All fish / Pomacanthidae

Queen Angelfish

Holacanthus ciliaris

Also known as queen angel, queen angelfish, blue angelfish, golden angelfish, yellow angelfish, クイーンエンゼルフィッシュ, 女王神仙, 皇后神仙鱼

The Queen Angelfish has a tall body in bright electric blue and yellow, with a blue crown spot on the forehead ringed in blue. Juveniles are dark blue with pale blue vertical bars and change slowly into the adult colours. Aquarists keep it as an impressive showpiece for very large fish-only or rockwork systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

35 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 and nori, mysis, krill and chopped seafood

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: Florida, Bahamas, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to Brazil

Breeding

In the wild it spawns in pairs at dusk, and the eggs and larvae drift in the open water. Captive breeding is very rare and only a few public or commercial facilities have managed it, so nearly all fish sold are wild caught.

Good to know

It grows large and needs a very big tank. It is not reef safe because it nips corals, sponges and clams, and it can be aggressive to other angelfish. The Blue Angelfish (Holacanthus bermudensis) looks similar and the two hybridise, but the Queen has a complete crown spot and an all-yellow tail.