All fish / Pomacanthidae

Emperor Angelfish

Pomacanthus imperator

Also known as emperor angel, imperator angelfish, imperial angelfish, juvenile emperor angel, koran angel, タテジマキンチャクダイ, ikan kambing-kambing, 皇后神仙鱼, 皇帝神仙

Adults have yellow and blue diagonal stripes, a black bar through the eye and a blue-edged black patch behind the gills. Juveniles look quite different, dark blue with white and blue concentric rings, and slowly change colour as they grow. Many keepers see it as one of the finest large fish for big reef-safe-optional or fish-only systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 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, marine algae, mysis, krill, chopped seafood and spirulina flakes or pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii, the Tuamotus and southern Japan

Breeding

It spawns in pairs, releasing floating eggs at dusk, and the larvae drift in the plankton. Captive breeding is very rare and almost all fish sold are wild caught.

Good to know

It grows large and can bully other angelfish, and it often nips corals and clams, so it is not reliably reef safe. Buy fish that are already eating well, as newly caught specimens can be fussy feeders.