FOTM April 2011 Flagfin Angelfish (Apolemichthys trimaculatus)

Flagfin Angelfish
(Apolemichthys trimaculatus)

Minimum Tank Size: 90 gallons
Reef Safe: Yes, with caution
My tank has LPS, SPS, and Zoas in it and it has not been intereted in any of the above. I am however not sure about clam mantles or branching soft corals. Others I have talked to also seem to have no trouble with nipping, but I am listing it as "with caution" because it may just be a particular fish that enjoys nipping. Just remember if you are intersted in getting one of these, have an exit strategy. Either get rid of the fish or get rid of corals it enjoys munching on. As long as you keep it well fed there shoundn't be a problem though.
Attitude: Mellow
If I were to add this to an angelfish or larger agressive tank however, I would make sure it would not be bullied and add a fully grown adult of 8" or more. I would keep it with similarly sized tangs and other medium size fish that can fend for themselves. This fish minds its own business and I haven't seen any agression towards other tankmates.
Diet: In the wild, these fish are spongivorous (like Regal Angelfish)
Care: The Flagfin Angelfish is Medium-Difficult to care for.
The main reason why I list this fish as med/difficult is because it can be hard to get it to eat. As mentioned above they eat sponges in the wild and are sometimes hard to acclimate to aquarium fare. Other than that it is fairly hardy and undemanding. Water quality needs to be high as with most angels.
Max Size: Between 8-10"
Origin: Fiji, Indonesia, Maldives, Vanuatu
Species from outside the Philipines tend to fare better according to some.

Personal Observations:
This fish tends to cruise around in the lower portion of the tank, swimming in and out of caves. It is essential that this fish be housed in a FOWLR or reef setup because it spends its entire day picking off the LR. It is not a shy fish and will come out and swim up to the glass when you approach the tank. Also, this fish is very curious. Whenever it sees something new it will test it to see if it is edible. When I was vacuuming my sand a few days ago all the fish disappeared but him, he came over and bit it to see if it was food then continued on his way. Same with the algae scrape, algae magnet, my hand etc.
Feeding: I feed frozen brine and mysis 2X per day, soaked in Brightwell Aquatics Angelixir once a week. This is an excellant food soak to try to entice it into eating or trying prepared foods such as pellets. Hikari Mega-Marine Angel has worked well for me. Other than that if you are gone for the day, leave some red nori for it to graze on.





Overall I think this is an excellant Angelfish for someone already experienced with caring for dwarf angels. This fish is active and is not territorial, unlike most Pomacanthidae angelfish. If you are interseted in adding one of these to your tank I would reccommend adding it first or growing it up in a seperate tank so it won't be bullied by other larger fishes, especially angels. So, if you have a 90 gallon+ FOWLR or reef setup, don't have overly aggressive fishes and would like a showpiece angel that won't break the bank (or the tank) try a Flagfin Angel!

If you have any questions about this fish please feel free to post them on this thread or PM me!

 

Excellent write up and images. Good Job!

 

Awesome write-up – looks like a movie star who just left the make up artist and heading for the set ! Blue lipstick !

Smurf lips !

 

Thank you Corailline!

That exactly what my mom said! Haha;D

 

Good article. Very well done.

 

Agreed. The details will really help someone. Thanks for taking the time to do this great write up. Appreciated.

 

Thanks Matt!

 

what size do these get?

 

Between 8-10"

 

Great job!!!!