Chaetodontoplus poliourus

Randall & Rocha, 2009

Greytail Angelfish

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.

Size: 7 inches (17 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow lagoons and coastal reef areas at depths of 10 to 70 feet (3 – 20 m) that rich in coral growth and feeds on algae, sponges, tunicates and crustaceans.

General Husbandry: This beautiful angelfish, which is often mistakenly thought to be a Butterflyfish, has blue lips, yellow face, with a black vertical ban running through the eye. Its two-tone body begins with a somewhat ashen patch behind the head that fades into a larger black area, which is accented with a yellow speckled patterning throughout, and has a grey tail. Its dorsal and anal fins are edged in bright blue. The odd patterning of the wavy or winding lines on the body has resulted in the species usually being referred to, or confused with, the Vermiculated Angelfish, Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus, which has a yellow tail.

When first introduced into the aquarium, preferably a well-established fish-only aquarium with lots of live rock and cave areas, it should be offered several daily feedings so as to quickly acclimate it to its surroundings. Like many others in this genus, their captive diet should consist of a wide variety of frozen foods including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, and especially those containing sponge matter/angelfish food preparations and be offered once or twice a day after its acclimated to its surroundings. Furthermore, this species is an excellent browser of filamentous algae, therefore flake foods, and especially those containing Spirulina and/or Nori should also be offered.

Depending upon its tankmates, it can be quite shy when first entering the aquarium, and may hide in caves and crevices. But as time passes, will become more outgoing and begin to establish its territory. Nevertheless, those in this genus, as those in the genus Apolemichthys, are almost always very good tankmates and considered one of the least aggressive in the family.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Percoidei

Family: Pomacanthidae

Genus: Chaetodontoplus

FYI: Keeping more than one genus of angelfishes in the same aquarium is possible, yet depends upon several aspects. The following suggested circumstances are just that, possibilities that when heeded and adjusted to actual aquarium conditions ‘may’ make multiple angelfish collections feasible.

Aquarium size – the larger the better.

Other species from the same genus should not be in the same aquarium.

The smallest and most docile genus species should be the first introduced with the largest and most malicious the last to be added.

Do not place similar coloration species in the same aquarium.

Those already in the aquarium should be well fed before adding a newcomer.

Have sufficient hiding places/rocky caves.

Keep in mind all angels have cheekspines at the edge of their gill cover; therefore use caution when handling and also avoid using a net to capture it, as it may become stuck or tangled in the net and become damaged when removed.

This species very closely matches the species Chaetodontoplus mesoleucus, both coming from the same areas, with the major difference being that it has a grey tail. In 2009 Randall & Rocha decided the gray tail variation had enough differences to warrant it being dubbed a different species all together.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Diet: Omnivore

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium

Reef Safe: No - will nip clam mantles, large and small polyped stony (LPS/SPS) corals and some soft corals.

Minimum Tank Size: 125 gallons

Temperature Range: 73 - 82°F (23 – 27°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5