Emperor Angelfish Facts

The emperor angelfish -- also referred to as the imperial or imperator angelfish -- is a member of the Pomacanthus family and is found in central western part of the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, Equatorial Islands and portions of French Polynesia. It is attracted to coral reefs, and often stays hidden in holes, caves and reef flats for long periods of time.

  1. Description

    • Young emperor angelfish have a distinctive electric blue coloring with concentric black and white circles and a blue-striped tail. As they grow into adults, their circles transform into a horizontal pattern, and the body color changes into yellow horizontal stripes with a yellow tail. Adults also have a black mask over their eyes with a blue edge. Their mouths are white with slight yellowing on the left and right upper areas. Adults can grow to an average of 15 inches.

    Care

    • Emperor angelfish must be kept in a saltwater tank. They are not easy to care for in a home, and require you to follow certain procedures. You need a minimum tank size of 100 gallons, and a 200-gallon tank is advised once the fish reaches full size. Fill the tank with rocks and foliage to provide plenty of places for the fish to hide and graze. Avoid placing corals in your tank as the emperor angelfish likes to eat this type of rock. Keep only one emperor angelfish in your tank as they are aggressively territorial toward each other. Buy a filtration and heating system for your tank for optimal cleanliness, and to keep the water temperature at 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Feeding

    • Emperor angelfish like to eat sponges, parasites, algae, vascular plants and tunicates -- sack-shaped feeders. Because some of these foods cannot be duplicated in a home environment, feed your emperor angelfish a diet of shrimp, premium flakes and marine algae. You can also feed your fish with a special formula by mixing fresh shrimp, mussels, squid and spinach. Emperor angelfish will often feed on natural algae created by the conditions of your fish tank.

    Disease

    • Common diseases in the emperor angelfish include ick and hole in the head. Ick is a parasite that forms in a saltlike spotting on the angelfish, and usually appears first on their fins. Ick usually occurs when you place your emperor angelfish into a new tank, and is curable with the use of medication that kills the parasite. Hole in the head is characterized by the appearance of a small hole near one of the eyes of your fish, and is often a result of water that is not well-filtered. It can also be treated with medication. To help prevent these diseases, talk to an aquarium specialist when you buy your fish to learn about the proper ways to filtrate your tank and introduce your new fish into the tank.