Angelfish Profiles

This is a distinctive and hard to come by species. It primarily inhabits Hawaiian water reefs past 80 feet, but sometimes may be found seasonally in shallower waters. Due to the depths at which this angel resides, decompression sickness results if specimens are not handled properly when collected. For this reason it's important to know the signs of this illness in a fish before you buy one.

A popular dwarf species for aquariums that grows to about 3.9 inches, this hardy angelfish makes a nice addition with its vibrant orange and deep purplish-blue colors.

The naming of this species honors zoologist Walter K. Fisher, who studied Hawaiian starfishes and birds in the years around 1902. Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, including Johnston Atoll, the Fisher's Angel is one of the smallest of the dwarf species, only attaining about 2.4 inches in size.

The Flame Angel is an unmistakable species due to its vibrant red color. Specimens found in the Western-Pacific area around the Hawaiian Islands are much deeper red in color, while those of the Indo-Pacific region are more red-orange in color.

Often confused with the Herald's or False Lemonpeel Angelfish (C. heraldi), although both species do have similar chrome-yellow colored bodies, it is primarily the true Lemonpeel's blue-ringed eyes that identify it as such.

An endemic species to the Hawaiian Islands region, the naming of the Potter's Angelfish honors the memory of Mr. Frederick A. Potter (1874-1961), who served from 1903 to 1940 as the first director of the Waikiki Aquarium.