The second fish I noticed was the yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens).
Yellow tang are in the surgeonfish family. Adult fish can grow to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length, and 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) in thickness. Adult males tend to be larger than females. All individuals of this species are bright daffodil yellow in color. At night, the yellow coloring fades slightly and a prominent brownish patch develops in the middle with a horizontal white band. They rapidly resume their bright yellow color with daylight.
They have an arrow-like shape due to their dorsal and ventral fins being almost an extension to their bodies, and a long snout-like mouth used (as with other tangs) to eat algae. They also have a sharp spine located near their tail. They have become a popular fish for marineaquarists of all skill levels, as the fish tends to be active, hardy, and nonaggressive when kept with dissimilar species.
They are commonly found in shallow reefs, from 2–46 metres (6.6–151 ft) deep, in the Pacific andIndian Oceans, west of Hawaii and east of Japan. Hawaii is the most common place for aquarium harvesting, where up to 70% of the yellow tangs for the aquarium industry are sourced from.
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