All fish / Pomacanthidae

King Angelfish

Holacanthus passer

Also known as king angel, passer angelfish, passer angel, white-banded angelfish, cortez king angelfish, キングエンゼルフィッシュ, 国王神仙, 帝王神仙鱼

Adults are deep blue-grey with a single white vertical bar behind the gills, orange-yellow tail and fine blue edging on the fins, while juveniles are orange and blue with thin pale bars. It is kept for its striking looks, bold character and hardiness once settled in a large tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

800 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Omnivore: sponge-based angelfish foods, spirulina, mysis, krill and marine algae

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California to Peru, including the Galápagos

Breeding

It is a pelagic egg scatterer that spawns in pairs or harems at dusk in the wild. Captive breeding is rare and essentially limited to commercial or research facilities.

Good to know

Grows large and becomes very territorial, often bullying other angelfish and tankmates, so add it last to a big tank. It will nip corals, clams and sessile invertebrates, so it is not reef safe.