Scientific Name:
Zebrasoma veliferum (Bloch, 1797)
Other Common Names:
SailfinTang/Surgeon.
Distribution:
Coral Sea, Fiji, Indo-Pacific, Tahiti.
Identification:
In the juvenile stage the body is of a medium brown color, the stripes are a bright yellow color, with some of the bright yellow color distributed through its fins, tail, and nose. When in the adult stage the body is a brownish-olive color, and the yellow stripes turn a pail yellow, with a golden yellow tail.
Maximum Size:
To 15".
Characteristics & Compatibility:
Like most fish in the Surgeon Fish Family, they are a fish that do not play well with other Sailfin Tangs. They are very territorial, so if you put two of them together they will fight. Because of the razor/spur by the tail, when they fight they will cut each other up. We advise not putting more than one to a tank.
Diet & Feeding:
The Sailfin Tang adjusts well to aquarium life, adapting easily to basic tank fed foods like flake food, shrimp, Nori (sheets of dried kelp), just to name a few. We find they will eat just about anything, but being more of a herbivore, they prefer greens.
Minimum Tank Size:
100 gallons for adults.
Reef Tank Suitable?:
Yes.
Guide Notes:
We give this fish a ** (Two Star) Fish Care Rating Level.
Like most fish in the Surgeon Fish Family, they are a fish that do not play well with other Sailfin Tangs. They are very territorial, so if you put two of them together they will fight. Because of the razor/spur by the tail, when they fight they will cut each other up. We advise not putting more than one to a tank.
The habitat of this fish is in shallower waters outside the reef at about 10-20 feet. Areas in the reef with large stones, or crevice type terrain, are a likely place to find them.
This is a fish we highly recommend as an addition to your saltwater aquarium, especially if you have room for a large adult in a Showsize tank.
