The palette surgeonfish is the bright blue reef fish everyone knows as "Dory". It's a shoal fish that shares water settings with clownfish, so the two together make the perfect family-friendly reef tank.
Fun facts for your education board
- Juveniles are yellow. Adults turn the familiar bright blue.
- They can live for around 30 years.
- The first captive breeding success came in 2016.
Water
- Salt water
- 23–28 °C. 26 °C suits them and their usual tankmates.
Habitat or exhibit
- A reef habitat with clownfish and bannerfish. My trio needed about 95 m² of water.
- A large round exhibit can also hold palette surgeonfish, alongside clownfish, moon jellies or other small fish.
Reef decoration
Palette surgeonfish want reef decor: coral rocks, coral pieces and eel grass. Follow the same coral building steps as for clownfish. Stack reef rocks, vary the rotation, and use align to surface.
Shoals
Surgeonfish are a shoal species. A shoal's needs are a little different from single fish:
- Temperature
- Salinity
- Safety (no predators that will eat them)
- Cleanliness
If you add sharks or other big predators, check the cohabitation list. Predation in aquariums does happen ("predation occurring" alert).
Tips
- Use the exhibit backdrops and decorations to make small round exhibits look like a slice of reef.
- Put a "Dory" sign or fact board near the tank. It gets families stopping to look.