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 the most popular member of the tang family and it isn't hard to see why. The entire fish is colored a bright pastel like yellow.
This tang hails from Hawaii and its surrounding 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. Care should be taken when choosing specimens as most tangs and surgeonfish are ich magnets and also susceptible to lateral line erosion. A heavily collected species, the yellow tang fetches about $30-$40 for smaller individuals while larger ones are priced in the $60-$70 range.
A peaceful fish, the yellow tang does not normally bully larger or smaller tank mates. 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.
In they wild they are a schooling fish and such behavior can be witnessed in captivity. If more than one is desired they should be introduced into the tank at the same time.
Yellow tangs can grow to 8 inches in length so only house the in larger tanks. Nothing smaller than a 100 gallons should be used, 150 gallon or bigger 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.
Yellow tangs are a schooling fish in the wild that graze on live rock for most of 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. You will see them in both fish-only tanks as well as reef aquariums because the yellow tang is completely reef safe.
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.
While they are strictly vegetarians in the wild, they will normally consume anything that is offered in a saltwater aquarium. So they should be fed not just greens but a wide variety of items.
They should be fed good alga and seafood mixes like Formula One and Formula Two by Ocean Nutrition as well as a good pellet. A good pellet brand to choose would be those made by New Life Spectrum.
Many fish stores can be seen giving their tangs lettuce to nibble on. Never feed your tangs lettuce. Romaine or iceberg, it doesn't matter, nutritionally its garbage.
Roman Veaila is a hobbyist that has kept numerous reef aquariums. In his spare time he writes guides on marine fishes. Visit his hubpage for a more detailed guide on Yellow Tang as well as the always popular Blue Tang Fish.
