🐠 Yellow Eyed Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus)
Marine Reef-Safe Bristletooth Tang • Maroon-to-Purple Oval Body With Faint Horizontal Stripes & a Bold Yellow Eye Ring • Genuinely Restricted From Collection in Hawaii • Beginner-Friendly Marine Fish
 
📋 We want to be genuinely upfront: this species has a genuinely limited natural distribution around the Hawaiian Islands, and has genuinely become unavailable to order from Hawaiian sources due to a suspension of collecting in Hawaiian waters that began in early 2021 — a real factor behind increased demand and pricing for this species.
 
📋 The Yellow Eyed Kole Tang, also known as the Kole Tang, Striped Bristletooth, Goldring Bristletooth, or Yelloweye Surgeonfish, has a genuinely deep maroon-to-purple oval body with faint horizontal stripes and a bold yellow ring around the eye, distinguishing it from similar species such as the Gold-Ring Spotted Bristletooth Tang. Juveniles genuinely display a yellow-gold to tan body with stripes and spots, darkening into this sophisticated adult colouration with maturity.
Native to the Indo-Pacific, this species genuinely uses specialised bristle-like teeth to rasp diatoms and detritus from rocks, making it a genuinely excellent natural algae grazer.
We want to share a genuinely fascinating fact: this species undergoes real documented nocturnal colour changes, developing pale patches and an overall lighter appearance while sleeping, likely as camouflage against nocturnal predators — this is genuinely completely normal and the fish returns to its usual colouration within minutes of the lights turning on. This is genuinely one of the hardiest, most peaceful tangs available, though it can be territorial toward other similarly shaped tangs, so only one is generally recommended per tank. It's fully reef safe, though we want to be honest it may occasionally pick at fleshy coral polyps or clam mantles.
 
🟤🟡 Highlights
🎨 Maroon-Purple Body With a Yellow Eye Ring: A genuinely iconic, beloved bristletooth tang
🌺 Genuinely Restricted From Hawaiian Collection: A real supply factor since 2021
🎨 Genuine Documented Nocturnal Colour Change: Pales while sleeping as natural camouflage
🌿 Fully Reef Safe: A genuinely excellent natural algae grazer
💪 Genuinely Hardy & Peaceful: One of the easiest tangs to keep