A beautiful angelfish hybrid has landed at Singapore-based livestock retailer Iwarna Aquafarm. Thought to be a cross between a Blueface Angelfish, Pomacanthus xanthometopon, and a Sixbar Angelfish, Pomacanthus sexstriatus, this large angel lovechild features the yellow eye mask, blue pelvic fins, and a black dorsal spot of an adult Blueface, the caudal and anal fin patternation of the Sixbar, but a blend of adults of both species for scale color and pattern.
There’s the white head streak of an adult Sixbar too, along with unique, still juvenile blue facial streaks. But all-in-all, as large angelfish Hybrids go, it’s a showstopper, and would no doubt feature on the shopping list of many a large angelfish collector.
Origin
According to Fishbase, Pomacanthus xanthometopon hails from the Indo-Pacific: The Maldives to Vanuatu, north to the Yaeyama Islands; Palau and Krosae in Micronesia. Pomacanthus sexstriatus also comes from the Indo-Pacific: Ryukyu Islands to Malaysia and Indonesia to Solomon Islands, and south to Australia.
Compare the ranges on AquaMaps and the two overlap over a very wide range, they overlap from 5-30m depth and they eat the same foods – algae, sponges, and tunicates. With the congener parents reaching 15” and 18” respectively, in the right tank this fish could achieve a large size. Just keep it away from LPS and soft corals!
Other hybrid angelfish
Reef Builders has featured other large angelfish hybrids before, including Clarion X Passer, Conspic X Personifer, Emperor Hybrids, Asfur hybrids, and a Blueface X Koran – a pretty close visual match. But importantly, we’ve covered a Blueface X Sixbar hybrid before, first in 2016 in Japan, and then again in March 2021, collected by RVS off the East Coast of the Philipines. So as far as scarcity (and our coverage,) goes, Blueface X Sixbar hybrids are a once-in-five-year fish. And we love to see them.
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