One of the commonest marine fish for your aquarium can be the Angelfish both large and dwarf.
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A large angelfish
There are two types of angelfish available for your aquarium—Large and Dwarf.
The large angelfish are quite hard and due to their size, they can be a possible challenge for the aquarium keepers. They need huge aquariums with the capacity of at least 180 gallons to keep a single large angelfish for its entire lifespan. They need plenty of vegetable matter in their diet. They also undergo colour change during maturation. There are several varieties of angelfish among which Half-moon angelfish (Pomacanthus Maculus) can grow up to 50cms or 19.7 inches, but are easy to care. But very few are reef safe. Some of the reef safe common varieties of large angelfish are:
a) Bellus angelfish- Scientifically known as Genicanthus bellus, these are light blue all over. Females have wide black bands and males’ bands are orange. They can be handled with moderate care. They can grow up to 18cm or 7.1 inches.
b) Japanese swallow angelfish- Scientifically known as Genicanthus semifasciatus, these need a moderate level of care by the aquarists. They are black and tan stripped yellow coloured fish at mouth and tapering at the end. They can grow up to 21 cm or 8.3 inches.
Dwarf Angelfish
As the name suggests, dwarf angelfish are small as compared to their larger counterparts. They are omnivores, but plenty of vegetable matter, preferably in the form of macroalgae, should be provided for their grazing pleasure. Their suitability, however, for reef tanks is highly debated. Hence, they should be kept with caution in a reef tank. If you want, you can add it to your tank on your risk. Specimen like ‘Flame’ and ‘Coral Beauty Angels’ have been successfully added by the aquarists. They can grow to a maximum size of 19 cms or 7.5 inches like the ‘Keyhole Angelfish’ (Centropyge tibicens) but it can’t be added to the reef tank.
A Keyhole Angelfish
Some of the reef-safe varieties of dwarf angelfish are:
a) Barred angelfish (Centropyge multifasciata)- They can be kept in a reef tank but with caution and are quite difficult to handle. But the beautiful fish, white in colour with black strips on top which changes to yellow at the bottom, would be a real feast for the eyes. They can grow up to 12 cm or 4.7 inches.
b) Bicolour angelfish (Centropyge bicolor)- As the name suggests, they are blue and yellow in colour. Even they should be kept with caution in the reef tank but their care level is moderate. They grow up to 15 cm or 5.9 inches.
c) Brazilian flameback angelfish (Centropyge aurantonotus)- These are also bicolour yellow and blue fish. But the difference from the bicolour angelfish is that both the colours divide the fish body horizontally. They should also be kept with caution in a reef tank but they can be handled moderately without much worrying. They can grow up to 8cm or 3.1 inches.
d) Coral beauty angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)- They have a reddish body with blue back and orange fins. A shy fish, coral beauties prefers multiple hiding locations. They should be kept cautiously in the reef tank but are easily handled. They can grow up to 10 cm or 3.9 inches.
e) Cherubfish or Pygmy angelfish (Centropyge argi)- They have blue colored body with an orange yellow head. They can grow up to 8cm or 3.1 inches. They should be kept with caution in a reef tank and are easy to handle.
f) Elibi angelfish (Centropyge eibli)- These are tan coloured fish with vertical brown stripes and large distinctive black splotch covering the back of the fish, including the caudal fin. They are maximum 15cm or 5.9 inches in size. Even they should be handled with caution in a reef tank but are not much of a difficulty to care for.
g) Flame angelfish (Centropyge loricula)- The vivid orange-red coloured fish has vertical black stripes and blue patches toward the end of the dorsal and anal fins. They can be easily handled. They can grow up to 15cm or 5.9 inches.
h) Rusty angelfish (Centropyge ferrugata)- Like the name, it has tan coloured body with dark spots and a reddish tint around the anal fin. They can be easily handled and grow up to 10 cm or 3.9 inches.
