Look
It is not without reason that the Hawaii Doctor is one of the most popular surgeonfish for a marine aquarium. On the one hand, the fish is due to its unusual shape and bright color very attractive and on the other hand it is relatively easy to keep compared to other saltwater fish.
In addition, a surgeonfish can live up to 20 years. The Hawaiian surgeonfish is more peaceful than most other surgeonfish species and gets along quite well with its peers. In a large tank he can be kept in a group.
Posture recommendation
surgeonfish need space, therefore a single fish should have a tank with more than 500 l. Surgeons clean the aquarium by eating the algae. Algae are their favorite food in general, but they can also be fed with substitute food such as flake food.
If the fish are unusually aggressive, the amount of food should be increased. Full surgeonfish are much more peaceful than hungry ones. Many specimens are also very fond of dandelions. It is important not to add any surgeon fish. Animals added later are sometimes killed.
There should never be a food shortage in the aquarium, surgeonfish react extremely negatively to this. For this reason, always should much food are available, even if this does not do well for some coral species.
In general, the Hawaii surgeonfish is less susceptible to the dots than the palette doctor. A well-structured tank contributes a lot to the happiness of the fish. Plants, corals and retreat areas for the fish should be present in the tank.
Zebrasoma flavescens is very lively and active, so it needs a lot of swimming space. He likes to explore the whole pool and swim through the coral structures. He also likes to nibble off the growth.
gender differences
From a purely visual perspective, the sex of a surgeonfish is difficult to identify, especially when it is a juvenile fish. When the animals are grown, they are males larger than the females. In addition, the males have a fluff on the scalpel.
The Breeding of Surgeons
Breeding marine fish in an aquarium is shaping up often difficult and involves a certain amount of effort. Surgeon fish bred offspring are often whitish at first and then change color. Offspring are very difficult to buy and quite expensive.
You need a lot of luck and really excellent conditions for surgeonfish to reproduce in your own aquarium.
socialization
Surgeon fish show a pronounced territorial behavior and defend their food.
Nevertheless, they are good with me damselfish or wrasse to be socialized. There is often a risk of stress when repositioning a surgeonfish and the animals fight each other. For this reason, tracking an animal is not advisable.
Difficulty level: medium to difficult
Keeping surgeonfish is more for experienced people. Although the surgeonfish rarely get sick, they show a conspicuous behavior and a certain aggression towards other fish if the keeping conditions are not optimal.
Surgeon fish need a lot of space to swim, but at the same time a good coral structure that offers the active animals enough variety. It is very important that surgeonfish are fed very regularly and plentifully. Lack of food is a big problem. Irritated surgeon fish also like to chase the other fish through the tank if something doesn’t suit them.
In addition, the surgeonfish need enough retreats. Therefore surgeonfish are for Not recommended for beginners. There are many types of fish that are much easier to keep.