Saltwater sunbeam: Do you have a Yellow Tang?

CoachRichardson · May 1, 2023

Love my Biota Yellow. These are really great fish. I loved the almost translucent color of the juvenile when he came in. He was about the size of a quarter. Now he is at least the size of 45 cents!

Lowsingle · May 1, 2023

My biota yellow tang is a beautiful deep yellow, just like the wild collected ones I had many years ago. I heard the rumblings of them not being the same color and was worried when it arrived a pale yellow, but since then it has grown quickly and has really colored up. What I like about them is there are so few corals that are truly yellow so they are a great way to add some yellow to your tank. That said, if you run all blues you will be let down by their color, though that is true for almost all fish.

Darren

CoachRichardson · May 1, 2023

Lowsingle said:
My biota yellow tang is a beautiful deep yellow, just like the wild collected ones I had many years ago. I heard the rumblings of them not being the same color and was worried when it arrived a pale yellow, but since then it has grown quickly and has really colored up. What I like about them is there are so few corals that are truly yellow so they are a great way to add some yellow to your tank. That said, if you run all blues you will be let down by their color, though that is true for almost all fish.

Darren

Yes very few yellow corals but so many yellow fish. I only have 6 fish and 2 are yellow and almost any other I can add at this point is yellow...Went with a Diamond Goby so he wouldn't be yellow too!

SteveMM62Reef · May 1, 2023

I have a Rescued Yellow Tang, other than the Gas to go and get it, it was free. BTW I Visited Hawaii twice and Snorkeled, the Yellow Tangs, almost formed a Yellow wall.

zoomonster · May 1, 2023

Pidgeon's of the reef. For the price Hawaii and Biota can keep them. "Over collection" or not I seriously doubt there's any shortage of them in the ocean if you're in the right place. It's all about extremist environmental politics and of course natives wanting to keep tang collection for themselves to eat.

MarsReefer · May 1, 2023

Tangs are the next and last addition to my tank. Yellow is going to be one of the three. I love that they are captive bred. I wish I could get more of the fish I like captive bred.

melhe · May 1, 2023

I have two yellow tang from biota for 6 months . They turned beautiful bright yellow with time . Problem is they constant fighting . Trying to kill each other . I am lucky both still alive . Just occasionally have beat up fins .

vetteguy53081 · May 1, 2023

Yeah, I have a couple. . .LOL

Rhetoric · May 1, 2023

My wife sent this photo while she was snorkeling in Hawaii last month.

DarkReefer · May 1, 2023

Other: I would love to have one/some and have wanted one ever since getting into the hobby but there's some conditions that would need to be met for me to do it.

Most importantly I need to get a larger tank, followed by having a happy and healthy tank. Only then would I consider paying the pricing that they are at the moment.

Sink_or_Swim · May 1, 2023

Spartan76 said:
Yellows are great fish - eat algae constantly, not aggressive, great color. well not as great as it used to be. I have a biota and it is definitely paler yellow than the wild caught. That said I have been to hawaii several times since the 1980s (wow I'm old) and mutiple isalnds several times - oahu, maui, kauai, hawaii. In the 80s you could see vast schools of yellows fairly commonly. Adults get as big as a dinner plate; I have never seen one that large in captivity. On recent trips to Hawaii (I snorkel every day) I saw 2 adult yellows total, just a one pair swimming along a reef. It's my own experience but I feel absolutely sure the wild population in way down. So go biota guys. I'll give up a shade of yellow to know they're getting a shot to recover out there.

In just a few months my captive bred yellow has grown and colored up to to a deep, bright yellow. I don't notice a difference in color compared to the wild caught now that mine has matured a bit.

It's sad to picture the lone pair you saw I'm Hawaii. I'm glad I went with captive bred.

Sink_or_Swim · May 1, 2023

Karliefish said:
My wife and I bought two yellow Biota tangs approximately 8 months ago. When we first received them they were almost albino and ~one-inch long. We were so worried that they’d never look like the wild yellow tangs we dived with in Hawaii. To say the least we had some buyers remorse. Today, our tangs are almost three inches long and are BRIGHT yellow. Amazing to watch the change in color and growth. You wouldn’t notice any difference between a wild caught or lab raised yellow tang. Not sure if this is the case for everyone, but for we are true believes in lab raised yellow tangs.

I've had the same experience with mine - she was tiny and almost see thru when I got her, but a few months later she has grown and colored up and is a beautiful, deep yellow. So bright! Also a jerk, but that's besides the point, lol.

OSFF · May 1, 2023

Sink_or_Swim said:
I've had the same experience with mine - she was tiny and almost see thru when I got her, but a few months later she has grown and colored up and is a beautiful, deep yellow. So bright! Also a jerk, but that's besides the point, lol.

glad to see these posts. I've been on the fence about getting a captive bred one because they've always looked a bit "off" to me but now I'll have to give it a shot.

Sink_or_Swim · May 1, 2023

OSFF said:
glad to see these posts. I've been on the fence about getting a captive bred one because they've always looked a bit "off" to me but now I'll have to give it a shot.

100% go for it! I recommend Dr. Reef (bought most of my fish from him, including the cb tang).

Definitely don't be worried about how they look at first - I've had wild caught in the past and I really don't see a difference now that the cb is growing and filling out. Beautiful fish, and I like to support captive breeding efforts. The cost was worth it in my opinion if you want one. Here's mine:

OSFF · May 1, 2023

Sink_or_Swim said:
100% go for it! I recommend Dr. Reef (bought most of my fish from him, including the cb tang). Definitely don't be worried about how they look at first - I've had wild caught in the past and I really don't see a difference now that the cb is growing and filling out. Beautiful fish, and I like to support captive breeding efforts. The cost was worth it in my opinion if you want one. Here's mine:

very nice! looks exactly like the juvenile yellow tangs I saw diving in Maui a few weeks ago.

exnisstech · May 1, 2023

Two Hawaiians here. Lost my first one to a velvet outbreak and hated not having that splash of yellow in the tank. The two I have came into my lfs from tank tear downs. I paid a premium but that's the way this hobby is at times. No worse than paying hundreds for latest mystical torch with a fancy name or a 1/2" nub of super duper not so colorful after I receive it acro frag.

Sleeping Giant · May 1, 2023

I just picked one up from a guy who wasn't taking care of it, trying my best to get it back in shape and colour. it's eating good and has a full belly today.

I'm on day 2 today.