All fish / Acanthuridae

Sailfin Tang

Zebrasoma velifer

Also known as sailfin tang, pacific sailfin tang, sailfin surgeonfish, veliferum tang, sailfin tang zebrasoma, yes, ヒレナガハギ, 高鳍刺尾鱼, 横带高鳍刺尾鱼

A tall, disc-shaped surgeonfish with huge dorsal and anal fins that it can raise like sails, marked with alternating dark and pale vertical bands and fine yellow spots. Hobbyists keep it for its striking display and its useful habit of grazing nuisance algae in reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

700 litres

Keep as

Singly, or with other tang species only in very large tanks

Diet

Herbivore: nori and other marine algae, spirulina-based foods, plus some mysis and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Central and western Pacific, from Indonesia and the Philippines to Hawaii and French Polynesia

Breeding

It spawns in pairs or groups in open water, releasing tiny pelagic eggs, and the larvae spend a long time drifting in plankton. Captive breeding is very rare and almost all specimens in the trade are wild caught.

Good to know

Grows to around 30 to 40 cm and needs a long tank with plenty of swimming space; it can be aggressive towards other tangs, especially Zebrasoma species. The Red Sea sailfin tang (Zebrasoma desjardinii) is a close look-alike, and the name Zebrasoma veliferum is an older spelling of Z. velifer.