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Koran AngelfishSemicircle Angelfish, Semicirculatus, Half-Circle AngelfishFamily: PomacanthidaeWMA_Ap8SA.jpg) Pomacanthus semicirculatusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David BroughLatest Reader Comment - See More Very quick growing and very interactive! a stunning fish when little and also in adult colours. niels The Koran Angelfish is less touchy than its peers, and has a truly amazing color change as it matures!Koran Angelfish Contents The Koran Angelfish or Semicircle Angelfish, Pomacanthus semicirculatus, is said to be the easiest of the Pomacanthus angels. To a certain extent that is true. They have the same needs as other Pomacanthus, but they are just not a "touchy" making them an easier angelfish to keep. Being of medium difficulty, it is probably the best "first" fish for those new to keeping angelfish. Like many angelfish, the Semicirculatus Angelfish changes color when it enters adulthood. Watching an adult swim around, one may wonder where the name Semicircle Angelfish even came from. The juvenile is colored dark blue with lighter blue edging and white semicircular markings. The name describes one of the juvenile's semicircle shaped white stripes, the one that is near the back of the tail fin. The other stripes are curved a little, but the last one has a sort of "C" shape, it can be an "O" shape in some individuals. Another descriptive common name it is known by is Half-Circle Angelfish. The "C" shaped stripe can be helpful to identify the correct species when purchasing. The Koran Angelfish grows to a maximum of 15" (41 cm) in the aquarium. The size of these angels when they start to change color is from 3 to 6" (8 - 16 cm). It will need a very large tank to reach its full adult size and bright coloration, at least 225 to 275 gallons (852 to 1041 l). Less than this minimum sized tank will result in stress, lack of proper adult coloration, illness and shorten its life span. When the correct tank parameters are met, these angels can acclimate and are moderately hardy as adults. The Semicircle Angelfish are not considered reef safe. For a fish only tank, the Koran Angel has attitude even as a juvenile, so they need to be added to the tank last. They "don't play nice with others," bullying smaller peaceful fish like blennies, clownfish, etc. They will also attack other Angelfish. Adding them to a tank that is at least 6 months old is advisable so there is plenty of live rock to graze on. Shape the rocks into cave type formations to provide several hiding areas, and choose a juvenile between 2" to 5" for best results. For more Information on keeping saltwater fish see: |
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Habitat: Natural geographic location The Koran Angelfish Pomacanthus semicirculatus, is also known as the Semicircle Angelfish, Semicirculatus Angelfish, and Half-Circle Angelfish. It is from the Pomacanthidae family, and was first described by Cuvier in 1831. Semicirculatus are found off of Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales, and New Guinea. Also common in the Indian Ocean from South Africa, the Red Sea, and Sri Lanka eastward to Indonesia and the Western Pacific from New caledonia, Fiji, and Samoa, northward to Japan.
The young Koran Angel is found in shallow protected areas. Adults are found in pairs where there is dense coral growth that provides cover if there is a threat. The are found at depths of 3 to 98 feet (1 to 30 m). Semicirculatus feed on sponges, tunicates, algae and other encrusting animals. There has been some success in captive spawning, yet so far getting the larvae to survive beyond 17 days has proved difficult.
Status The Pomacanthus semicirculatus is on the IUCN Red List as Least Concern (LC), with a stable population.
Description The Koran Angelfish or Semicircle Angelfish adult looks like someone outlined the body and gills in a bright, almost neon blue. The small mouth is yellow and the head can be a solid pale grayish blue or yellow to dark brownish yellow, devoid of any speckling.The mid section brightens up to a lighter yellow, speckled with dark blue scales. The colors seem to reverse as you go toward the tail, with the body being the darker color having yellow, green or blue scales. This darker color covers the back 3/4 of the body and into the tail fin. Streamers extend several inches beyond both the dorsal and anal fins, and they are tipped in yellow. The same is true for the pelvic fins. The pectoral fins are light yellow.
 Semicirculatus Angelfish (juvenile) Photo © Animal-World |
The juvenile Semicirculatus Angelfish, like other Pomacanthus angelfish is black with white and bright blue striping. Yet this juvenile has much more black, instead of the almost even width in coloring of other species. The very last white stripe makes a crude "C" shape that at times can combine with the white stripe at the base of the tail fin to form a circle. This may be due to location.
Don't confuse the Koran Angelfish with the juvenile Emperor Angelfish (Imperator Angelfish) Pomacanthus imperator. The Imperator juvenile also has the "C" shape white stripe near the tail, but has a small whitish blue to white full circle within the "C" shape. The Imperator juvenile also has irregular light blue lined circles in the dorsal and anal fin, where the Koran does not. The Koran Angelfish can live up to 20 years.
Length/Diameter of fish This large Pomacanthus can grow up to 15" (41 cm) if given the proper space.
Difficulty of Care The Koran Angelfish or Semicircle Angelfish is moderate in difficulty because of the size of the tank needed and water quality. In a tank of 225 gallons or more, the Koran Angelfish will be easy to moderately easy as adults. As with other angels, they do not do well if the tank is near foot traffic, since this will stress them into illness and not eating.
Foods and Feeding Koran Angelfish or Semicircle Angelfish are omnivores, in the wild they eat a wide variety of sponges, tunicates, algae and other encrusting animals. It is important that you feed angelfish all kinds of live, frozen, and prepared formula foods. Feed vegetable based foods as well as meaty foods like chopped squid, scallop, and shrimp. Prepared foods with marine sponge is essential. A good formula that can be made at home consists of mussels, shrimp, squid, and spinach. Many foods offer color enhancing qualities, which are helpful. Feed 3 or more times a day.
Aquarium Care In general, Pomacanthus angelfish are not as forgiving as some other fish when it comes to water quality. The Koran Angel is not as touchy as some of the other species, but still needs cleaner water. Water changes of 30% a month, or 15% every 2 weeks is optimal in keeping nitrates lower. If there are corals in the tank, then 20% every month, 10% every 2 weeks or 5% a week works great. A larger tank is important for this large fish. Because it needs a lot of food, there is a large bio-load on the aquarium. A smaller tank will foul quickly.
Aquarium Parameters
These angels, like others, need a stable and established tank which is at least 6 months old. They also need a very large tank to obtain proper color and size. The tank should be well decorated with rocks/corals arranged with plenty of hiding places, especially for juveniles.
- Minimum Tank Size / Length: A minimum size of at least 225 to 275 gallons (852 to 1041 l) is needed for an adult, 125 gallons (473 liters) is adequate for a juvenile.
- Marine Lighting: Any. It is best kept under normal lighting, but can also be kept in sunlight conditions and in a dimly lit tank.
- Temperature: 72 - 82° F (22-28° C)
- Specific gravity (Salinity): 1.023 to 1.025
- Water Movement: No special requirements, it can tolerate a rather stronger flow but slow-moving water is preferable.
- Water Region: They will spend time in all parts of the aquarium
Social Behaviors Semicirculatus or Koran Angelfish adults are generally solitary. In the aquarium they are semi-aggressive, though they can be a good community fish with the proper tank mates, especially when young. They do not tolerate other angelfish so should be kept singly, and can be aggressive towards smaller fish like gobies, clownfish and blennies. Because they establish territories that they will defend, they should be the last fish you introduce into the tank.
In a reef environment they will eat at Large Polyp Stony Corals (LPS), most soft corals, Zoanthids, and Tridacnid clams. Use caution with Small Polyp Stony Corals (SPS). They may be a threat to small decorative shrimp.
Sex: Sexual differences Females exhibit typical coloration but have a swollen belly when fertile. The males are larger, paler, and their dorsal and anal fins are more pointed.
Breeding/Reproduction Spawning in captivity can occur with P. semicirculatus, but researchers are having a hard time keeping the larvae alive past 17 days (at the time of writing). The Koran Angelfish female scatters 10,455 eggs and then male then fertilizes them. These newly fertilized eggs will float in a planktonic stage for a few weeks. Eventually they will settle at the bottom as fry and start their colorful life apart from their parents.
See Breeding Marine Fish for a description of how they reproduce in the wild.
Fish Diseases Koran Angelfish are not quite as sensitive as other Pomacanthus, but still need a calm environment so as to not stress, which makes them prone to disease. Like other saltwater angelfish, they can suffer any disease that captive saltwater environments have to offer. They are most likely to be affected if they are stressed from inappropriate housing or tank mates. Saltwater Ich or White Spot Disease (Crypt) is the most common of disease, and is generally associated with marine tangs and angelfish.
Symptoms of Marine Ich or White Spot Disease (Crypt) are constant scratching, culminating with lots of white dots. These dots disappear for a few days, only to return with double the number. This results in the fish suffocating from these parasites blocking the gills from providing oxygen. One suggestion is putting your tank just at least 82°F (28°C) since that will prevent the parasite from completing its life cycle, which includes the attachment to fish. Several preparations are also available for this parasite.
Seachem has awesome products for treating Marine Ick, Focus and Metronidazole. The Focus (bonding agent) is mixed 5 to 1 with their Metronidazole (one part Metro to 5 parts Focus). This combo is mixed with 1 Tablespoon of food and can be fed to the fish 3 times a day until symptoms are gone. This can be used in a reef aquarium since the medication is bound to the food. In combination, the higher temperature along with the food/medication combo, will provide timely relief.
Diseases that saltwater angelfish are susceptible to:
- Marine Ich (white spot disease)
- Marine Velvet
- Lymphocystis (a viral infection)
Availability The Koran Angelfish or Semicircle Angelfish is easy to find online and in stores, and moderately expensive.
- Animal-World References: Marine and Reef
- Helmut Debelius and Rudie H. Kuiter, World Atlas of Marine Fishes, (in German) Hollywood Import & Export, Inc., 2006
- Scott W. Michael, Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes: Reef Fishes Series , Microcosm Ltd, 2004
- Scott W. Michael, Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species, T.F.H Publications inc., 1999
- Mark Allen, Roger Steene and Gerald R. Allen, A Guide to Angelfishes and Butterflyfishes , Odyssey Publishing, 1998
- Dr. Gerald R. Allen, Butterfly and Angelfishes of the World Volume 2, Aquarium Systems; 3rd edition,1985
- Tim Anderson, Koran Angelfish, Tim's Tropical Fish and Aquariums, Copyright 2007
- Jim McDavid, Large Angels in the Home Aquariums, Part 1, Advanced Aquarist, Copyright 2003
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