Mimic Lemonpeel Tang Care Guide
Acanthurus pyroferus is an Indo-Pacific surgeonfish whose juveniles mimic Centropyge angelfish; adults are yellowish-brown and reach 29 cm.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Acanthurus pyroferus, the chocolate or mimic surgeonfish of the family Acanthuridae, is yellowish-brown with a white band around the mouth, a dark band from chin to operculum and orange patches at the pectoral fin bases. Juveniles famously mimic Centropyge angelfish. FishBase records a maximum total length of 29 cm.
Taxonomy
- Family: Acanthuridae
- Genus: Acanthurus
- Scientific name: Acanthurus pyroferus
- Described by: Kittlitz, 1834
Habitat
The species is marine and reef-associated across the Indo-Pacific, from the Seychelles to the Marquesas and Tuamotu islands, north to southern Japan and south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. It lives solitarily on lagoon and seaward reefs in areas of mixed coral, rock or sand, with FishBase recording depths of 0-60 m, usually 5-40 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 600 L (158 gal)
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Carbonate hardness: 8-12 dKH
- Strong water flow
- Lifespan: 10-25 years
Diet
Acanthurus pyroferus feeds on algae and detritus in the wild. In aquaria it should be offered marine algae and dried seaweed several times daily to maintain its grazing diet.
Compatibility
A semi-aggressive, diurnal mid-water swimmer, this species is typically solitary on the reef. Juveniles mimic Centropyge angelfish — C. flavissima in central and eastern Pacific areas and C. vrolikii in western areas — and juveniles bear venomous grooved spines that adults lose. Wrasses, clownfish, angelfish and sturdy triggerfish make suitable tankmates, while other tangs of similar shape should be avoided in smaller systems.
Reef compatibility
The species does not consume coral and is considered reef-safe. Maintain carbonate hardness of 8-12 dKH and specific gravity of 1.024-1.026.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed in 2010 via FishBase.
Mimic Lemonpeel Tang (Acanthurus pyroferus): Breeding Guide
Overview
The Mimic Lemonpeel Tang, Acanthurus pyroferus, ranges through the Indo-Pacific from the Seychelles to the Marquesas and Tuamotu islands, north to southern Japan and south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. FishBase gives a maximum total length of 29 cm and a depth range of 0 to 60 m, typically 5 to 40 m. A striking feature is juvenile mimicry: per FishBase, juveniles mimic Centropyge angelfishes, resembling C. flavissimus in Guam but C. vrolikii in Palau where that angelfish is absent.
Adults lose the bright juvenile coloration and become dusky. No record exists of this tang being bred in captivity.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
FishBase does not provide species-specific spawning details for A. pyroferus. As an Acanthurus surgeonfish it is a pelagic broadcast spawner: the genus generally spawns at dusk in short pair- or group-spawning ascents near the seaward reef edge, with spawning often tied to warming water and lunar phases so that currents disperse the eggs.
Spawning is a brief open-water gamete release with external fertilization and no nest. The juvenile angelfish mimicry is an antipredator adaptation and is unrelated to a manageable breeding behavior.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs are pelagic and buoyant, hatching into transparent acronurus larvae that drift in open water. As in other surgeonfishes, this planktonic phase can last more than 39 days before the larva settles and metamorphoses.
Because the larvae depend on an extended ocean drift and natural plankton, they cannot be reared in a closed aquarium. Surgeonfish larviculture has only been attempted in research aquaculture.
Common Challenges
- Gametes are released into open water, so there is no clutch or nest to protect.
- The juvenile Centropyge mimicry offers no benefit to a breeder and does not simplify pairing.
- Pelagic acronurus larvae need weeks of ocean plankton drift that tanks cannot provide.