Flame angelfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flame angelfish |
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The flame angelfish is a beautiful fish that lives in the ocean. It is a type of marine angelfish and belongs to the Pomacanthidae family. You can find these fish in the warm, tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. People also call them the flame angel or flaming angelfish.
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What Does the Flame Angelfish Look Like?
The flame angelfish is known for its amazing colors! It is usually bright orange-red. It has a long black spot and four or five black stripes on its sides. Its top (dorsal) and bottom (anal) fins have cool purple-blue and black stripes.
Some flame angelfish from the Marquesas Islands don't have these black stripes. Male flame angelfish are usually bigger and have slightly brighter colors than females. These fish can live for 5 to 7 years, or even longer!
Where Do Flame Angelfish Live?
You can find flame angelfish on coral reefs in many parts of Oceania. They are most common around the Marshall, Line, and Cook Islands. You might also see them, though less often, near the Hawaiian Islands. These fish love to swim around the edges of coral reefs and in clear, calm lagoons.
What Do Flame Angelfish Eat?
In the wild, flame angelfish eat different kinds of food. They munch on algae (like seaweed) and small crustaceans (like tiny shrimp).
If you have a flame angelfish in an aquarium, it will eat many things. They like brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and other meaty foods. They also enjoy spirulina, seaweed sheets, and fish pellets. Some people have found that they even like tuna and table shrimp!
Flame Angelfish in Aquariums
When you first put a flame angelfish into an aquarium, especially a small one, it might be a bit shy. But usually, within about a week, it will become more confident. Then, you'll see it swimming around and looking for food on the live rocks during the day.
Many people consider the flame angelfish safe to keep in a reef aquarium. They usually learn to eat the food you give them quickly. This often stops them from nibbling on soft or stony corals. If an angelfish does pick at corals or clams, it's usually because it's not getting enough food or the right kind of nutrients.
Flame Angelfish Reproduction
Flame angelfish have been known to lay eggs and have babies in aquariums. Some places, like Atoll Farm Aquaculture in Thailand, have successfully bred them.
In the wild, flame angelfish live in groups with one male and several females. You can sometimes keep them in pairs or trios in a very large aquarium. Just make sure there's only one male. Males usually have more blue on the outer edges of their top and bottom fins and are bigger.
The fish will lay their eggs towards the end of the day. They release tiny eggs and sperm into the water. The biggest challenge for breeders is collecting these tiny eggs and raising the baby fish.
