TankBud

Bellus angelfish

Genicanthus bellus

Also known as Ornate Angelfish

SaltwaterFish

Bellus angelfish (Genicanthus bellus)
Aquafanatic · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
7.1 in
18 cm
Minimum tank
85 gal
320 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pomacanthidae
Origin
Eastern Indian Ocean and Pacific, from the Cocos-Keeling Islands to the Philippines, Palau, and the Society Islands

Overview

The Bellus angelfish is a peaceful planktivore that swims in the open water of a reef tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The Bellus angelfish lives so deep that it was one of the last Genicanthus angels to become regularly available in the hobby. It was not successfully captive-bred until 2017.

Caring for the Bellus angelfish

Give a Bellus angelfish at least 85 gal (320 L), with plenty of open swimming space over live rock. Keep the lighting dim at first while it settles in. Fit a tight lid, since this species is a known jumper.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It is a planktivore. Offer small meals of mysis, enriched brine shrimp and marine algae several times a day, especially while it settles in.

The Bellus angelfish is peaceful and safe with community fish, and it ignores corals and clams. That makes it a solid reef-safe choice. A hungry fish will occasionally pick at fleshy LPS or clam mantles, so keep it well fed.

Males spar with each other, so never keep two males together. House a single fish, a pair, or one male with a small group of females.

The sexes are easy to tell apart on sight. Males are silvery gray with a yellow horizontal stripe. Females are white with an iridescent blue sheen and black stripes from the gills to the tail. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

The Bellus angelfish is a Genicanthus angel in the family Pomacanthidae, and it also goes by ornate angelfish. It lives in harems in the wild and can change sex from female to male. Because it is collected from such deep water, it tends to ship more delicately than shallow-reef angelfish.

In the wild

Bellus angelfish live deep on Indo-Pacific outer reef slopes and drop-offs, mostly between 50 and 100 meters and occasionally shallower. That is well below where most reef fish in the hobby are collected. Small groups school along the current-swept edge of the reef, feeding on plankton in open water. Their range runs from the Cocos-Keeling Islands to the Philippines, Palau and the Society Islands.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Bellus angelfish is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Bellus angelfish need?

A Bellus angelfish needs at least 85 gal (320 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Bellus angelfish need?

A Bellus angelfish is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Bellus angelfish eat?

A Bellus angelfish is a planktivore. Feed it small meals of mysis, enriched brine shrimp and marine algae several times a day, especially while it settles in.

How big does a Bellus angelfish get?

An adult Bellus angelfish reaches about 7.1 in (18 cm).

How can you tell a male Bellus angelfish from a female?

Males are silvery gray with a yellow horizontal stripe. Females are white with an iridescent blue sheen and black stripes running from the gills to the tail.

Related species