The manini is a small surgeonfish in family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Acanthuridae

Acanthuridae

Acanthuridae is the family of surgeonfishes, tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 80 species in six genera, all of which are marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs...

 of order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 Perciformes

Perciformes

The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...

. Its about 5 inches (12.7 cm) long. It is whitish-yellow with zebra

Zebra

Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...

-like black stripes on its side. Its resemblance to a prisoner’s uniform gave it the nicknames of convict surgeonfish and convict tang. Manini is a favorite food fish found in the Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...

 ocean. Like the alogo (Acanthurus lineatus

Acanthurus lineatus

Acanthurus lineatus also known as a Striped Surgeon is a Tang from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 38 cm in length. Like all tangs it is laterally compressed. It is light colored on the underside with blue and yellow stripes on...

), manini are surgeonfishes, because of the sharp blades by their tail fin. They do not use this weapon much.

Manini often swim in schools of thousands. There are two reasons why they have large schools. First, It helps them escape predators. When a large fish attacks a school, they scatter like an explosion. This move confuses the predator and the prey escape. Each manini has another chance at life if they stay with the group. Second, most use their schooling to trap food. They like to feed on thin algae

Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...

 which is fiercely guarded by alogo and damselfish

Damselfish

Damselfish comprise the family Pomacentridae except those of the genera Amphiprion and Premnas. They can grow up to long. While most are marine, a few species inhabit the lower stretches of rivers in freshwater. Damselfish usually have bright colors. in tropical coral reefs, and many of those are...

es. Just the sight of manini get the alogo fired up. A single manini would not have a chance against these predators while a group can succeed. When the alogo chases one manini, the rest of them eat the alogo’s garden of algae.

In aquaria

The peaceful manini requires a tank of at least 70 gallons (265 l) to thrive at full size. It rarely conflicts with other herbivore

Herbivore

Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...

s, though many fish pick on it. In aquaria, it requires a lot of live rock for its algae. It may pick on small soft coral

Coral

Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...

s but is generally reef safe

Reef safe

Reef safe is a distinction used in the saltwater aquarium hobby to indicate that a fish or invertebrate is safe to add to a reef aquarium. There is no fish that is completely reef safe. Every fish that is commonly listed as reef safe are species that usually do not readily consume small fish or...

. Acanthurus triostegus is not commercially bred, so all of these fish in aquaria are taken directly from their native reef habitats.