The yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) along with the blue tang (paracanthurus Hepatus), percula clownfish (ocellaris and percula), Flame Angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus) and the royal gramma (Gramma Loreto), makeup the 5 most recognizable fishes in the hobby. It is also the most popular tang in the surgeonfish family and its very easy to see why. Its entire body is a brilliant pastel 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. 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.
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.
In they wild they are a schooling fish and such behavior can be witnessed in captivity. When planning on keeping multiple yellow tangs it is essential that they all be introduced at the same time.
The Yellow Tang can reach up to 8 inches in length so its best to stick with larger tanks. While a 150 gallon or larger tank is recommended, they can housed in a 100 gallon aquarium.
They are sometimes bought by unwary hobbyists at sizes as small as 2 inches where they are placed in aquariums 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. They feed mainly on algae so such foods should be offered frequently. Ensure they get enough algae based foods in captivity as algae makes up the bulk of their diet in the wild. Unlike marine angelfish, they are completely reef safe and do not bother corals, one of the reasons why they're so popular in marine reef aquariums.
Seaweed/Nori sheets are a great food for tangs. You have a choice between branded stuff like Julian Sprungs sea veggies or supermarket brands which can be either cheap or expensive. Be sure to get unflavoured nori.
Despite being herbivores in the wild, they are receptive to a wide range of foods in captivity. So go ahead and feed them a good variety of items, not just greens.
They should be fed good alga and seafood mixes like Formula One and Formula Two by Ocean Nutrition as well as a good pellet. New Life Spectrum produces some excellent pellets for all marine fishes.
I see a lot of fish stores feeding yellow tangs lettuce on a clip. Here's a tip. Never feed your tangs lettuce. Romaine or iceberg, it doesn't matter, nutritionally its garbage.
