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Yellow Tang
Tang

Yellow Tang

Zebrasoma flavescens

The iconic disc-shaped bright-yellow tang and a reef-community centerpiece. It is a peaceful-looking herbivore that turns territorial toward other tangs and toward fish added after it, so it should go in last and one tang per genus is the rule. It reaches a genuine 20 cm and is an active swimmer that needs open water — the tank floor is contested, but plan for a long footprint, not a nano.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
7.9"
Min tank
100 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Herbivore
Zone
Mid-water, Open water
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Yellow Tang gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Sailfin TangYellow Tang and Sailfin Tang are the same genus (Zebrasoma) and will fight — keep only one.Purple TangYellow Tang and Purple Tang are the same genus (Zebrasoma) and will fight — keep only one.Convict TangAn established yellow tang will usually pick on a convict tang added later — the convict is the peaceful one and takes the beating. Workable only in a long tank with lots of grazing algae, and best if both are introduced at the same time.Scopas TangYellow Tang and Scopas Tang are the same genus (Zebrasoma) and will fight — keep only one.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellow Tang.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellow Tang.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellow Tang.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellow Tang.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellow Tang.Desjardini Sailfin TangYellow Tang and Desjardini Sailfin Tang are the same genus (Zebrasoma) and will fight — keep only one.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishYellow Tang and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blue DamselYellow Tang and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselYellow Tang and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishYellow Tang and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishYellow Tang and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishYellow Tang and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishYellow Tang and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishYellow Tang and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Helfrich's FirefishYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Helfrich's Firefish and may harass it.Red Sea ClownfishYellow Tang and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yasha GobyYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yasha Goby and may harass it.Tailspot BlennyYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.Powder Blue TangYellow Tang and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishYellow Tang and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow Clown GobyYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Neon GobyYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Neon Goby and may harass it.Threadfin CardinalfishYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Threadfin Cardinalfish and may harass it.Clark's ClownfishYellow Tang and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Tomato ClownfishYellow Tang and Tomato Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.