All fish / Pomacanthidae

Blueface Angelfish

Pomacanthus xanthometopon

Also known as blue face angelfish, yellowface angelfish, yellow-faced angelfish, blueface angel, yellowmask angelfish, blue-faced angelfish, ปลาสินสมุทรหน้าน้ำเงิน, アデヤッコ, injel muka biru, 黄颊刺蝶鱼, 蓝面神仙, 蓝面神仙鱼

Adults have a blue face mask with a yellow band across the eyes, blue-edged scales in a yellow and blue mosaic pattern, and yellow pectoral and tail fins, with a dark eyespot at the rear of the dorsal fin. Juveniles are dark with pale blue curved bars and change to adult colours as they grow. It is kept as a striking showpiece for large fish-only or rock-heavy systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

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, spirulina and nori, mysis, krill and chopped seafood

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

15 to 20 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Maldives and Sri Lanka east to Vanuatu, north to Japan, south to northern Australia

Breeding

It is a pelagic egg scatterer that spawns in pairs at dusk in the wild. Captive breeding is very rare and almost all fish in the trade are wild caught.

Good to know

Grows to around 35 to 40 cm and needs a very large tank; it is not reef safe as it nips stony and soft corals, clam mantles and sponges. Can be aggressive towards other angelfish, so add it last to an established tank.