Care Level: Moderate

Temperament: Semi-Aggressive

Reef Compatible: No

General Description: Named for its six vertical stripes across its body, the Six Bar Angel is sometimes also referred to as the Six Banded of Six Striped Angelfish and is a relatively hardy and adaptable species known to live over 15 years in captivity if well cared for. Native to the Indo-Pacific, the sixbar angelfish is found from Sri Lanka through the Male Archipelago to the Solomon Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands of Southern Japan and Palau and south to New Caledonia and Australia. As an adult, the primarily pale-tan body has five nearly evenly-spaced dark brown stripes. The sixth stripe is white and just behind the eye. Dark blue speckling covers the entire body, while vibrant bright blue dots cover the ctail and back portion of the anal fin. Juveniles exhibit a lot more striping and are overall black and blue, while the adult form has less blue than the sub-adult and a darker face. Adults can grow to 16 inches in length.

Diet Requirements: It is a more carnivorous species which feeds on sponges and tunicates in the wild. The diet of the Six Bar Angelfish should include high-quality angelfish preparations with sponge, mysis or frozen shrimp, and other meaty items. Spirulina, Chlorella, marine sheet algae can be fed for variety along with flake and pellet foods. It should be fed at least three times a day to reproduce its natural reef grazing behavior.

Care Requirements: At full adult size, the Six Bar Angel should be housed in aminimum 200 gallon aquarium with a 18+ inch width. This angel may be shy initially and refuse preparations of food; an abundance of live rock with natural algae to graze on is advantageous for the Six Bar Angel to thrive at the beginning. Due to its size and temperament, the Six Bar Angel would do best with other large, community-type fish such as tangs, triggers, larger anthias, damsels, groupers, and larger wrasses with a similar temperament. The Six Bar Angel will likely show aggression to other species in the Pomacanthus genus and therefore, should be kept as the only one. If you would like to house the Six Bar Angel with another Pomacanthus species or large angelfish from a different genus, keep in mind that the system should well exceed in resources and space (400+ gallons) to accommodate them at full size. Not a good candidate for a reef dweller, the Six Bar Angel is likely to nip at coral polyps and clams in the aquarium. Recommended water conditions, 72-78° F, KH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025.

Purchase Size: Adult Small: 2-1/2″ to 3-1/4″; Medium: 3-1/2″ to 4-1/4″

Note: Your item may not look identical to the image provided due to variation within species. Purchase size is approximate.