Fish · Acanthuridae
Sailfin tang
A large Pacific tang whose dorsal and anal fins are so tall that, when raised, it looks almost as high as it is long. It reaches 40 cm and grows fast: hardy, bold and easy to feed, it is only for very large tanks.
What it needs
Related species
Zebrasoma flavescens
Range recommended by the sheet
Day to day
Choose a lively, well-fleshed specimen that actively searches for food, and quarantine it before adding it. In Zebrasoma, the parasites Cryptocaryon (white spot) and Amyloodinium are common and usual treatments work well (documented for Z. scopas, same genus; no data specific to Z. velifer in the sources consulted).
It needs at least 680-760 L (180-200 gal) and above all a long tank: an adult must be able to swim in a straight line and turn easily at both ends. Provide plenty of live rock to graze on and hide in. It grows fast: do not buy a small one thinking it can stay in a medium tank.
It is aggressive towards its own kind and close relatives but tolerates different fish well. If you want several tangs, introduce them at the same time; in Z. scopas, an established fish defends its territory against newcomers, and the spines make fights dangerous.
Head and lateral line erosion (HLLE) affects Zebrasoma; it is linked to poor water quality and dietary deficiencies (documented for Z. scopas). Stable water, a varied, vitamin-enriched diet and marine seaweed at least three times a week support its immune system and reduce aggression.
In the wild it grazes algal turf and leafy macroalgae. Its pharyngeal teeth, fewer and larger than in other Zebrasoma, are suited to these algae.
In the aquarium, build its menu on plant foods: dried marine algae sheets (nori) on a clip or tied to a rock, spirulina pellets and flakes, frozen herbivore formulas. It also accepts the meaty foods given to other fish, but these should not become the base.
Feed it several times a day and offer marine seaweed at least three times a week.
Tank mates
In detail
The brownish body has broad greyish-brown bars alternating with narrower yellow bars; the dorsal and anal fins are dark with pale bands and the tail ranges from greyish-brown to yellow. The whitish head is covered with yellow spots, with a dark band through the eye. Small juveniles have alternating yellow and black bars. Do not confuse it with Zebrasoma desjardinii, its Indian Ocean and Red Sea cousin, which has a dense pattern of small light-yellow spots on both head and body and pale blue spots on the tail.
It lives in the Pacific, from Christmas Island and Indonesia to Hawaii and the Pitcairn Islands, on lagoon and seaward reefs from the lower surge zone down to 45 m. Adults are usually solitary, sometimes paired; juveniles are also solitary and shelter in branching corals on protected reefs, sometimes in turbid water. It is active by day and grazes algal turf and leafy macroalgae.
Courtship and spawning take place in pairs, from morning to afternoon, often on an ebbing tide. The sources consulted document no captive breeding.
Its Latin name velifer means 'sail-bearing', after its very tall dorsal fin. A retractable spine, sharp as a scalpel, sits on each side of the caudal peduncle. The maximum reported age is 27 years.
Status
WoRMS
AphiaID 712902 · See on WoRMS (opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
Zebrasoma flavescens
Paracanthurus hepatus
Ctenochaetus tominiensis
Zebrasoma flavescens
Paracanthurus hepatus
Ctenochaetus tominiensis
Amphiprion ocellaris
Chrysiptera hemicyanea
Gramma loreto
Nemateleotris magnifica
Pseudanthias squamipinnis
