Angelfishes - All currently known species in the world

19.06.2025

Today we would like to introduce you to a first-class identification book by Helmut Strutz, Frank Schneidewind, and Thomas Leithold The three authors have published a comprehensive reference work/identification book on all currently known angelfish worldwide with great color photos iand in German and English. English version: ISBN 978-3-00-081774-8 with 297 pages and approx. 510 color photos German version: ISBN 978-3-00-077924-4 with 308 pages and approx. 480 color photos Price per version: $39.80 Can be ordered from S&L Naturverlag for saltwater enthusiasts and more at https://sl-naturverlag.de/de/automatisch/1/

The internet is full of countless colorful and beautiful photos, so many that it's hard to keep track of them all. But these images often lack the tactile experience that high-quality printed photo collections can offer.

Our publishing house, S&L Naturverlag, produces comprehensive and original popular science books.

These works, including illustrated books and reference works, focus on marine aquariums and the diversity of marine fauna. They present excellent photographs of colorful marine animals from tropical sea regions around the world and offer detailed descriptions and explanations of their occurrence and the requirements for keeping them in aquariums. In addition, we tell stories and anecdotes that describe the development of marine aquariums from the 1970s to the present day.

With our books, written in a clear and lively yet technically sound narrative style, we aim to appeal to marine aquarists, divers, snorkelers, and numerous nature enthusiasts who love the fascinating underwater world.

Interested authors also have the option of having their manuscripts prepared for printing by us and then printed as individual books.

Books not only share experiences, but also convey some basic knowledge. I would like to give an example from our book on angelfish and encourage discussion:

It has been suggested several times that the following systematization be introduced to provide a clearer distinction. According to this, the Centropyge species should be called angelfish and the genera Apolemichthys and Chaetodontoplus should be referred to as dwarf angelfish. Helmut Strutz was a great advocate of this thesis. However, there are still different opinions on this classification.

However, the different lifestyles and, above all, the social behavior can thus be classified in more detail. The respective genera live either individually, like most species of Apolemichthys and Chaetodontoplus, in larger groups, like Centropyge, or in harem groups, like Genicanthus. Holacanthus and Pomacanthus, on the other hand, live in most cases as pairs. In groups and harems, one could speak of a patriarchy, because here an adult, dominant female becomes the male and the leader of the group. With anemonefish, it is exactly the opposite.

The large emperor fish, Holacanthus and Pomacanthus, have another special feature. As already mentioned, the adult animals of these species usually live in pairs and do not tolerate competitors in their territory. For this reason, the young fish are completely differently colored and are therefore not recognized as competitors. This juvenile coloration is a necessary “trick” of nature for peaceful coexistence in the reef. Only as they grow up do the fish change color in various phases until they reach their adult coloration. Depending on the species, Pomacanthus grow to between 28 and over 50 cm in length as adults. This should be taken into account before purchasing, considering the size of the aquarium.

Here's another tip for aquarists. In older literature, size specifications for fish should always be treated with caution. Strangely enough, the size of a fish is sometimes given with the tail fin (TL = total length) and sometimes without the tail fin (SL = standard length).

For this reason, and because of an inaccurate idea of how large some species in this family can grow when you see them swimming around cute, small, and colorful at the store, many animals were kept in aquariums that were far too small until recently. Fortunately, this has improved in recent years.

More animals that remain small, such as the Centropyge species, are kept than the larger angelfish.

Among the angelfish, there are food specialists that eat almost exclusively coral polyps and tunicates. However, some of them can be accustomed to supplementary food, mostly when they are still young.

Among the angelfish, there are food specialists that eat almost exclusively coral polyps and tunicates. However, some of them can be accustomed to substitute food, mostly when they are still young.

The feeding behavior of the Centropyge species is particularly interesting.

Once the fish have settled in, if you are unlucky, they will eventually eat coral. For many aquarists who value their coral above all else, this is a nightmare scenario. They want to get rid of these fish if they can catch them. In aquariums with lots of Acropora coral, this is sometimes only possible with a fish trap. Once they are finally caught, the search begins for aquarists who want these animals. Surprisingly, once the fish have been moved to another tank, they often do not bother with the corals. No one knows why corals are damaged in one tank and not in another. However, it is suspected that the reason for this behavior is whether or not there is a healthy, well-developed microflora in the aquarium.

In tanks where all rock structures are covered with calcareous algae, only a small amount of green algae can form, or in the worst case, none at all. This means that the fish are probably lacking the plant food they need. They then obtain it in the form of zooxanthellae, which live in the cell tissue of corals. However, it has not been proven that this is the real cause.

Further and other special features, specific behaviors, and food preferences are described in more detail in the descriptions of the individual species.

We have compiled some examples of the color change of the Pomacanthidae below.

Photo collages provided by S&L Naturverlag.

From the contents of the book: “Angelfishes” (Strutz, Schneidewind, Leithold)

1st English edition, April 2025

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