Lamarck's Angelfish

Lamarck's Angelfish is one of the most widely available and popular members of the reef-safe Genicanthus genus. Named after the renowned French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, this species is characterized by its elegant silvery-white body adorned with bold black horizontal stripes running from the gill cover to the tail. Males display more pronounced striping with additional spotted patterns on the lower body, while females tend to have a cleaner striped pattern. Both sexes feature the distinctive lyretail or swallowtail-shaped caudal fin characteristic of the Genicanthus genus.

In the wild, Lamarck's Angelfish are found throughout the Indo-Pacific on outer reef slopes and walls, typically at depths of 30 to 100 feet. They form harems consisting of one dominant male and several females, swimming in mid-water where they pick zooplankton from the current. Like all Genicanthus, they are protogynous hermaphrodites, with the dominant female transforming into a male when the existing male is removed from the group.

Reaching approximately 9 inches, Lamarck's Angelfish requires a minimum tank of 100 gallons with adequate open swimming space and moderate water flow. As a true planktivore that feeds exclusively in the water column, it is completely reef-safe and will not bother corals, clams, or other sessile invertebrates. This makes it one of the most sought-after large angelfish for reef aquarium enthusiasts who want the elegance of an angelfish without any risk to their coral collection.