Fine Lined Bristletooth Tang

The fine lined bristletooth tang, Ctenochaetus striatus, has fine pale-blue lines over a brown body. Its specialised teeth brush edible material from surfaces, making mature rockwork an important feeding habitat as well as a place to retreat.

Provide room to swim around extensive grazing areas. Offer balanced marine foods containing both plant material and protein, with suitable algae foods as part of the routine. Bristletooths consume biofilm and its associated organisms; visible algae alone is not a complete diet, and hair-algae removal is not guaranteed.

Similar tangs may be challenged over space or grazing surfaces. Plan the community and introductions accordingly, while ensuring timid fish can still reach food. Handle carefully around the sharp tail spine, and avoid narrow rock gaps that restrict an adult surgeonfish's movement.