Male and Female Japanese Swallowtail Angelfish (Genicanthus melanospilos)
Female
Adult size - 4-5 inches
Male
Adult size- 7-8 inches
Other names - Zebra Angel, Blackspot Angel
Reef safe- They are considered in the large angelfish catagory. Also they are one of the very few angelfishes that will not nip at corals, clams, and other inverts, considered one of the safest angels for the reef aquarium.
Attitude- A good community fish, I have them in with clowns, chromises, gobys, cardinal fish, and a foxface, keep to themselves pretty much.
Diet- They taste test about any food put in the tank. They have taken to frozen, flake, pellet, and dried alge. They love live brine shrimp when I can pick it up. In the wild they mostly feed on zooplankton.
Care- - Fairly easy to care for. Both male and female have taken to the tank fairly well and quickly.
Observations- Once in a while the male will chase the female but no injuries have occured from it. When it comes to feeding both will push other fish out of the way to get to the food. They are big swimmers and are always out in the open until the lights go out then they hide immediatly. When the lights come on they are usually the first ones out in the tank.
Use caution with anthias naturally they are food competors. I have a lyretail he gets chased once in a while but most of the time the angels do leave him alone. I have read articles where some do not mix at all. In the picture of the male you can see the lyretail right above him (pinkish in color)
In the hobby the female is more readily available then the male. The males are only occasionally found and a little more expensive then the females. The female I found locally, the male I was on a few waiting list for and that was for a few months. On rare occasion you can find a mated pair up for sale but thats few and far between.
These are awesome looking angelfish, and I looked all over the internet and did a lot of searching to find what reef safe angels were out there. If you do decide on these fish and cannot get a mated pair it's best to add the female first. The male did show some aggressivesness at first toward the female but she had her hiding spots and knew the tunnels in the rocks to get away. He has calmed down a lot and the aggressiviness has subsided except for a little chase here and there. These are probably one of the best additions I have added to the tank.