Saltwater Angelfish: Types, Tank Size, Care and Prices

Saltwater angelfish are the reef fish of the family Pomacanthidae. Wikipedia says they live on shallow reefs in the tropical Atlantic, Indian and mostly western Pacific Oceans. They look like butterflyfish, and the reliable way to separate them is a strong spine on the lower rear corner of the gill cover (the preopercle): angelfish have it, butterflyfish do not. The genus name Genicanthus even means 'thorn cheek' after this spine (Wikipedia).

On reefs most angelfish eat sponges and other invertebrates. The swallowtail angels (Genicanthus) feed on zooplankton instead, and the dwarf angels (Centropyge) prefer filamentous algae (Wikipedia).

Species counts per genus are from Wikipedia's Pomacanthidae article.

• Centropyge, dwarf angels (35 species): the largest genus; flame, coral beauty, bicolor and lemonpeel angels. LiveAquaria describes them as about four inches long and mild tempered for angelfish.
• Pomacanthus (13): big angels such as the emperor and French angelfish.
• Holacanthus (8): includes the queen angelfish and the blue angelfish.
• Chaetodontoplus (13) and Apolemichthys (8): mid-sized Indo-Pacific angels.
• Genicanthus (10): swallowtail angels, plankton feeders with lyre-shaped tails, where males and females look different.
• Pygoplites (1): the regal angelfish.
• Paracentropyge (1).

Many angelfish change pattern completely as they grow, which trips up identification. LiveAquaria describes the juvenile emperor angelfish as black with circular white and blue stripes starting at the tail, before it turns into the blue-and-yellow striped adult. Wikipedia gives the blue angelfish as another example: electric blue with stripes as a juvenile, greyish with yellow and blue fins as an adult.

If a photo ID returns two different angelfish for fish that look related, check whether one is simply the juvenile form. FishLens shows the species name from a photo; compare the result against adult and juvenile photos before you buy or report a sighting.

Most are moderately hard, and a few are for experts. LiveAquaria says most marine angelfish adapt well to captivity, and rates both the flame and emperor angelfish 'Moderate' in care level, but lists the regal angelfish as 'Expert Only'.

The bigger practical problem is corals. LiveAquaria marks the flame and emperor angels 'With Caution' for reef tanks because they nip stony and soft corals, sessile invertebrates and clam mantles, and all 28 dwarf angels in its collection carry the same 'With Caution' label. The exception is the swallowtail group: Wikipedia says Genicanthus species are generally considered reef safe because they eat plankton in the water column, and Quality Marine says Lamarck's angelfish ignores corals, clams and clean-up crews.

Water conditions LiveAquaria lists for both the flame and emperor angels: 72 to 78°F, pH 8.1 to 8.4, dKH 8 to 12, specific gravity 1.020 to 1.025.

Usually one per tank, with a planned exception for harem species.

• Same genus: LiveAquaria advises against keeping angelfish from the same genus together because they usually fight, and says the flame angelfish should be housed with dissimilar genera.
• Why pairs are tricky: Wikipedia says all angelfish are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they start female and the dominant fish can turn male. Some species live in pairs and some in harems of one male with several females.
• Harems: Quality Marine says Lamarck's angelfish lives in groups of 5 to 7 with one male, that 3 to 7 can be kept together in an aquarium, and that if you start with all females the most dominant one turns male in time.

So a large tank can hold one large angel plus one dwarf angel of a different genus, or a swallowtail harem, but two angels of the same genus is the classic mistake.

Plan by the adult size, not the size in the bag:

• Dwarf angels: LiveAquaria lists a 70-gallon minimum for the flame angelfish, which reaches 4 inches.
• Swallowtail angels: Quality Marine says adult Lamarck's angels are usually 6 to 7 inches (up to 9 in the wild) and suit aquariums as small as 110 gallons, with open swimming space.
• Large angels: LiveAquaria lists a 220-gallon minimum for the emperor angelfish, which reaches 15 inches, with live rock for grazing.

All of these need rockwork to hide in; LiveAquaria's flame angel listing asks for lots of hiding places.

Starting prices at LiveAquaria, a US online retailer, checked on 2026-09-25. Prices change with size and stock.

• Cheapest dwarf angels: yellow angelfish from $39.99, pygmy yellowtail from $40.99, black nox and half black from $49.99, coral beauty and bicolor from $59.99.
• Flame angelfish: $109.99 (listed as sold out that day).
• Pricier dwarfs: multibar from $198.99, purple masked from $279.99, golden angelfish from $288.99.
• Large angels: black velvet from $59.99, Lamarck's and spotbreast from $69.99, emperor $129.99 (on sale from $161.99), French $198.99 to $248.99, regal from $229.99, asfur from $258.99, blueface from $285.99.

For the queen angelfish's price and rarity, see our queen angelfish page.

They share a name and nothing else. Freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare, are members of the cichlid family (Aqueon), while saltwater angelfish are the reef family Pomacanthidae. They need completely different tanks. See our freshwater angelfish page.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Every number names the organisation it comes from, and where sources disagree we say so instead of picking one silently. Prices and rules are given with the date we checked them; they change, so confirm before you rely on them. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.