All fish / Pomacanthidae

Regal Angelfish

Pygoplites diacanthus

Also known as regal angel, royal angelfish, royal empress angelfish, red sea regal angelfish, indian ocean regal angelfish, yellow belly regal angelfish, blue throat regal angelfish, ปลาสินสมุทรลายบั้ง, ニシキヤッコ, ikan injel raja, betmen, 帝王神仙鱼

A striking angelfish with orange to yellow flanks crossed by white bars edged in blue and black, plus a yellow tail. It is prized as one of the most beautiful reef fish, but it is a picky feeder that often refuses food at first.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, or as a mated pair in a very large tank

Diet

Omnivore: sponge-based frozen foods, mysis, chopped seafood, spirulina and marine algae

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Tuamotus, north to Japan, south to Australia

Breeding

A pelagic spawner that releases eggs into open water at dusk in pairs. It has not been reliably bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

Fish from the Red Sea and Maldives usually adapt better than those from the Philippines or Indonesia, which often fail to feed. It may nip sponges, clams and large-polyp stony corals, so it is not fully reef-safe.