Alan Sutton, Tansania
Info
Paracanthurus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Paracanthurus hepatus is the only species of the genus Paracanthurus that belongs to the family of surgeonfishes. Pallet Doctors prefer to live in outer reefs, as juveniles also in shoals. Adults live in pairs or singly.
Unlike other surgeonfishes, which mostly live on algae growth, the pallet surgeonfish preys on plankton in the open water.
This very beautiful surgeonfish Paracanthurus hepatus is usually quite good to socialize with other animals (invertebrates).
The only factor to consider is food envy.
Pallet surgeonfishes are permanent swimmers and especially permanent eaters. As it is typical for surgeonfishes, they have to eat all the time, i.e. they have to find an always available food supply. They are not frugal algae eaters, but very active plankton hunters, and they selectively choose from a wide range of foods, preferring not only phytoplankton but also crustaceans of all sizes, if they can handle them.
Nevertheless, I think it is worth mentioning that there can always be attacks on invertebrates (example Xenia, Acropora). This is often the case when the animals are bored !
The big disadvantage, in our opinion, is that it very often gets spots when put in, which indicates a certain susceptibility to disease. However, this applies equally to the stress factor. Full fish are usually less stressed than those that are not. It is therefore advisable to use a UV system continuously.
It is better to always use a very small fish, they do not get sick as quickly as large specimens and usually recover faster.
But keep in mind... the fish grows and grows and should at least have a tank with more than 1000 liters for juveniles and more than 2000 liters for adults. Only very small few centimeters pallet doctors can do well in a few 100 liters for a short time.
From this species (mostly !) several animals can be used well at the same time. Here applies as always that the basin must be large enough. If the tank is too small, it can certainly go wrong, especially if you restock.
A good friend of ours, veterinarian Harald Mülder, had to get a pair out of a 1000 liter tank because they simply became too big. Therefore, a much larger tank would be more animal-friendly, ideally beyond the 2,000 liter mark.
Synonymised names
Acanthurus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1766) · unaccepted
Acanthurus theuthis Lacepède, 1802 · unaccepted
Paracanthurus theuthis (Lacepède, 1802) · unaccepted
Teuthis hepatus Linnaeus, 1766 · unaccepted
Paracanthurus hepatus is the only species of the genus Paracanthurus that belongs to the family of surgeonfishes. Pallet Doctors prefer to live in outer reefs, as juveniles also in shoals. Adults live in pairs or singly.
Unlike other surgeonfishes, which mostly live on algae growth, the pallet surgeonfish preys on plankton in the open water.
This very beautiful surgeonfish Paracanthurus hepatus is usually quite good to socialize with other animals (invertebrates).
The only factor to consider is food envy.
Pallet surgeonfishes are permanent swimmers and especially permanent eaters. As it is typical for surgeonfishes, they have to eat all the time, i.e. they have to find an always available food supply. They are not frugal algae eaters, but very active plankton hunters, and they selectively choose from a wide range of foods, preferring not only phytoplankton but also crustaceans of all sizes, if they can handle them.
Nevertheless, I think it is worth mentioning that there can always be attacks on invertebrates (example Xenia, Acropora). This is often the case when the animals are bored !
The big disadvantage, in our opinion, is that it very often gets spots when put in, which indicates a certain susceptibility to disease. However, this applies equally to the stress factor. Full fish are usually less stressed than those that are not. It is therefore advisable to use a UV system continuously.
It is better to always use a very small fish, they do not get sick as quickly as large specimens and usually recover faster.
But keep in mind... the fish grows and grows and should at least have a tank with more than 1000 liters for juveniles and more than 2000 liters for adults. Only very small few centimeters pallet doctors can do well in a few 100 liters for a short time.
From this species (mostly !) several animals can be used well at the same time. Here applies as always that the basin must be large enough. If the tank is too small, it can certainly go wrong, especially if you restock.
A good friend of ours, veterinarian Harald Mülder, had to get a pair out of a 1000 liter tank because they simply became too big. Therefore, a much larger tank would be more animal-friendly, ideally beyond the 2,000 liter mark.
Synonymised names
Acanthurus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1766) · unaccepted
Acanthurus theuthis Lacepède, 1802 · unaccepted
Paracanthurus theuthis (Lacepède, 1802) · unaccepted
Teuthis hepatus Linnaeus, 1766 · unaccepted
