The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) is one of the most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium industry along with the blue tang, percula clownfish and the flame angelfish. It is also the most popular tang in the surgeon fish family and its very easy to see why. Its entire body is a stunning 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.
Care should be taken when choosing specimens as most tangs and surgeon fish are itch magnets and also susceptible to lateral line erosion.
The yellow tang is heavily traded in the live fish market, with juveniles going for about $30 to $40 while adults retail for about $60 to $70 per specimen.
A peaceful fish, the yellow tang does not normally bully larger or smaller tank mates. Making it an attractive candidate for all aquariums.
When keeping multiple tangs it is important to provide enough space for all of them or there might be aggression between 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.
The Yellow Tang can reach up to 8 inches in length so its best to stick with 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.
Live rock is needed for shelter despite the fact that are a brave "open" swimmer.
The yellow tang grazes on live rock throughout the day as it forms huge shoals in the wild. 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 can either buy seaweed produced and packaged specifically for marine fishes (Julian sprungs sea veggies) or you can go to your local supermarket and buy some nori sheets there. Be sure to get unflavoured nori.
They will normally consume anything that is offered in captivity despite being strict herbivores in the wild. 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. New Life Spectrum produces some excellent pellets for all marine fishes.
Many fish stores can be seen giving their tangs lettuce to nibble on. Never feed your tangs lettuce. Nutritionally they do not offer much to the tang (Iceberg or Romaine lettuce).
No comments:
Post a Comment