All fish / Acanthuridae

Yellow Tang

Zebrasoma flavescens

Also known as yellow tang, yellow surgeonfish, hawaiian yellow tang, lemon peel tang, yellow sailfin tang, yellow tang fish, ปลาขี้ตังเบ็ดเหลือง, キイロハギ, 黄高鳍刺尾鱼, 黄金吊, 黄三角吊

A bright lemon-yellow, disc-shaped surgeonfish with tall dorsal and anal fins and a white scalpel-like spine near the tail. It is one of the most popular reef aquarium fish because of its vivid colour, hardiness once settled and habit of grazing nuisance algae off rockwork.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

18 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Singly, or a group added together in a very large tank

Diet

Herbivore: marine algae sheets (nori), spirulina-based pellets and flakes, plus some mysis or brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 30 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Central and western Pacific, chiefly Hawaii, also Ryukyu, Mariana and Marshall Islands

Breeding

Pairs or groups spawn in open water, releasing tiny pelagic eggs whose larvae spend weeks in the plankton. Captive breeding was long impossible but the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii succeeded in 2015, and some captive-bred fish are now sold, though home breeding remains impractical.

Good to know

Needs plenty of swimming room and can be aggressive towards other tangs, especially similar-shaped Zebrasoma; the tail spine can cut hands and tankmates. Hawaii has restricted collection for the trade, so captive-bred specimens are a good choice where available.