Gray angelfish

The gray angelfish is a large marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, found on reefs of the western Atlantic from Florida and the Caribbean to Brazil. Adults are uniformly gray with pale-edged scales giving a subtle chainmail pattern, while juveniles are black with bright yellow vertical bars and serve as cleaners for other fish. Generally one of the more peaceful large angelfish, it can still be assertive and needs ample swimming space. It is usually kept singly in very large aquariums. A mature system of several hundred liters with abundant live rock for grazing suits this species. It is an omnivore feeding heavily on sponges, tunicates and algae in the wild, so a varied diet with sponge-based angelfish preparations, marine algae and meaty foods is important. It is considered risky in reef tanks because it may nip corals and sessile invertebrates.