The french angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru) is among the three most popular angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The Emperor Angelfish and the Queen Angelfish make up the other two.
It is closely related to the Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus Arcuatus) and to the untrained eye they are very similar in appearance. Telling them apart is easy as adult French Angelfish have flecks off yellow on their scales while Gray angelfish do not. They are completely alike as juveniles, except for one minor detail. Juvenile Queen angelfish have tail fins that are rounded while juvenile gray angelfish tail fins that are straighter.This trait is present on adult french and gray angels as well.
The juvenile form of the french is also one of the most beautiful among its cousins. A full jet black with bright yellow vertical bars. Juveniles take on the roles of cleanerfish in the wild, actively picking off parasites off larger fish.
They commonly sighted by divers around the Caribbean Sea. Other popular angelfishes from that area include the queen, blue and gray angelfishes.
This is an expensive fish, small specimens usually retail for $80-$90 USD with large adults (Show quality)costing $200 and upwards.
Like its larger cousins, the French Angelfish can be aggressive towards other members of the pomacanthidae (Marine angelfish) family. Expect a lot of fighting/torn fins if you put two french angelfish together in a marine aquarium.
Despite this, french angelfish are normally friendly towards their keepers. It is normally peaceful with other species of fish. Clownfish, small wrasses and dottybacks are pretty much left alone.
At 16 inches the French angelfish is a whopper! If you plan on keeping one long-term you should house one in a marine aquarium no less than 150 gallons. Of course it always helps to aim higher, something like a 300 gallon is perfect.
Many hobbyists are tricked into getting a small juvenile only to have it outgrow their aquariums in a year.
So don't be fooled by their small sizes, juveniles grow very quickly. French angelfish are usually kept in large community aquariums with very "open" rock scapes. This is to ensure they get adequate swimming room. Hobbyists with a reef aquarium generally avoid keeping the french angelfish, we find out why in the next section.
Like all larger angelfish, the French Angelfish is not reef safe. You may come across some reef tanks with french angels but they're more suited to fish-only aquariums.
In the wild, they feed on sponges, corals, algae and polyps. Most people avoid keeping them in their reef aquariums as they can make short work of their prized corals. A source of algae like nori/seaweed should be offered along with meaty foods like krill and mysis shrimp.
Offer them a good pellet from a reputable brand like New Life Spectrum as well. A pretty good and balanced food to offer would be formula two, it contains seafood and extra algae for herbivorous fishes. Available in, flake, pellet or frozen cube form.
The best food for a french angelfish is Angel Formula by Ocean Nutrition. Designed to cater to the specific needs of large angelfish, it contains a mix of algae, fresh seafood, vitamins and most importantly, marine sponges. Unfortunately, Angel Formula is only available in frozen cubes.
A bit more about seaweed and nori. You can choose to either purchase branded seaweed sheets from companies catering to herbivorous fish or you can run down to your local supermarket and get some there. Prices vary with market nori, they're either expensive or cheap depending on the brand.
Make sure you buy the plain, unflavoured/unspiced version. If available, raw nori is an excellent offering. Get a clip for your nori and stick it on the side of the aquarium glass.
