The Scribbled Angelfish (also seldomly referred to as Duboulay's Angelfish), named for its abundance of intricate markings, is a very popular angelfish species that is endemic to the Coral Sea along the Great Barrier Reef of northeastern Australia.

Scribbled Angelfish are generally peaceful towards other tank mates, often being very timid when young and while acclimating and should not initially be housed with fish that may bully them.

Scribbled Angelfish will become territorial towards conspecifics and should be house singly unless provided with an extremely large aquarium.

Scribbled Angelfish are currently priced extremely high and can sometimes be hard to acquire, although they are gradually becoming more affordable within the hobby as their numbers increase.

Recommended tank size:

Ideally, it should be provided with an established 125+ gallon aquarium setup with a live sand substrate (they enjoy snacking on benthic invertebrates) and plenty of live rock for grazing, shelter, and territory.

They should also have plenty of open swimming space and strong water movement in addition to high intensity lighting.

Reef Compatibility:

Will nip at sessile invertebrates such as nudibranchs, corals, and clams.

Food and diet:

In the aquarium they should be sustained by a wide selection of live, fresh, or frozen and vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, chopped krill, chopped clams, chopped squid, marine algae, zucchini, spinach, romaine lettuce, and quality Spirulina-based flake foods for angelfish and herbivores.

Feed them at least three small meals a day to help support their fast metabolism. If a specimen doesn't initially eat during acclimation, they can be enticed with live brine shrimp, ghost shrimp, and freshly chopped seafood.

Level of Care: Moderate