All fish / Pomacanthidae

Cortez Angelfish

Pomacanthus zonipectus

Also known as cortez angel, cortez angelfish, gulf angelfish, pacific cortez angelfish, cortez angel juvenile, コルテスエンゼル, 可乐神仙, 加州神仙

Juveniles are dark blue to black with curved yellow and pale blue bars, while adults turn grey-brown with a yellow band behind the head and dark, blue-edged fins. It is a hardy, bold large angelfish kept for its striking colour change and personality in big fish-only systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

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, nori, mysis and chopped seafood

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

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

Breeding

It is a pelagic egg scatterer that spawns in pairs at dusk. Captive breeding in home aquariums is essentially unknown, and almost all specimens are wild-caught.

Good to know

Grows large and becomes territorial towards other angelfish; it will nip corals, clams and sessile invertebrates, so it is not reef safe.