The Yellow Tang, comes from the Hawaiian islands and is one of the better marine fishes for a beginner with a fully cycled marine aquarium. This marine fish is commonly carried at most saltwater pet shops and is relatively inexpensive. They have a strikingly yellow color with white scalpel like blades at the base of their tail fin.

They can be fairly hardy in a saltwater aquarium that has completely cycled. If you plan on keeping Yellow Tangs, they spend much of their time grazing for algae so have plenty of live rock for them to graze on. They will also feed on dried algae or seaweed attached to a lettuce clip. This tang (and tangs in general) requires highly oxygenated water so make sure you have plenty of water surface agitation and/or air stones.

Use caution when netting a Yellow Tang because of the blades at the base of
their tail fin. The blades can easily get hooked into the net. If this happens, gently move the net back and forth in the aquarium until the tang is released.

 Like many marine species, you will have better results if you keep only one tang in your aquarium because they will become territorial otherwise. They use the blades at the base of their tales to slap at each other.