Have you ever seen a "white yellow tang"?

[Ryan S]

http://www.themarinecenter.com/fish/tangs/yellowtang/

 

"Aberrant colored individuals have been reported that are mostly white, and rarely if ever appear in the trade, commanding astronomical prices."

 

Have you ever seen a mostly white yellow tang? I can't even find a pic of one on google...? I wonder how high "astronomical" means?

[WaterDog]

http://www.themarinecenter.com/fish/tangs/yellowtang/

 

"Aberrant colored individuals have been reported that are mostly white, and rarely if ever appear in the trade, commanding astronomical prices."

 

Have you ever seen a mostly white yellow tang? I can't even find a pic of one on google...? I wonder how high "astronomical" means?

 

I've never actually seen one, but I have read about them, which said that the white tangs actually have something wrong with them. Not really sure on this, but I'd err on the side of caution...

[hlem]

http://glassbox-design.com/2009/pure-white...-oahu-on-video/

[Ryan S]

http://glassbox-design.com/2009/pure-white...-oahu-on-video/

 

nice. It must be so super rare. I wonder what it would sell for. marine center said they have sold them in the past..... $1000? More? I wonder who has one in their reef tank... somebody in the country must right?

Edited January 16, 2010 by Ryan S

[L8 2 RISE]

I would say more like 1500 and up. That is the first I've ever seen a pure white yellow tang in pictures or in person and it's down right gorgeous! I have seen quite a few partially white/black/yellow tangs in pictures and a few in person, IMHO, they're pretty cool, but also for the most part, down right ugly. If you can get copps's attention I'm sure he could give you a lot of info.

[zygote2k]

I saw one back in the late 90's at Roozens. I think it was around $400. That's also when Black Tangs used to sell for around $150.

[copps]

This is a very rare morph of Zebrasoma flavescens that comes out of Hawaii... with the number of yellow tangs collected in Kona (they are by far the most exported species out of Hawaii) these are at most one in a hundred thousand... probably less... I got my first specimen a couple of years ago... here is the fish when I received it...

 

 

 

This fish reverted back to normal color over the course of a few months... in this shot you could see the white patch just about gone...

 

 

I received a second specimen early last year... with a much more clearly defined white area... I knew this fish would probably revert back, but I enjoy documenting these things, as ichthyologists are unable to follow these specimens in the wild... this is the second specimen...

 

 

 

This fish too is just about reverted back ... A few of my Zebrasoma morphs have held their color, but as I've found through many fish families this "xanthic" coloration is always temporary...

 

This small blue angel I got also reverted back to normal color...

 

 

Here is that same blue angel a few months later looking mottled ... it is now a normal color... what causes this no one really knows...

 

 

Copps