Yellow Tang
Zebrasoma flavescens
A bright yellow reef-safe grazer that needs far more swimming space than its size suggests.
Ideal Conditions
- Temperature
- 23 – 27 °C
- pH range
- 8.1 – 8.4
- Salinity
- 1.023 – 1.026 SG
- Adult size
- 15 – 20 cm
- Min. tank size
- 450 litres+
- Lifespan
- 15 – 30 years
- Diet
- Herbivore — marine algae and dried seaweed
- Water flow
- Moderate to high
- Preferred setup
- Long reef aquarium with rockwork and extensive open swimming space
About the Yellow Tang
The Yellow Tang is one of the best-known reef fish in the hobby. It is reef safe and hardy, but it is an open-water grazer that swims continuously, so tank length matters more than any other factor. Aquacultured stock is now widely available.
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Is it right for your tank?
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Where Yellow Tang comes from
Native range
Central Pacific, Hawaiian Islands
Countries / regions
United States, Japan
Habitat
Shallow coral reefs and rocky reef flats where algae grows on hard substrate.
Illustrative native range only, not an occurrence dataset.
Similar species
Blue Tang
Paracanthurus hepatus
Kole Tang
Ctenochaetus strigosus
We’re adding more full species guides as the catalogue grows.
Compatible tank mates
Reviewed guidance based on this species' recorded traits.
- Great
Royal Gramma
Gramma loreto
Occupies caves and overhangs rather than open water, so there is no territorial overlap.
- Great
Yellow Watchman Goby
Cryptocentrus cinctus
A bottom-dwelling burrower that a tang simply ignores.
- Compatible with caution
Flame Angelfish
Centropyge loricula
Both graze and can squabble; workable in a large tank when introduced together.
- Compatible with caution
Blue Tang
Paracanthurus hepatus
Tangs of similar shape often fight; only viable in very large systems introduced simultaneously.
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