African Angelfish (Holacanthus africanus)

Overview

The African Angelfish, Holacanthus africanus, is also known as the Guinean Angelfish and the West African Angelfish. These fish come from the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Senegal to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Juveniles have a dark blue body with pale blue vertical lines on each side of the eye. The tail and lips are yellow and there is a vertical white band across the middle of the body. Adults are an olive green with the central white vertical bar becoming wider and more yellowish. The caudal peduncle darkens to a near-black. There is a dark eye spot behind the gills and yellow along the edges of the dorsal and anal fins.

African Angelfish are omnivores and do best on a diet of marine algae, angelfish food, and a mix of meaty foods.

They require an aquarium of at least 150 gallons with plenty of live rock for grazing and hiding.

Despite being relatively hardy, this fish is very rare in the aquarium hobby because of the region of the world they are from.