Blue Angel

The Blue Angel is a large and stately Caribbean angelfish that displays a deep blue body with subtle yellow-tipped scales creating a beautiful shimmering effect. It is closely related to the Queen Angelfish and the two species occasionally hybridize in the wild, producing offspring known as Townsend Angelfish. The Blue Angel can be distinguished from its Queen cousin by its overall darker blue coloration, the absence of a prominent blue crown, and its more uniformly colored body.

Juveniles undergo a dramatic color transformation similar to other large Holacanthus species. Young Blue Angels display a dark blue to black body with bright yellow vertical bars and a yellow caudal fin. As they mature, the yellow bars gradually fade and the adult blue coloration develops over several months. This transformation is a fascinating process to observe and is one of the appeals of purchasing juvenile specimens.

The Blue Angel is a hardy and adaptable species that does well in large aquariums of 220 gallons or more. Like most large angelfish, it is not considered reef-safe as it will readily nip at corals, sponges, and clam mantles. In the wild, sponges form a major component of its diet. It can be aggressive, particularly toward other angelfish and similarly shaped species, but generally coexists well with dissimilar tankmates in fish-only or fish-only-with-live-rock setups.