Personifer Angelfish

Chaetodontoplus personifer

Also known as Yellowtail Angelfish, Western Yellowtail Angelfish, Spottedface Angelfish

SaltwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 13.8 in (35 cm)
Minimum tank: 180 gal (680 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Very rare
Reef safe: Reef safe with caution
Origin: Northwestern Australia, Abrolhos Islands to the Arafura Sea
Family: Pomacanthidae

Overview

House it in at least 680 litres, and larger is better for a full grown adult, with sturdy rockwork, open swimming space and water at 22 to 26 C. Offer sponge-based angelfish foods, mysis, spirulina and nori several times a day. It is bold once settled but should be the only large angelfish in the tank, and corals and clams are at some risk.

In the wild

The personifer angelfish is endemic to northwestern Australia, from the Abrolhos Islands north and east to the Arafura Sea. It lives on inshore coastal reefs, rocky outcrops and flat sponge gardens between about 8 and 40 meters, usually alone or in small groups. Sponges and other sessile invertebrates make up most of its natural diet.

Good to know

Chaetodontoplus personifer is one of the largest fish in its genus at about 35 cm, with a blue grey head peppered in yellow spots and a yellow tail crossed by a black band. That tail band separates it from the very similar Chaetodontoplus meredithi of eastern Australia, which lacks it as an adult. The two were treated as a single species until 1990.

Did you know

Western Australia exports very few aquarium fish, so the personifer angelfish rarely reaches the trade, and captive-bred juveniles from Bali Aquarich have sold for around a thousand dollars each.