Tangs (Surgeonfish)About Tangs
- Zebrasoma flavescens -
Easily distinguishable from other marine fish by their oval-shaped body with eyes set high up on their forehead and extremely vibrant and pure colours, tangs have become some of the most popular and widely available marine fish available. As a form of defence tangs have a sharp, scalpel-like spine on each side of the caudal peduncle which can be used as a weapon against other fish invading its territory or the careless aquarist; hence the name Surgeonfish.
As algae are usually found in areas of strong currents and highly oxygenated water, tangs are powerful swimmers used to battling against tidal forces while in search for food (note that most tangs have a protruding mouth – this is used to collect food from hard to reach nooks and holes in rocks etc.). As a general rule only one specimen should be kept in a tank of 48inches (120cm) or less otherwise disputes may break out. Despite this tangs make an excellent community fish when kept with other species of a similar size.