All fish / Pomacanthidae

Blue Angelfish

Holacanthus bermudensis

Also known as blue angel, bermuda blue angelfish, bermuda angelfish, blue angelfish, atlantic blue angelfish, ブルーエンゼルフィッシュ, 百慕大神仙鱼, 蓝神仙

A large angelfish with a blue-grey body, yellow fin edges and long trailing dorsal and anal fins, while juveniles have bright blue vertical bars on a dark body. It is kept for its size and presence in big fish-only or rockwork-heavy systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

38 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

800 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, one large angelfish per tank

Diet

Omnivore: sponge-based angelfish foods, spirulina, nori, mysis and chopped seafood

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Florida, Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico

Breeding

It is a pelagic spawner that releases eggs into open water at dusk in pairs. Captive breeding is very rare and larvae are difficult to rear at home.

Good to know

It grows large and becomes territorial with other angelfish, and it will nip corals, sponges and clam mantles so it is not reef safe. It hybridises with the queen angelfish, and the two are easily confused; the blue lacks the queen's dark crown spot.