Angelfish

angelfish | under water

True Wildlife | Under Watr | There are six species of Angelfish in North American waters, many of these inhabiting the numerous islands of the Caribbean. There are Cherubfish, Queen Angelfish, Blue Angelfish, Gray Angelfish, French Angelfish, and the Rock Beauty. All are basically rounded in appearance, like a pancake, and most live on shallow reefs. They range in size from 3 inches up to 24 inches.

• The Cherubfish, the smallest of angelfishes, is a deep blue with pale yellow fins. They are not often seen because they prefer deeper waters than scuba divers or snorkelers frequent.
• The Queen Angelfish, which grows up to about 18 inches around, is usually a vibrant blue with yellow markings on their fins and a black and blue spot on the top of its head.
• The Blue Angelfish looks similar to the Queen Angelfish only a lighter blue and yellow color and has no black and blue spot. When very young these angelfish act as cleaner fish and remove parasites from larger fish.
• The Gray Angelfish is really gray with yellow fins.
• The French Angelfish is black with yellow scale tips and yellow around its eye. Both of these varieties can reach sizes up to 24 inches.
• The Rock Beauty is black with a yellow head, chest, and underbelly.

Angelfish feed on a variety of items including sponges, algae, small crustaceans, and occasional handouts from divers. They are very curious fish and are apt to come right up to divers, sometimes making real pests of themselves. They normally form pairs or small groups and are very active during the daytime. At night they retire and because of their pancake shape, they are able to fit into many narrow crevices in the reef.

angelfish | under water

angelfish | under water

beautiful angelfish | under water

french angelfish | under water