Yellow Tang : A guide on the most popular surgeonfish in the marine aquarium hobby

The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) is one of the most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium industry along with the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (percula, Ocellaris) and the flame angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus). It is also the most popular tang in the surgeonfish family and its very easy to see why. The entire fish is colored a bright pastel like yellow.

The yellow tang is commonly collected from Hawaii and the nearby islands. Once acclimated the yellow tang is a hardy fish that is peaceful with other fishes (Outside of the tang family) which makes it a popular choice for community aquariums. All tangs are very susceptible to marine ich and lateral line erosion so choose your specimens wisely. A heavily collected species, the yellow tang fetches about $30-$40  for smaller individuals while larger ones are priced in the $60-$70  range.

The yellow tang is a relatively peaceful fish that is not prone to bullying other species of fish large or small. Making it an attractive candidate for all aquariums. It can be aggressive towards other members of the tang family but such cases are normally alleviated with providing ample space for all of them.

As shoaling fish they will play “follow the leader” in larger marine aquariums. When planning on keeping multiple yellow tangs it is essential that they all be introduced at the same time.

Yellow tangs can grow to 8 inches in length so only house the in larger tanks. A 100 gallons is the minimum size while anything upwards of 150 gallons is recommended.

This popular fish is all too often bought when they’re 2 to 3 inches and kept in tanks as small as 30 gallons. They will quickly outgrow such tanks, leaving the owner with the headache of finding a buyer for it, or finding a larger aquarium to house it. They are a brave fish that don’t necessarily require many caves and dark spots for shelter but enough live rock should be provided as they require a place to sleep every night.

In the wild Yellow tangs form large shoals that graze on live rock throughout the day. As such, a large percentage of their diet should be made up of algae. {Ensure they get enough algae based foods in captivity as algae makes up the bulk of their diet in the wild}. They are reef safe (Unlike marine angelfish), making them a popular choice for reef aquariums.

Nori sheets are a good food for these fishes. You have a choice between branded stuff like Julian Sprungs sea veggies or supermarket brands which can be either cheap or expensive. Always get plain, unflavoured nori.

Despite being herbivores in the wild, they are receptive to a wide range of foods in captivity. So they should be fed not just greens but a wide variety of items.

High quality food mixes like formula one and formula two should be offered as well as mysis shrimp and a good pellet food. Highly reputable pellets in the market are like those produced by New Life Spectrum.

Lettuce is commonly seen being fed by fish store’s. Never feed your tangs lettuce. Romaine or iceberg, it doesn’t matter, nutritionally its garbage.