🐠 White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus flavicauda)
A Deep Brown-Reddish Body With Orange Spots • A Crisp, Contrasting White Tail • An Efficient Film-Algae Grazer
 
📋 The White Tail Bristletooth Tang, also known as the Whitetail Bristletooth or Redspotted Tang, has a distinctive deep brown-to-reddish body with orange spots streaming into lines, contrasted against its namesake crisp white tail, with the outer part of the eye ringed in bright yellow. A note on identification: juveniles of this species are often confused with Tomini and Kole Tangs, but this species is distinguished by a solid, crisp white tail sharply contrasted against the darker body, rather than a cream or yellowish tail, with no strong orange or yellow on the dorsal and anal fins.
It comes from the Central Pacific, particularly around the Marshall Islands, Line, Society, Rapa, and Austral Islands, inhabiting shallow coral reefs, coral slope drop-offs, and sheltered coastal lagoons at depths of 1 to 27 metres, found singularly or in small groups of 6 to 10 individuals. Every White Tail Bristletooth Tang we ship is feeding well.
It uses specialised bristle-like teeth, capable of moving individually, to sift, sort, and scrape film algae and detritus from rocks, glass, and coral, making it a valuable natural algae grazer for a reef aquarium. Despite its smaller size, it benefits from a reasonably sized tank to reduce potential aggression, and it's territorial toward other tangs, particularly those with a similar body shape or feeding niche. It's fully reef safe, and it needs a constant supply of marine-based seaweed and algae to strengthen its immune system and reduce aggression. It reaches up to 15cm, so plan on at least 285L.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Brown-Reddish Body With a Crisp White Tail: A distinctive, easily identified bristletooth
🔍 A Naming Overlap Worth Knowing: Juveniles are often confused with Tomini and Kole Tangs
🦷 Independently Moving Bristle Teeth: Sifts and sorts film algae and detritus
🌿 Fully Reef Safe: A valuable natural algae grazer
🍽️ Ships Feeding Well: A steady supply of seaweed keeps it thriving