquarium	~ 200 gal

Distribution and habitat

The range of Acanthurus nubilus is the Indo-Pacific and Pacific Oceans, from Indonesia and the Philippines to the Central Pacific, where they prefer to live on steeply sloping outer reefs in open water.

Maintenance

They require a well-structured aquarium with plenty of swimming space and a reef structure (hiding, resting and retreat possibilities) with living stones which they can graze on and which act like a biological filter. Only lime-rich, heavy metal-free sands, gravels, stones or sea sand of various grain sizes may be used as substrate

Filters, skimmers and heaters are necessary to ensure water quality, as well as pumps to simulate tides, swells and bottom currents. Lighting must correspond to the species-appropriate day-night rhythm of the animals

Salinity: 33-36 ‰	pH value: 8.1-8.4
Carbonate hardness: 8-10 °KH	Nitrate content: 2-8 mg/l
phosphate content: 0.01-0.1 mg/l	nitrite content: 0.0-0.05 mg/l

For salinity, an average value should be aimed for, which may only vary slightly by +/- 0.5 ‰. Ammonia and ammonium must not be measurable. Special attention must be paid to constantly good water quality.

Diet

In nature they feed mainly on zooplankton. The feed change usually succeeds without problems. The food supply should consist of a commercially available, vitamin-enriched frozen special food mix for plankton eaters or live and frozen food, such as mysis, artemia, krill and bosmids as well as cyclops. In addition, they need plenty of commercially available algae and kelp (e.g. nori, caulerpa, kelp) supplemented with high-quality flake or granulated food for herbivores. The plant food strengthens their immune system and reduces aggression. Fine coral sand serves as a digestive aid for them

It is recommended to feed small portions several times a day. Regular and varied feeding promotes health and increases resistance.

Behaviour and compatibility

It is recommended to keep them individually. They behave very territorial within the species and towards other surgeonfishes. Keeping them in pairs is only possible in a much larger and richly structured tank. Towards other fishes they behave peacefully.

Sex dimorphism

There are no known external distinguishing characteristics.

Reproduction and breeding

There are no known reports of successful breeding in the aquarium.

Important

A characteristic feature of surgeonfishes is the scalpel located on either side of the caudal peduncle, which can be unfolded from its pocket by bending the body.

As coral reef dwellers, they should not be maintained in a fish-only aquarium. With varied and frequent feeding, they can be maintained in challenging coral tanks without serious coral encroachment.

If different species are kept together, care should be taken to match the fish in terms of water quality and temperature requirements, as well as their social behavior, and to ensure that the setup meets the needs of all species kept together. New fish to be introduced must be acclimated slowly to the water in the aquarium.

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Werner Winter; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: KUITER, DEBELIUS (2007): Atlas der Meeresfische: Die Fische an den Küsten der Weltmeere, Kosmos Verlag; BAENSCH & DEBELIUS (2006): Meerwasser Atlas Bd. 1, Mergus Verlag; ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch

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