The French Angelfish is a large, deep-bodied fish that tends to fade in color as it matures. Juveniles are black with five transverse yellow bars. The adult fish is gray with one or two faint, white vertical bands, and a white mouth. Each scale displays a black dot.

Tank Setup

These Angelfish, like other Angelfishes, are territorial and should be kept in large aquariums. They can be intolerant of their own kind, so keeping two individuals of the same species in one tank is generally not recommended. If the two fish do not resemble each other they will usually get along fine. Decorate the tank with lots of hiding places as these fish are fairly shy and slow-moving.

Feeding

Throughout the tropical areas of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean the French Angelfish will eat, among other things, sponges. They can also be seen scraping small animals and algae from rocks and dead corals. In the aquarium they will accept pieces of lettuce, algae and other vegetable matter, as well as fish meat. All food should be chopped into small pieces.

Water Chemistry

A salinity of 1.025 and temperature between 75-79 degrees F is recommended. Water quality is crucial to the fish's health.

Breeding

Successful breeding of the species in captivity has not been reported.