Holacanthus Ciliaris, the queen angelfish, is among the three most recognizable angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The other two being the French Angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru) and the emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus Imperator). As with the flame angelfish it is the most popular species in the genus Holacanthus. The queen angelfish is one of the largest angels in the family Pomacanthidae.
They are found in the wild throughout the Caribbean Sea, Brazil, up to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. It is very closely related to Holacanthus Bermudensis (Blue Angelfish) and they look completely alike to the untrained eye. Both of them have been known to interbreed in the wild. Their offspring have also been known as Holacanthus Townsendi. It should be noted that Holacanthus Townsendi is not recognized as a valid species within the genus. Thankfully, telling the two apart is an easy enough task, queen angels have a blue crown on their heads, that crown is missing on blue angels.
Like all large angelfish, the juvenile form of the queen angelfish is colored very differently from adults. Juveniles have blue and yellow vertical streaks on their bodies. These bars will slowly disappear as they grow. Adults are a beautiful iridescent blue and yellow throughout their bodies.
In the wild, juvenile queens take on an interesting role. Like the cleaner wrasse, they act as "cleaners". Cleaners pick off any parasites present on other larger fish.
Not a cheap fish, adult queen angels (show quality) can fetch upwards of $200 while juveniles specimens can be had for $80-$90.
Larger angels such as the queen have a reputation for being bullies in captivity. While it is mainly peaceful with other species of fish, they are usually hostile towards conspecifics. It is very hostile towards other queen angelfish. Or for that matter, towards blue angels. One queen angelfish per tank is the general rule.
This angelfish reaches lengths of up to 18 inches in the wild. One and a half feet!. However, they rarely achieve such lengths with a maximum size of 12 to 13 inches in captivity.
An aquarium no smaller than 150 gallons should be used to house a queen angelfish. As with all larger marine fish, a bigger tank is a better tank. Ensure your rock scape in the aquarium allows for ample swimming space. Do not bo fooled into buying smaller juveniles for a 50 gallon aquarium. They quickly outgrow such small confines, leaving you with the headache of finding a larger tank or selling it.
The queen angelfish is not reef safe, it can eat corals or at least nip on them until they eventually perish. Some hobbyists have managed to keep them in reef aquariums but generally they are more suited to large fish only marine aquariums.
They feed on tunicates,sponges, corals, algae and plankton in the wild. Housing them in a reef aquarium where they are surrounded by corals is not a good idea. They can make short work of your expensive corals. Variety is key, offer both meaty and algae based foods. A pretty good to offer is Formula Two, containing a blend of seafood and an extra amount of algae. It is available in pellet, flake or frozen cube form.
Ocean Nutrition produces By far the best foods for any large angel, Angel Formula. Specifically designed for large angelfish, they contain foods they normally eat in the wild like algae, seafood and marine sponges. Angel Formula only comes in frozen cubes i believe.
Make sure you buy the plain, unflavoured/unspiced version if you're buying nori from the supermarket. Try to get raw nori if possible. You'll need a clip to attach the nori, once thats done simply stick the clip to the side of the tank.
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