Superwash treated DK weight yarn with 75% merino wool for softness and warmth and 25% nylon for enhanced durability. It is suitable for approximately 4-5mm needles. About 225 metres per 100g skein. This yarn is presented as a skein. If you would like it caked then this paid-for service adds 24h to the dispatch time.
About the Fish
The Caribbean Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) is a visually striking reef fish. Juveniles are a vivid yellow with blue-tinged eyes and highlights along the fins but as they mature, their colouration dramatically changes to purplish blue, with adults showing a solid blue and dark purple coloration. Adults have scalpel-like spines on each side of the tail base, used for defense. They forage during daylight hours and seek refuge in reef crevices at night to evade predators.
They may form large multi-species grazing aggregations with other surgeonfish like doctorfish and ocean surgeonfish when foraging across the reef. Aggressive and territorial interactions are most common among adults toward conspecifics or similar species, especially in resource-rich reef locations. These fish have a crucial ecological role as herbivores on coral reefs. They use small but sharp teeth to graze algae from reef surfaces and rocky outcrops, helping prevent algal overgrowth allowing new coral larvae to settle and grow. Without such grazers, algae could suffocate corals.
Reproduction typically occurs in groups over patchy sandy substrates adjacent to reef areas with spawning taking place at dawn or dusk. During this time, adults shift from a uniform blue to a two-tone pattern to signal readiness. During “spawning rushes,” several females and fewer males break away from the aggregation, releasing eggs and sperm into the water column in a behavior known as broadcast spawning. This simultaneous release increases the chances of fertilisation while minimizing egg predation on the reef. The fertilized eggs are swept away by currents, developing in open water before settling as larvae in more sheltered, inshore areas like dead coral rubble or mangroves.