All fish / Pomacanthidae

Six-banded angelfish

Pomacanthus sexstriatus

Also known as sixbar angelfish, six barred angelfish, six-banded angel, sixband angelfish, six bar angel, ロクセンヤッコ, 六带神仙, 六间神仙, 六带刺盖鱼

Adults are greyish brown with six dark vertical bands, a blackish head with a white band behind the eye and fine blue spots across the body and fins. Juveniles are black with thin curved blue and white lines, so they look quite different from adults. Keepers value it as a hardy, imposing large angelfish for big fish-only or robust community systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

40 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Keep singly; one large angelfish per tank

Diet

Omnivore: marine sponge-based foods, spirulina and algae, mysis, krill, chopped seafood and quality angelfish pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Malaysia and Indonesia to the Philippines, New Guinea, northern Australia and the Solomon Islands

Breeding

It spawns in pairs, releasing floating eggs into open water, and the larvae spend a long time drifting in the plankton. Captive breeding is very rare and not practical in home aquariums, so nearly all specimens are wild caught.

Good to know

It grows very large and needs a huge tank, and it will nip stony and soft corals, sessile invertebrates and clam mantles, so it is not reef safe. It can become aggressive towards other angelfish and similar-shaped fish.