Can you believe it’s been four wonderful years since the aquacultured fish world was changed forever? Every year that goes by is a huge step for aquaculture. I remember more than a decade ago when we would get excited about clownfish that were bred in captivity. It seemed almost impossible to convince people to pay more for them but that never stopped us from trying. People were always skeptical about it. I never understood why though. An aquacultured fish is a miracle in itself. Lets think about it for a minute. People have to figure out the perfect breeding conditions. Then they have to figure out what to feed the baby fish to help them grow up strong. Then they have to figure out how to repeat the process over and over. I am way over simplifying this but I think you get it, right?

Lets get back to Tango the Tang and his birthday. Why did the aquaculture world change forever when they had success with Tangs?  Aquacultured fish were gaining momentum in prior years but they were still a harder sell than wild caught due to the price tag and limited species that were produced on a commercial level. 2015 and 2016 were big years because they successfully raised the Yellow Tang and the Blue Hippo Tang! Two of the most popular tangs in the saltwater industry were successfully raised by the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii (Yellow Tang) and the University of Florida Tropical Lab (Blue Tang). This is when I knew that aquacultured fish could really be the future. These two iconic fish excited people more then a clownfish or the very few other commercially available species.

Tango resides at our store and is doing swimmingly. He is one of 27 that were successfully bred in 2016 and I haven’t heard of any other documented successes with them but I’m sure there are people hard at work trying to repeat this amazing feat. Tango is a typical skittish blue tang although I have noticed that he will let you stand closer to his 120 gallon aquarium while he eats. He loves my Dad and will come up to the top and hang out with him. He will come and see me only if I have food. He despises change and hates water changes. He hides out in the corner behind his sponge filter house when we do anything with his home. He lives with an aquacultured Coral Beauty and an aquacultured fire shrimp. He used to live with two clownfish but when they decided they were ready lay eggs they got aggressive. They now reside in their own 80 gallon aquarium. We have had birthday parties for him every year. This year is different due to the lock down and social distancing so I decided to write about him instead.

What does a birthday party for a fish look like?

On his first birthday we went all out with cupcakes, cookies, and drinks for guests. we decorated the store with streamers, banners, and signs. We had a “photo booth” type of setup where you could use different props and get pics taken with Tango. Industry leaders sent him gifts, I wrote about him on my blog, and there was a whole lot of buzz about him and his family. There was also of course, a raffle to raise money for Rising Tide Conservation, the nonprofit that played a big part in both tang successes and so much more. The second year looked pretty much the same but we added games for the kids. Last year wasn’t as big but still a pretty big deal. This year there is an article about him while we wait out this virus. Next year he will be five and that is a tremendously huge deal! I can only imagine the party we will throw.

Here is a blog post, and video all about Tango our beautiful Aquacultured Pacific Blue Tang.

Read Tangos Story Here-   https://www.colchesterpet.com/fish-r-friends/the-story-of-tango-the-tang

Tango’s arrival- https://youtu.be/2vKFMtBRenE

Thank you for reading and please wish our beautiful tang a happy Birthday in the comments. Have you ever had a birthday for your fish? Please tell us about it.