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Blue Angelfish

Corn Sugar ~ Isabelita Azul Family: Pomacanthidae

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Holacanthus bermudensis Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

   A most beautiful angelfish found in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas. Very similar to the Queen angelfish, H. ciliaris, they differ primarily in color pattern. To compare, see the Queen angelfish.

   Naturally occuring hybrids of the Queen and the Blue angelfish are not uncommon. The coloration of some hybrids consists of blotches of color very much like the freshwater Koi species. Other hybrids can be completely blue or completely green. A description of Holacanthus townsendi was actually based on a hybrid between the Queen and the Blue angelfish.

 The juvenile Blue Angel is quite different from that of the adult. Juveniles are dark blue with a yellow tail, a yellow area around the pectoral fins, and brilliant blue vertical bars on the body. Juvenile Queen and Blue angelfish are extremely difficult to tell apart, but the Blue angelfish juvenile will often have more curvature to the vertical bars.

For more Information on keeping marine fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Taxonomy
Holocanthus bermudensis, the blue angelfish, was originally described by Goode in 1876. It has previously been referred to as Holocanthus isabelita and Holocanthus ciliaris bermudensis, which appear in some of the older publications.

Maintenance difficulty:
   The Blue Angelfish is moderately difficult to keep.

Maintenance:
   This angelfish survives mainly on sponges so make sure you can get an angel formula with sponge in it. It is important that you feed angelfish all kinds of live, frozen, and prepared formula foods. Best to feed small amounts several times a day. A good formula that can be made at home consists of mussels, shrimp, squid, and spinach.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:
   Gulf of Mexico, the southern coast of Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas. The Blue Angelfish is found in shallow waters to depths up to 60 meters (200 ft.)

Natural Foods:
   Eats mainly sponges with small amounts of algae, tunicates, and corals. A wide variety of sponges is eaten. Juveniles are a cleaner fish that have been known to clean other fish of external parasites. Juveniles are also extremely territorial, probably as a result of their setting up territories as cleaning stations. It is interesting to note that predators and cleaner fish enjoy a sort of "truce" in the cleaners territory.

Blue Angelfish (juvenile) Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Frank Schneidewind

Social Behaviors:
   Found singly or in pairs, adult Blue angelfish are almost always found as breeding pairs.

Sexual differences:
   Unknown.

Light: Recommended light levels:
   No special requirements.

Breeding/Reproduction:
  Adult blue angels are generally found in pairs year round, so it is assumed that the male and the female have a monogamous relationship. Pairs will spawn by slowly rising up in the water column while bringing their bellies close together, and releasing large amounts of eggs and sperm. A female can release anywhere from 25 to 75 thousand eggs each evening. This can total as many as ten million eggs for the duration of the spawning cycle. The eggs are transparent, pelagic, and each contains a single drop of oil to provide buoyancy. The eggs will hatch in 15 to 20 hours. At this point the "pre-larval" angelfish is attached to a large yolk sac, has no functional fins, no eyes, or gut. After about 48 hours the yolk is absorbed during which time the fish develops into true larvae and begins to feed on plankton in the water column. Growth is rapid and 3 to 4 weeks after hatching the fish will reach about 15-20mm and will settle on the bottom.

Breeding, to our knowledge, has not been accomplished in captivity. See Breeding Marine Fish for more information about marine fish breeding in general.

Temperature:
   No special requirements. Normal temperatures for marine fish lies between 75 and 79 degrees.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Blue Angelfish adults can grow to 45 cm (18 inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 100 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   No special requirements.

Buy Blue Angelfish From LiveAquaria.com

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   No special requirements, in the wild they are a benthic species hanging around the bottom in areas of sponge, coral, and rock.

Availability:
This fish is generally rarely available and is expensive.

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Author: David Brough. CFS.