Purple Tang

Scientific Name Zebrasoma xanthurum

Max. Size: Up to 10"

Tank Size: 75g when small 1"-3"

100g+ when 4"+

Aggression: Aggressive towards other tangs, and newcomers

Hardiness: Hardy as a tang gets

Reef-Safe: Yes

Available as captive-bred: No

Physical Description

Long nose, spherical body when fins spread out. The majority of the fish is purple with a yellow tail fin and yellow front fins. They display black lines throughout the body that resembles a maze.

Distribution

Red Sea, Arabian Gulf

Taxonomic Stuff you know you Care About

• Family: Acanthuridae
• Genus: Zebrasoma
• Species: Xanthurus

Behavior

Fast swimmer will usually be grazing on algae. My personal purple has demolished the algae in my frag tank. This particular tang seems to eat more algae than any other tang I have owned. Can be territorial if not added at the right time. Tangs should be added simultaneously.

Feeding

Omnivore: Lots of greens, and some good enriched meaty foods will help maintain a thick, healthy body.

Breeding

Not in Captivity

Social Structure

Seems to be social with my current fish and gets along fine. Eats out of my hand. Really a personal fish.

Current Views

Beautiful colors, big eater and a good starter tang, in my opinion.

Additional Notes

Try one if you have the right tank!