Gem Tang

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a gem tang in at least 570 litres with plenty of rock for grazing and open water for swimming, at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4. It is reef safe and works well in a mixed reef, but house only one Zebrasoma per tank to avoid fighting. Feed dried seaweed, spirulina and marine algae daily with some meaty foods. It is generally hardy once settled, which helps justify the high purchase price.

In the wild

The gem tang is a deep-bodied Zebrasoma covered in white spots on a black body, from the deeper reefs of the western Indian Ocean. It grazes algae from rock and moves in a slower, more deliberate way than the long unicornfish. Wild collection is difficult, which keeps it scarce and expensive. It is territorial toward other tangs but calm with most other fish.

Good to know

Zebrasoma gemmatum reaches about 22 cm and is one of the most prized surgeonfish in the trade. Its range around Mauritius, Madagascar and South Africa is small and hard to reach. Like other Zebrasoma it has a tall dorsal and anal fin profile.

Did you know

Its high cost comes from geography, since the reefs it lives on are remote and rough, not from any special difficulty in keeping it.

Related species

• 

  Black Tang

  Zebrasoma rostratum

  8.3 in (21 cm)119 gal (450 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Scopas Tang

  Zebrasoma scopas

  7.9 in (20 cm)90 gal (340 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Yellow Tang

  Zebrasoma flavescens

  7.9 in (20 cm)100 gal (380 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Purple Tang

  Zebrasoma xanthurum

  9.8 in (25 cm)106 gal (400 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Sailfin Tang

  Zebrasoma veliferum

  11.8 in (30 cm)145 gal (550 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Red Sea Sailfin Tang

  Zebrasoma desjardinii

  15.7 in (40 cm)180 gal (680 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)