Tips on Koran Angelfish Care

Koran Angelfish or Pomacanthus semicirculatusbelongis marketed by the aquarium industry under the
to the family Pomacanthidae.This species is endemicfollowing names; Koran Angel, Blue Koran Angel,
to the Indo-Pacific and the Rea Sea as far east asHalf-circle Angel, Half-circled Angel and Semicircle
Samoa. Their geographical range stretches fromAngel.
Japan down the entire east coast of Africa toThese fish will grow to a maximum adult length of 16
Western Australia and New South Wales. These areinches. Because of their size they will require a large
reef fish occupying depths from 3-100 feet.aquarium. A minimum tank size of 135 gallons is
One of the common traits among large angelfish isrecommended. A well populated multi-species tank
the dramatic transitional color change between theshould be considerably larger. This fish has a
juvenile and adult phases of their lives. It is simplysemi-aggressive temperament. It may bully smaller
amazing watching a juvenile's gradual metamorphosisfish. It will for the most part ignore other larger
into its adult color palette. Korans undergo threespecies. It will, however, display major territorial
distinctive stages on the sojourn to adulthood. Thebehavior toward conspecifics and other angels. It is
Greek word semicirculatus refers to the initial phaseadvisable to only keep a single large angle fish of any
of their life. Baby Korans have black bodies with bluespecies in an aquarium. Many species of large angles
and white striping that expands concentricallycarry an expert care level. Korans are rated
forward from the base of their tails. This patterningmoderate. A healthy Koran may live 15-20 years.
very much resembles ½ of the ripples on a stillKorans are omnivorous. In nature their diet consists
pond when a pebble is suddenly dropped into it. Aof a mixture of corals, algae, sponges, worms,
baby Koran could easily be mistaken for a juvenilemollusks and crustaceans. Their dietary habits make
emperor angelfish. Closer examination reveals thatthem unsuitable for a marine reef aquarium. They will,
Koran's have wider stripes and fewer of them. Whenhowever require a large enough of assortment of live
these fish reach about 3 inches in length therock for a fish of their proportions. Having a food
semicircular markings slowly straighten into sweepingsource they are already accustomed to will aid in the
lines.acclimation process. You can begin training them to
At roughly five inches in length the fish begins torecognize aquarium fare as an acceptable food
exhibit patterning between the blue lines on the tailsource by mixing increasing amounts with live food
fin that resembles Arabic script, hence the nameofferings such as brine shrimp. This is the best
Koran angelfish. They exhibit a combination oftechnique for weaning them off live food. Make sure
juvenile and adult coloration. This marks theto choose a high quality food product formulated for
conclusion of stage two. At approximately two yearsmarine angelfish. Once they are successfully weaned,
of age and between 6-7 inches in length this speciestheir diet can be supplemented with the following;
morphs into its adult color palette. Adults are typicallychopped fresh crustaceans and mollusks for protein,
a yellowish green in color with varying amounts oftable vegetables such as chopped spinach, zucchini
blue or browns spotting on their bodies and caudal fin.and yellow squash for plant matter, frozen or dried
Their heads may be blue or their primary bodyalgae such as algae sheets to insure a well balanced
coloring. Gills and fins are outlined in blue. This speciesdiet.