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Reef Fish Guide designation and why
Take it home
The Sailfin tang is a harmless fish and quite abundant. Although it doesn't have a super fast minimum population doubling time (1.4—4.4 years), its populations seem to be sustainable. They are strong fish that are not any more susceptible to diseases than other fishes, but they are more responsive and less harmed by the usual medicines to treat disease giving the Sailfin tang a good chance to survive in the home aquarium.
Distribution
Pacific Ocean: Indonesia to the Hawaiian and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Rapa Island. Even though this fish has a wide range, it is best out of Hawaii, and other eastern Pacific locations. These tangs occur in lagoons and seaward reefs but solitary juveniles are found among rocks or coral of shallow protected, sometimes muddy reefs. When keeping these fish it is important to provide a steady water flow, ample light, and lots of hiding places so the fish feels at home.
Maximum Size
16 inches (40 cm)
Care Requirements
Minimum tank size of 100 gallons is recommended to allow it to swim and graze. It is also important to provide able nooks and crannies so that the fish may hide and feel confident in its new surroundings. Artificial coral and rockwork is especially appreciated by these fish.
Food: In the wild, this fish mostly grazes on algae. It is important to feed the Sailfin tang a diverse diet several times a day in order to keep it healthy and maintain its bright and vivid colors. The best food choice for the Sailfin tang in captivity is a variety of vegetable matter—dried and frozen herbivore foods that contain marine algae and spirulina. Other successful choices include zucchini, broccoli, leaf lettuce, and dried seaweed (nori). It is important to feed this fish often (three times a day) for if it is underfed, it may nip stony corals and possible soft corals (in the reef aquarium).
Compatibility: The Sailfin tang is non-predatory and ignores most other fishes, but it should not be kept with other Sailfin tangs. Your fish will act very territorial if another tang of the same kind is added to a tank with an already established Sailfin.
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