Bellus Angel - Male (Asia Pacific)
The Bellus swallowtail angel has a beautiful pearly white body with many blue, yellow and black markings. The female has a bright sapphire blue patch on her side, and several thick stripes along her body, tail and face. The dorsal, pectoral and anal fins have patches of yellow. The male in contrast has yellow stripes along his body which turn black at the tail. The face has stripes which shift from blue to black to fiery orange.
The Bellus swallowtail angel can grow to be approximately 7 inches long and needs an aquarium of at least 125 gallons.
Angelfish of the genus Genicanthus are collectively known as swallowtail angelfish. In the wild, they typically live in small groups or harems of one male and several females. In the aquarium they are usually kept singly or in pairs; two males may fight each other. They are typically peaceful with all other fish. As they can be collected from deep water, they may suffer from swim-bladder damage; dim lighting will help with initial acclimation.
Swallowtail angelfish are planktivores, meaning their diet consists of small floating food items such as shrimp. Sessile invertebrates such as corals are not their natural food item, so they can safely be kept in any sort of reef aquarium. They feel most secure when there is plenty of live rock to hide in, as well as open space for swimming. Diet should include plenty of high quality meaty items such as Mysis shrimp and chopped krill, and also marine algae and Spirulina. It should be fed 2-3 times a day.