Color Challenge - Wednesday - Yellow: Zebrasoma flavescens - Yellow Tang
A beautiful bright yellow Tang:
The Tang is a sought-after aquarium fish and part of the Acanthuridae family (Surgeonfishes, Tangs, Unicornfishes). Flavescens is a Latin adjective, meaning “yellow”. You can find this beauty in the coral rich areas of lagoons and reefs of the Pacific ocean at a depth of 2-45m. They are mostly harvested in Hawaii by the aquarium industry.
The adult fish are about 20cm in length and a bright yellow during the day but at night the yellow fades and a brown patch in the middle appears and a horizontal white stripe. It has 5 Dorsal soft rays, 23 Anal spines and 22 Anal soft rays.
You will find them in loose groups or single. Spawning takes place during full moon, the males court passing females and either spawn in groups or in a pair.
They are semi-aggressive, hardy, slow growing and long lived. The Tang are herbivorous, feeding mostly on filamentous algae in the wild.
They are an excellent beginners fish for marine aquariums and must be kept in at least a 200l tank. They thrive on a diet of seaweed and high protein meaty food.
All photos were taken with a Samsung Galaxy S7.