ExploreFish

Yellow Tang

Zebrasoma flavescens

The Yellow Tang is a bright yellow fish that is very popular in aquariums. It has a friendly personality and loves to eat seaweed.

Habitat: Coral reefs

Appearance

The Yellow Tang is a striking, disc-shaped fish with a vibrant, uniform yellow body. It has a small, pointed snout, a prominent dorsal fin, and a sharp, retractable scalpel-like spine on each side of its tail base, making it visually distinct.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassActinopterygiiOrderPerciformesFamilyAcanthuridaeGenusZebrasoma

Yellow Tang

Interesting facts

At night, the Yellow Tang's vibrant yellow fades slightly, sometimes showing a brownish patch!

They use their small, specialized mouths like tiny vacuum cleaners to scrape algae off rocks!

Though usually yellow, some tangs can temporarily display a darker, mottled pattern when stressed!

Wild Yellow Tangs play a vital role in keeping coral reefs clean and growing strong!

Special abilities

Yellow Tang has a sharp, retractable scalpel on its tail that helps them defend against predators.

Yellow Tang can flatten its body to expertly maneuver through tight coral reef spaces, avoiding predators.

Yellow Tang can graze on algae with its small mouth because it helps keep coral reefs healthy and clean.

Measurements & details

Length: 10-20 cm
Weight: 0.1-0.2 kg
Lifespan: 5-10 years
Swim Speed: 5 km/h
Max Depth: 60 m
Water Type: Saltwater

Diet & Feeding

Yellow Tangs are herbivores, happily munching on algae to keep coral reefs clean and healthy.

Primary Foods

filamentous algae
diatoms
cyanobacteria
macroalgae

Foraging Method

Grazing

Ecological connections

eaten by

Giant Trevally

Caranx ignobilis

a common predator of smaller reef fish.

eaten by

Leopard Coralgrouper

Plectropomus leopardus

ambushes them from coral crevices.

depends on

Yellow Porites Coral

Porites lutea

shelters within its branches and feeds on nearby algae.

eats

Coral Alga

Halimeda opuntia

grazes on various types of algae that grow on rocks.

Traits

Wildlife

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Social

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Herbivorous

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Speedster

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Aquatic

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