King angelfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King angelfish |
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The king angelfish (also known as passer angelfish) is a large, colorful fish. It lives in the ocean and belongs to the angelfish family, called Pomacanthidae. Because of its size and bright colors, it is sometimes kept in large aquariums.
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Where King Angelfish Live
King angelfish are tropical fish. This means they live in warm ocean waters. They do not travel far from their homes. You can find them on reefs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Their home range stretches from the coast of Peru up to the Gulf of California. They also live around islands like the Galapagos. These fish usually swim at depths of about 4 to 30 meters (13 to 98 feet).
What King Angelfish Look Like
Both male and female king angelfish look the same. However, their colors change a lot as they grow up.
Young king angelfish are mostly yellow. Their fins have bright blue edges. They also have blue stripes near their tail. A bright orange mask covers the area around their eyes.
When they become adults, their bodies turn mostly brown or blue. This color can change depending on the light. They still have the blue edges on their fins. Their tail becomes yellow. King angelfish can grow to be about 35 centimeters (14 inches) long. They have a strong spike under their lower cheek. This spike helps them protect themselves.
King Angelfish Home and Food
King angelfish usually live in rocky tropical reefs. They prefer the middle and bottom parts of the water. You can often find them hiding in large cracks between rocks. Young angelfish sometimes live in tide pools.
These fish are active during the day. They eat different things found on the reef. Their diet includes sponges and other small animals that stay in one place. They also eat tiny floating animals called zooplankton. Some types of tiny plants that grow on the seafloor are also part of their diet. Interestingly, king angelfish also help clean scalloped hammerhead sharks.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
King angelfish form pairs and stay together. They are monogamous, meaning they have one partner. During their breeding season, they mate every day around sunset. A pair can produce many eggs during this time. They might lay over ten million fertilized eggs in one cycle. On average, they lay about 25,000 to 75,000 eggs each day.
These eggs float in the water for about 20 hours. After this time, they hatch into tiny fish called fry. The fry do not have fins at first. They live off a yolk sac for food. Once the yolk sac is gone, they start eating small zooplankton.
King Angelfish in Aquariums
Some people like to keep king angelfish in aquariums. However, they can be difficult pets. This is because they grow very large. They also need special foods like sponges and tunicates. Sometimes, they will not eat other types of prepared fish food. King angelfish have not been bred in captivity. This makes them hard to find in pet stores.
These fish are also known for being dominant. They can be mean to smaller or calmer fish in the same tank. It is rare to keep two king angelfish together in one aquarium.
