Saltwater Fish
Purple Tang.
A jaw-dropping deep-purple tang with a yellow tail — one of the most sought-after reef fish. Reef-safe and an active algae grazer, but feisty toward other tangs; give it open swimming room and rock to graze in a 100-gallon-plus reef.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Temperament
- Semi aggressive
- Community
- Semi community
- Adult size
- 10"
- Min tank size
- 100 gallons
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Scientific name
- Zebrasoma xanthurum
Good tank mates
The purple tang is reef-safe and does well with most peaceful and semi-aggressive community fish like clownfish, grammas, wrasses, and angelfish in a large tank. It is aggressive toward other tangs and similar-shaped fish, so avoid adding a second Zebrasoma or another surgeonfish unless the tank is very large and they are introduced together; provide lots of swimming room and rockwork to break up sightlines.
Good to know
Like all tangs, it carries a sharp, scalpel-like spine at the base of its tail that it can flick out to slash rivals, which is where the family name surgeonfish comes from.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Green Chromis
Small, peaceful schooling fish that occupies open water with a very different body shape and feeding niche, posing no territorial threat to the tang.
Lyre-tail Anthias
Peaceful, reef-safe, mid-water schooling fish with a completely different body profile and behavior; adds activity without triggering the tang's territorial aggression.
- C
Coral Beauty Angelfish
Dwarf angel with a distinctly different deep-bodied shape; does not trigger the tang's aggression response that is reserved for other laterally-compressed herbivores. Multiple reef-keeping sources list it as a compatible tankmate.
- N
Neon Goby
Tiny cleaner fish that lives on rock surfaces; its diminutive size and beneficial cleaning behavior make it a completely non-threatening addition, and its cleaner status is recognized by larger fish including tangs.
- T
Tomato Clownfish
Anemone-associated fish that defends only a small host territory rather than competing for open swimming or grazing space. Reef Builders notes that any encounters between tomato clowns and tangs are infrequent, brief, and mostly bluster with no injury to either fish.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.