Animal Guide

Emperor Angelfish

35 destinations · 22 states

Native Range: Indo-Pacific coral reefs, from the Red Sea and East Africa to French Polynesia

The emperor angelfish is one of those reef fish that seems almost painted by hand. Adults have bold yellow and blue stripes, a dark mask around the eyes, and a bright blue-edged tail, while juveniles look completely different with concentric blue and white rings. Watch an adult move through a reef exhibit and you'll see it constantly inspecting rocks and coral for sponges, algae, and other small food items. It often slips into crevices and around coral heads, using its narrow body to explore places larger fish cannot reach. Emperor angelfish are usually found alone or in pairs and can be strongly territorial, sometimes chasing other fish away from a favored patch of reef. Their changing appearance as they mature is especially fun to notice if an aquarium has both young and adult fish. At first the vivid stripes grab your attention. A few minutes later, the careful way the fish picks through the reef becomes just as interesting.

Emperor Angelfish

Where to see Emperor Angelfish

35 destinations across 22 states

35 destinations

Adventure Aquarium

Camden, NJ

Aquarium At The Boardwalk

Branson, MO

Aquarium of the Pacific

Long Beach, CA

Birch Aquarium

La Jolla, CA

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

Powell, OH

Denver Zoo

Denver, CO

Fort Wayne Zoo

Fort Wayne, IN

Fort Worth Zoo

Fort Worth, TX

Georgia Aquarium

Atlanta, GA

Greater Cleveland Aquarium

Cleveland, OH

Minnesota Zoo

Apple Valley, MN

Moody Gardens

Galveston, TX

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium

Sarasota, FL

National Aquarium

Baltimore, MD

New England Aquarium

Boston, MA

New York Aquarium

Brooklyn, NY

Newport Aquarium

Newport, KY

Oklahoma Aquarium

Jenks, OK

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Omaha, NE

Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach, SC

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

Gatlinburg, TN

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

Columbia, SC

San Antonio Aquarium

Leon Valley, TX

SEA LIFE Aquarium

Carlsbad, CA

SEA LIFE at Mall of America

Bloomington, MN

SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium

Grapevine, TX

SEA LIFE Kansas City Aquarium

Kansas City, MO

SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium

Orlando, FL

Seattle Aquarium

Seattle, WA

SeaWorld San Antonio

San Antonio, TX

Shedd Aquarium

Chicago, IL

Tennessee Aquarium

Chattanooga, TN

The Aquarium at Silverton Casino

Las Vegas, NV

The Dallas World Aquarium

Dallas, TX

Waikiki Aquarium

Honolulu, HI

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