Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Marine Angelfish

Marine Angelfish

Family: PomacanthidaeQueen AngelfishHolacanthus ciliaris

     The colorful Queen Angelfish is a perfect example of the vibrant colors displayed by many of the marine angelfish.

     Though a beautiful addition to an aquarium, adult specimens may become destructive to a reef. Marine angels also tend to become very territorial as they mature, and so it is generally recommended that you keep a single specimen.

     Marine Angels are considered difficult fish to keep because they feed on sponge and tunicate. Today there are prepared angel formulas containing sponge, but it can often be difficult to get an angel to accept new foods. Once an angelfish is feeding however, it can live for many years! As an example, the aquarium in Nancy, France has kept several specimens of angelfish for over 20 years.

Click on a Genus (or scroll down) to acess each type of Marine Angelfish:

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

Marine Angelfish: Click on the small images below
for more information about each one.

Genus: Apolemichthys
Gold-spangled Angelfish	Griffis' Angelfish
Apolemichthys xanthopunctatus	Apolemichthys griffisi
Indian Yellow-Tail Angelfish	Three-spot Angelfish
Apolemichthys xanthurus	Apolemichthys trimaculatus

Genus: Centropyge
Bicolor Angelfish	Colin’s Pygmy Angelfish
Centropyge bicolor	Centropyge colini
Coral Beauty Angel	Eibli's Angelfish
Centropyge bispinosa	Centropyge eibli
Flame Angel	Golden Angelfish
Centropyge loricula	Centropyge aurantia
Herald's Angelfish	Keyhole Angelfish
Centropyge heraldi	Centropyge tibicen
Lemonpeel Angel	Multicolor Angelfish
Centropyge flavissima	Centropyge multicolor
Potter's Pygmy Angelfish	Pygmy Angelfish
Centropyge potteri	Centropyge argi
Rusty Angelfish	Shepard's Pygmy Angel
Centropyge ferrugata	Centropyge shepardi
Yellowhead Angelfish
Centropyge joculator

Genus: Chaetodontoplus
Black Velvet Angelfish	Blue-striped Angelfish
Chaetodontoplus melanosoma	Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis
Scribbled Angelfish	Vermiculated Angelfish
Chaetodontoplus duboulayi	Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus

Genus: Genicanthus
Lamarck's Angelfish
Genicanthus lamarck

Genus: Holacanthus
Blue Angelfish	King Angelfish
Holacanthus bermudensis	Holacanthus passer
Queen Angelfish	Rock Beauty Angelfish
Holacanthus ciliaris	Holacanthus tricolor

Genus: Pomacanthus
Arabian Angelfish	Blue-faced Angelfish
Pomacanthus asfur	Pomacanthus xanthometopon
Blue-girdled Angelfish	Blue-ringed Angelfish
Pomacanthus navarchus	Pomacanthus annularis
Emperor Angelfish	French Angelfish
Pomacanthus imperator	Pomacanthus paru
Red Sea Angelfish	Semicirculatus Angelfish
Pomacanthus maculosus	Pomacanthus semicirculatus

Genus: Pygoplites
Regal Angelfish
Pygoplites diacanthus

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Description:
     Angelfish come in all colors and sizes. They range from 4 inches (10 cm) to 24 inches (60 cm) in the wild. Many angelfish have different coloration as juveniles than they do as adults. Many of the adult angelfish become territorial as they grow older and it is thought that perhaps the different coloration among the younger fish keep them from being the target of the older fish's aggression.

Care and feeding:
     Most angelfish, except the Pygmies (Centropyge) are sponge and tunicate eaters. This makes them hard to acclimate since these foods are generally not included in prepared fish foods.
     Angelfish must be willing to accept new foods in their diet in order to survive in an aquarium and are therefore considered difficult to keep. Feeding a large variety of foods is important in order to entice them into eating and once accomplished, they can survive for long periods of time in captivity.

     Several sponge based frozen foods are now available and should be fed to certain angelfish especially those of the genus Holocanthus. Many of the smaller angels (Centropyge sp.) can be housed in a reef but may become destructive with age.

Breeding:
     See Breeding Marine Fish for information on reproductive habits.

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