The beauty and personality of the Sailfin Tang make it an outstanding addition to a marine aquarium. A member of the surgeonfish family, the Sailfin Tang, also known as Pacific Sailfin Tang, has an oval body shape with several rich, distinctive bold markings. It is brown in color with light freckles on the nose. The body has five, vertical yellow stripes with intricate markings within each stripe. Its tail begins with bright yellow ending with blue highlights.
In the Pacific Ocean, the Sailfin tang is found from Indonesia to the Hawaiian and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Rapa Island. In the Western Indian Ocean it can be encountered in the waters off Mozambique. In other parts of the Indian Ocean you will instead find its close relative Zebrasoma desjardinii.
The Sailfin Tang species is one of the largest members of the genus Zebrasoma Veliferum and will need a minimum tank size of 180 gallons. The Sailfin Tang is reef safe, but will need plenty of space for swimming along with crevices in rocks/ corals for retreat and to sleep.
The Sailfin Tang is relatively peaceful and will get along with a wide variety of non-tang tank mates in a large community aquarium, but should be added last. Keep it singly as it does not mix with others of its same genus. Adults can reach a size of 15 inches.
Diet: Sailfin Tang are known to be herbivores and help keep corals healthy by preventing overgrowth of algae by feeding around them. They are happy to graze along rocks and coral for algae in the ocean. But when in a tank, you will need to provide them with little more nutrients. Dried algae are available to buy and recommended for their tank.
