Grey Angelfish

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Western Atlantic, from the eastern coast of the USA, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean to southern Brazil. Inhabits shallow coral reefs.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Pomacanthidae family, genus Pomacanthus. Reaches 60 cm (24 inches). Highly compressed discoid body. Juveniles feature vertical yellow bars on a black background.

Social Behavior: Large territorial fish that occupies the entire aquarium column. In nature, they live in stable monogamous pairs. Constantly grazes on rock surfaces.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Adults are uniform gray with dark-edged scales, and yellow pectoral fins on the inside. Juveniles are glossy black with 5 vertical lemon-yellow stripes. No sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a giant aquarium of at least 1000 liters due to its substantial adult size. Provide large, sturdy rock caves and overhangs, leaving ample open water.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivorous. Sponges are a fundamental dietary component; supplement with macroalgae, mysis, krill, chopped shrimp, and prepared foods for marine angelfish.

Water Quality: Temperature 22°C - 28°C, stable pH 8.0 - 8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025, KH 8-12, GH 15-25. Heavy biological filtration is required to handle the organic load.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Semi-aggressive. Highly territorial toward conspecifics or other large angelfish. Not reef-safe as it will consume soft corals and LPS.

Aquarium Breeding: Not reproduced in home aquariums. In the wild, they are pelagic spawners, releasing eggs in pairs during sunset.

Risks and Diseases: Susceptible to Cryptocaryon irritans and nutritional deficiencies if deprived of sponge-based foods. Avoid sudden shifts in water density.