Yellow Tang Wild

Yellow Tang (Wild) or Yellow Sailfin Tang, was by far the most popular tang in the hobby. As well as being one of the most popular fish overall. Sadly however, there is now a ban on fish collection in Hawaii. As yet nobody knows how long it will be before the ban overturns, and that’s if it ever does.

The fish are not rare in the wild. The ban is more political than ethical; you are still able to spear fish as many fish as you want in Hawaii, any species. So yellow tangs, for now have become an expensive fish. The odd few that have arrived in the trade are really expensive from the suppliers. The American market has the first pick and that market is snapping them all up. There are tank bred yellow tangs available, but we expect these to become more expensive rather than cheaper as now there is no wild fish price making the tank bred price look mental. So we will all have to wait and see what happens, but for now that’s just how it is.

Yellow sailfin tang

Yellow sailfin tang, Zebrasoma flavescens. Hawaiian islands, Micronesia and Ogasawara islands. This species co-occurs with the closely related Zebrasoma scopas in Micronesia and southern Japan where they inter-breed. Although they are possibly sub-specific or even just geographical variants, the Xanthic form is best served as a separate taxon. It occurs in shallow protected waters, forming large schools in Hawaii and Guam. Juvenile yellow tangs are usually solitary amongst corals. In southern Japan this species occurs in mixed groups with Z. scopas and the two species may actually be a Xanthic form of Z. scopas. In the Pyroferus are common and rare Xanthic juveniles of Acanthurus pyroferus are common and rare Xanthic forms in other fishes, such as kyphosids, are a regular occurrence. Some brown individuals from Okinawa changed to yellow in the Toba aquarium. Length to 20cm

Tank bred yellow tangs or Zebrasoma Flavescens now available