Guide Care Rating:
Identification:
Distribution:
Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands region.
Habitat:
A shy angelfish that should be provided lots of places to hide, and best kept in a well established aquarium with ample live rock growth to graze on.
Characteristics and Compatibility:
Due to inhabiting deep ocean waters, when this fish is collected it may encounter decompression sickness. Some fish collectors use a procedure called "needling", which is a process of piercing a small hole in the fish's air bladder with a syringe needle to release the trapped air. Unless a person is well experienced in this procedure, it can lead to complications with internal infections.
If you buy this fish be sure to check it out thoroughly. It should be flying level, not struggling at a vertical position, and its abdomen should is not puffed out. These are usual signs of a possible internal bladder infection or residual effects of decompression sickness. Bandit Angels are quite aggressive and territorial. In the wild you will find this fish swimming singly or in small groups of three or four, which most likely is a male with several females.
Diet and Feeding:
Relying on sponges as its sole source of food, this fish can easily starve in captivity. If you are interested in keeping one, it wise to wait for a larger juvenile or sub-adult specimen. In most cases these specimens will adapt to tank fed foods more readily than very small juveniles or large adults. Should be fed frozen preparations especially for angels that contains sponge as a main ingredient, such as Ocean Nutrition and San Francisco Bay Brand frozen formulas.
Notes From Your Guides:
The Black and White Bandit is a spectacular, rare, and very distinctive angelfish. When seeing this species in person, the white areas of the body have a somewhat reflective pearlescent appearance, which truly makes it an eye-catching aquarium fish.
It is best to avoid using a net on this fish due to the rough texture of its scales. The fish will get stuck in the material, and once snagged the only way to separate the fish from the net is to pull it off, which is much like peeling velcro apart.
