Yellow Tangs are one of the five most popular fish in the marine hobby along with the Percula Clownfish, Blue Tang, Flame Angelfish and Royal Gramma.
They are the most common Surgeonfish along with the blue tang. Their bright, vibrant color makes an excellent addition to any reef aquarium and frequently used in advertisements and marketing in the aquarium industry.
Their bright yellow color is second to none and they possess no other markings except for a small white blade on its dorsal fin which is only used during fighting.
The yellow tang is prevalent in Hawaii and surrounding islands and swim in huge shoals. Divers who dive in the area regularly witnesses their schooling behavior and marvel at their beauty.
In the tank, Yellow tangs are prone to marine ich and lateral line erosion. Marine ich can be treated with various Aquarium Pharmaceutical products, hyposalinity and other methods. The price of these fish are relatively cheaper than hard-to-find tangs such as the Sohal or Achilles Tang. Usually Yellow tangs sell for between $60 and $80 per fish.
In regards to temperament, the yellow tank is a peaceful fish and can coexist with other species of fish. However, they may get aggressive with other types of surgeonfish, especially with other yellow tangs. These hostilities will be eradicated if these fish are houses in an aquarium which is large enough.
Yellow tangs like to form shoals and play ‘follow the leader, so if you are planning to keep more than one yellow tang, ensure that you introduce them at the same time.
Yellow tangs reach up to 8 inches and require a 100 gallon tank (minimum) if you are to keep them to adulthood
A Yellow tang’s diet includes a combination of algae, krill, Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, pellets or marine food. Although herbivores in the wild, tangs will eat a combination of algae and meat matter. Being completely safe for reefs, they are safe to keep with your corals. It is noted that you should never feed Tangs lettuce, as it does not provide any nutrition to the fish.
Since Yellow tangs consume a large amount of algae in the wild, it is crucial that these fish get an adequate diet of algae. Algae can be given as part of a flake, frozen food or as pellets. There are many reputable brands which sell these food, along with trace minerals and nutrients which are found in the wild.
Out of all the difficult choices a reef aquarist has to endure when setting up a Reef Aquarium is deciding on what their aquarium will look like. Reef aquarium aquascaping is a pleasure to some and a pain to others, for me its a little bit of both. I have changed the look of my aquarium several (dozen?) times over the last five years and endured the pleasure and pain of the aquascaping experience.
If I had to tell a new reef aquarium hobbyist how to plan and change there reef aquascaping I probably couldn’t, after all beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I could, however, give some pointers on what should be done to provide a safe living environment for the new owners livestock.
First, Consider your coral and fish’s water flow needs, so that you can get a better understanding on how your live rock placement will effect your reef tank’s water movement. Live rock comes in all different shapes and sizes and if you are fortunate enough to live near a good fish store then you can usually hand pick the pieces that you want. But before you do all the live rock picking, you should come up with a plan for your rock placement. Live Rock should not be obtrusive in that it will block water movement but should be placed so that it will assist it, creating canyons, slopes, valleys and pillars will help assist this. To assist holding your live rock in place it is recommended that you superglue, putty (aquarium safe) or drill in PVC or plastic dowels into your rock work. While this is recommended by many reefers it is somewhat permanent and not necessary in most cases.
Keep in mind that certain corals have specific requirements that have to be met for the welfare of the coral, this usually include height and substrate placement. Also if you are going to have corals with sweeping tentacles then its important that they can not reach other corals. Always research your corals and make sure that they will fit your reef environment.
Here are a few examples of reef aquarium aquascaping.
Notice how on the above picture the rock work is not entirely laying on the sand.
The above picture I like to refer to as the Valley, this is an actual hobbyists reef aquarium and not an imaged picture.
One of the most common creatures kept in the reef aquarium trade other then corals and fish are feather dusters. Feather Dusters come in many diffrent sizes and colors and the more common ones such as the Sabellastarte indica (shown above) are very hardy and easy to keep. Feather dusters offer the reef aquarist diversification within the reef tank and it is an interesting subject to talk about as most people in my experience don’t realize that it is a marine worm.
Purchasing a Feather Duster
Picking out a feather duster is not an easy task as it may seem. There are several things you should look for when purchasing a feather duster. One of which is if the crowns (the feathers) are still attached. The feather duster should have a full crown, the crown should look healthy and the worm should retract into it’s tube when scared or if approached from the side of the tank. The marine worm should react and retract to shadows as well. When looking to buy a feather duster its best that the feather duster be in the dealer’s reef tank for a while. If the feather duster has been in dealer’s reef tank for some time then it should be well acclimated and well fed. Newer deliveries of feather dusters tend to be hungry from being moved from tank to tank or tank to bag. Make sure that the feather duster you are picking out has a complete tube without any damage.
Feeding and placement of a Feather Duster
Depending on the type of feather duster you acquire you will want to research where the best possible placement is for it. The most common feather dusters as pictured above will feed on live brine shrimp, nuapali, rotifers and finely minced “meaty” foods. They capture the food particles in there crown of feathers and bring it down to there mouths, they may retract after capturing food. Placing a feather duster such as the one pictured is relatively easy for us that have a full blown reef tank. The feather duster prefers vigorous water movement so that it can help with the exchange of wastes and the capture of food. Most common feather dusters prefer to be placed in the sand or if you have a bare bottomed reef tank then between rocks (as long as its not crushing them!). If the feather duster does not like where it is placed then it will abandon its tube and look for another spot. The feather duster above, has moved before and ended up living in a hole in my live rock. Another thing to note is when moving your feather duster its important not to expose it to air if at all possible, captured air bubbles in a feather duster’s tube can spell disaster for the feather duster.
Water Parameters for a Feather Duster
To keep a feather duster in your reef tank it is recommended that you have very good water quality. From my experience, they will loose there crowns if you have an excess in nitrate. I would also assume other water quality issues such as ammonia, nitrite and salinity would also come into play. If you are not sure of what your reef aquarium’s water quality should be at then check my post marine aquarium water parameters.
If you would like to share your thoughts and information on on the marine feather duster please do so with the comments button below.
