Ornate angelfish

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Indo-Pacific: from Cocos-Keeling and Indonesia to Tahiti, north to southern Japan. Found on deep, vertical drop-offs and seaward reefs at 24-100 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the Pomacanthidae family. Genicanthus species are distinguished by their swallowtail (lyre-shaped caudal fin) morphology. Grows to 18 cm (7 inches).

Social Behavior: Peaceful and open-water swimmer. Naturally occurs in harems. Does not establish strict bottom territories, prefering to swim in water currents.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Dramatic differences. Females are bluish-white with bold horizontal and diagonal black and neon blue stripes. Males are pale silver-grey with horizontal orange/yellow stripes.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum tank size of 450 liters (120 gallons). Needs a long tank with extensive open water columns in the middle and upper levels. A secure lid is mandatory as they are jumpers.

Diet and Feeding: Planktivore. Feeds on suspended zooplankton. Feed multiple times daily with frozen mysis, brine shrimp, lobster eggs, and high-quality marine pellets.

Water Quality: Requires clean, stable water and strong currents: temperature 22-26°C (72-79°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.020-1.025, and KH 8-12. Strong protein skimming is vital.

Compatibility and Tankmates: 100% reef safe. Completely ignores all stony/soft corals and clams. Can be kept in pairs or small harems (one male, multiple females).

Aquarium Reproduction: Protogynous hermaphrodite. Spawning in home aquariums is undocumented due to massive vertical swimming space requirements for mating rituals.

Risks and Diseases: High jump risk when startled. Can suffer from swim bladder issues if poorly decompressed during collection, but very hardy once acclimated.