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Rock Beauty AngelfishFamily: Pomacanthidae Holacanthus tricolorPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy William RogersLatest Reader Comment - See More My rock beauty is 5 years old, about 5 inches long awesome fish. It is in my marine pond,yes pond with about 15 other angel species incl lemon pielle which have... (more) scallies The Rock Beauty Angelfish are easily distinguished from other angelfish by their yellow head and tail, and a distinctive yellow outline.The Rock Beauty Angelfish are also the smallest angelfish in the atlantic. The juvenile is entirely bright yellow except for a small blue-ringed black spot under the dorsal fin which grows to cover the body as seen in the photo of the adult above.For more Information on keeping this fish see: |
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Taxonomy Originally described by Bloch in 1795 as Chaetodon tricolor, it was later renamed Holacanthus tricolor (Bloch, 1795). There are no known synonyms.
Maintenance difficulty: The Rock Beauty is moderately difficult to keep.
Maintenance: This angelfish survives 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: The rock beauty are found in Western Atlantic coral reefs from Georgia to Bermuda and the Bahamas, as well as from Florida to southeastern Brazil. The rock beauty is a diurnal species, they are active during the day and sleep at night. It inhabits rock jetties, reef rubble, and coral reefs to depths of 330 feet (100 m). Juveniles live among fire corals and hide in crevices and shells. They are very territorial, rarely venturing more than a few feet from their protective shelter. The juveniles are not known to be cleaner fish, as other Holacanths species, but even as adults they establish amnd defend territories on the reefs.
Natural Foods: Eats sponges, tunicates, and other benthic invertebrates.
Social Behaviors: Found singly in pairs, or groups. In the aquarium they become aggressive towards their own species so you should keep only one per aquarium. Their territorial nature can make them difficult to keep with other angelfish of the same or similar genus.
Light: Recommended light levels: No special requirements.
Breeding/Reproduction: Adult rock beauties are thought to establish a monogamous relationship because of their long lasting pair bonding. Pairs usually consist of one small and one large fish as well, indicating there may be a way to sex them. 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 and pelagic, floating in the water column. 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: Rock beauty adults are the smallest angelfish in the Atlantic and only grow to 35 cm (12 inches).
Minimum Tank Length/Size: A minimum 60 gallon aquarium is recommended.
Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong No special requirements.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom No special requirements.
Availability: This fish is generally available and is moderately expensive.
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