The yellow tang is a standard fish for marine aquariums. It is hardy, fairly resistant to disease, and in general a good citizen for either a fish-only or reef aquarium. The yellow tang is probably the fish caught in the most quantities in Hawaii. However, there are efforts going on now to both spawn and raise the yellow tang commercially, and to also take larvae from the plankton rafts and raise these. It is hoped that a good supply of aquacultured fish will become available soon. Meanwhile, the numbers of fish taken from Hawaii are monitored to prevent overfishing.

Keeping a yellow tang requires a very large tank (125 gallons or more), and it is best to introduce all of the tangs at the same time. This way, they will usually do fine together. An individual, especially if established for a long time in an aquarium, will be very territorial and aggressive toward any fish introduced that is even close to its shape and/or color.

A yellow tang will eat just about everything presented to it, but it requires a high degree of vegetable matter in its diet. It should be fed prepared herbivore diets, and there should always be some nori, romaine lettuce or zucchini on a clip on the side of the tank on which it can graze.