Red Sea Sailfin Tang

 

 

The Sailfin Desjardini Tang, also known as the Indian Ocean Sailfin Tang or Red Sea Sailfin Tang, is dark to very light gray in color with light freckles on the nose and yellow freckles on the abdomen. The body has several, varying sized vertical yellow stripes with intricate markings between the stripes at the face. It has a blue tail with white freckles. Its appearance can practically double in size at will by raising or lowering its sizable dorsal and anal fins.

The Sailfin Desjardini Tang is usually placid community fish, forming large groups or shoals, although fiercely territorial against other tangs or similar shaped or coloured fish in a typical aquarium setting. Great care must be exercised by aquarists when handling these fishes. An encounter with even a small, frightened tang can result in stitches. Due mainly to their calm nature, such attacks on humans are rare. The Sailfin Desjardini Tang is aggressive towards its own species and conspecifics at times, but peaceful towards other fish, so keep only one except in a very large tank.

Maximum size: The Sailfin Desjardini Tang grows upto 16 inches.

General size: This fish generally comes in size of 4 to 10 inches.

Minimum Tank Size: A 135 gallons or larger aquarium provides good environment for Sailfin Desjardini Tang.

Tank Conditions: The Sailfin Desjardini Tang should ideally be kept in temperatures between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. A pH value of 8.1 or 8.4, and a specific gravity of 1.020 to 1.025 should be maintained. When kept with invertebrates, the specific gravity range should be 1.020 to 1.025, for the invertebrate species. In a fish only aquarium, the specific gravity should fall between 1.020 and 1.023

Habitat: The Sailfin Desjardini Tang natural distribution is in the Indian Ocean in clear reef settings, from Indonesia and Christmas Island westward to eastern Africa to the Andaman Sea and in Red Sea.

Feeding and Diet: The diet of the Sailfin Desjardini Tang should consist of dried or frozen herbivore foods, marine algae, and vegetarian items such a Spirulina, zucchini, broccoli, leaf lettuce, and dried seaweed.