Can anyone ID this Sailfin tang?

[Pike614]

Trying to figure out if this is a

Zebrasoma veliferum
or
Zebrasoma desjardinii
or another type?
Anyone know?

[Aquarist007]

repost this question on this thread:
its all experinced tang lovers
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1286563

[mikid]

looks like my dejardenii,red sea location,OK?mikid

[BLKTANG]

+1 on the Red Sea Dejardenii

[LukFox]

I have to say veliferum. It has wider white stripes and a yellow tail. The Red Sea doesn't have that. The Red Sea is a more "detailed" looking fish, and this is more simple like a veliferum.

[Pike614]

Aren't there D. sailfins from other regions other than the red sea? Like Maldives & Sri Lanka? I am still not sure which he is.

[LukFox]

Yes they are- I'm just used to saying Red Sea since I can't type desjardinii without copy/pasting lol. If you say Red Sea people will know which you're talking about.

[downhillbiker]

i second the v. sailfin. i think this is a beautiful specimin, but IMO v. sailfin.

[Hormigaquatica]

I would say Z. veliferum. Reason being, on desjardinii the vertical stripes break into a spotted pattern about 2/3 the way down the body, whereas veliferum maintains a solid stripe- just like yours has. I will say, its a particularly colorful/attractive veliferum.

[ScubaDiver93]

Desjardini for sure because of the colored stripes, but I don't know if I would go with red sea. There is and Indian Ocean desjardini so that gets my vote.

[Hormigaquatica]

Note that desjardinii almost always have pronounced spotting on the caudal fin as well, where as its almost always absent in veliferum (as is the case with this fish). There can be a huge range of color tones within each species, from black-based fish, to brown, to yellow, to almost purple, so you cant judge on color alone. Pattern is more efficient.

[Pike614]

Wow, I am glad I posted this because I could not figure it out myself! So far I have 3 that say D. sailfin, and 4 that say V. Sailfin........I agree with the reasoning of both sides. In the end he is am amazing fish, just wish I knew for sure what he was!

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Pike614
Wow, I am glad I posted this because I could not figure it out myself! So far I have 3 that say D. sailfin, and 4 that say V. Sailfin........I agree with the reasoning of both sides. In the end he is am amazing fish, just wish I knew for sure what he was!

not to be devils advocate here--but why is it an issue

[DugJ]

Zebrasoma Veliferum. The tail fin stays solid yellow in the veliferum adults whereas the desjardinii adult tail takes on the body color. Another giveaway in my opinion is the lack of spotted coloration. I do see a few spots on the belly of the fish in your photo, but if you compare that to a photo of a desjardinii you will see the definite lack of spots throughout the entire body of the fish. I've also notice the dorsal/anal fins are vertically longer in veliferums giving them an oval shape, whereas desjardiniis are round. I'm going to try to attach a not so great photo of my desjardinii (its the only one I have at the moment.) This fish is only 2.5 inches and is already displaying a very pronounced adult coloration which should get more intense as it ages. I hope this helps show the difference. I do agree that you have a very nice veliferum!

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by DugJ
Zebrasoma Veliferum. The tail fin stays solid yellow in the veliferum adults whereas the desjardinii adult tail takes on the body color. Another giveaway in my opinion is the lack of spotted coloration. I do see a few spots on the belly of the fish in your photo, but if you compare that to a photo of a desjardinii you will see the definite lack of spots throughout the entire body of the fish. I've also notice the dorsal/anal fins are vertically longer in veliferums giving them an oval shape, whereas desjardiniis are round. I'm going to try to attach a not so great photo of my desjardinii (its the only one I have at the moment.) This fish is only 2.5 inches and is already displaying a very pronounced adult coloration which should get more intense as it ages. I hope this helps show the difference. I do agree that you have a very nice veliferum!

wow great answer
Is there an advantage, or is one rarer then the other, for knowing the difference in the two species of sailfins---I am very curious here as to I have one also

[DugJ]

I usually see an increase in price of around 25% for a desjardini over a veliferum. I don't think either can be described as rare, but I see the veliferums more often in the local shops. Their personality and care is identical. From what I understand, it took awhile before some people recognized them as two different species.

[Aquarist007]

what it this one--I actually posted this to get opionions on the mark on the side of it--scar perhaps--it didn't have it a week ago
No recent additions for the last two months and the tank has been disease free for two years

[Aquarist007]

here is a better shot of it two weeks ago

[delphinus]

I would say veliferum as well.

The yellow stripes on the dorsal ("sail") fin of desjardini form concentric arches. Plus, you don't get the white (or light grey) stripes that you see on veliferum.

Here's a picture of my desjardini for example:


He's not arching his dorsal fin in this picture, but you can still sort of see what I mean about the yellow stripes forming arches.

Hope this helps!

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by delphinus
I would say veliferum as well.

The yellow stripes on the dorsal ("sail") fin of desjardini form concentric arches. Plus, you don't get the white (or light grey) stripes that you see on veliferum.

Here's a picture of my desjardini for example:


He's not arching his dorsal fin in this picture, but you can still sort of see what I mean about the yellow stripes forming arches.

Hope this helps!

mine or the original posters or both of us?

[delphinus]

Sorry - both. Both look like veliferum to me.

[goldmaniac]

it's a very pretty Zebrasoma veliferum, IMO.

I had a nice sailfin tang for a while that looked just like that, ate like a pig, grew from 1.5" to about 5" and his colors popped, but was a plain 'old sailfin

[ReeferAl]

As I understand it, there is a debate among taxonomists as to whether the 2 are actually different species at all or just regional variants of the same species. Another thing to consider is that there have been a number of examples of hybrid tangs reported. They usually sell at inflated prices.
I suspect this is a hybrid between the two species/variants.

[Aquarist007]

thanks guys--should I have any concerns over that scar or lesion it has developed on its side

[downhillbiker]

another way that people have suggested to tell the difference is in size of sail. the v. sailfin will have much larger sail than d. sailfin. i would estimate about 25% bigger on the v. sailfin.