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The french angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru) is among the three most popular angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The Emperor Angelfish and the Queen Angelfish make up the other two.

Its closets relative is the gray angel, as such, they look completely alike to the untrained eye. Differentiating between the to is easy, adult french angels have yellow/gold flecks on their bodies while gray angels do not. As juveniles they are very similar, except for one small difference. Juvenile Gray angelfish have straighter tail fins while juvenile queens have tail fins that are rounded.This trait is also present on adult gray and french angelfish.

The juvenile form of the french is also one of the most beautiful among its cousins. A full jet black with bright yellow vertical bars. Like other juveniles in the genus they are cleaners in the wild, actively picking off parasites off other larger fish.

These marine angelfish are widespread throughout the Caribbean and are commonly sighted by divers in that area. Other popular angelfishes from that area include the queen, blue and gray angelfishes.

Not a cheap fish, small juveniles go for $80 to $90 USD while larger adults can cost upwards of $200.

Like its larger cousins, the French Angelfish can be aggressive towards other members of the pomacanthidae (Marine angelfish) family. Putting two french angelfish together in a marine aquarium with limited space can be a recipe for disaster.

Despite this, the french angelfish assumes a very curious and friendly disposition towards its keepers. It is normally peaceful with species outside of its own family. Clownfish, small wrasses and dottybacks are pretty much left alone.

At 16 inches the French angelfish is a whopper! If you plan on keeping one long-term you should house one in a marine aquarium no less than 150 gallons. Of course it always helps to aim higher, something like a 300 gallon is perfect.

Some hobbyists are tricked into buying a small juvenile french angel only to have it outgrow their small aquariums in a matter of months.

So don’t be fooled by their small sizes, juveniles grow very quickly. French angels are commonly kept in large community aquariums with a very “open” rock scape. This is to ensure they get adequate swimming room. Hobbyists with a reef aquarium generally avoid keeping the french angelfish, we find out why in the next section.

Like all larger angelfish, the French Angelfish is not reef safe. Some people have managed to get away with housing a french in a reef aquarium but that’s generally not a great idea.

In the wild, their diet is made up of corals, algae, sponges and polyps. Most people avoid keeping them in their reef aquariums as they can make short work of their prized corals. Algae based foods like seaweed/nori sheets should be offered along with meaty foods like mysis shrimp and krill.

Try to get them on a good pellet like those from New Life Spectrum as well. A pretty good and balanced food to offer would be formula two, it contains seafood and extra algae for herbivorous fishes. Available in, flake, pellet or frozen cube form.

The best food for a french angelfish is Angel Formula by Ocean Nutrition. Designed to cater to the specific needs of large angelfish, it contains a mix of algae, fresh seafood, vitamins and most importantly, marine sponges. Unfortunately, Angel Formula is only available in frozen cubes.

A bit more about seaweed and nori. You can go to your local supermarket to get some or you can choose to purchase them from companies catering to herbivorous fish. Prices vary with market nori, they’re either expensive or cheap depending on the brand.

Make sure the type you buy is plain and unflavoured/unspiced. Raw dried nori is great. Get a clip for your nori and stick it on the side of the aquarium glass.

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