Black Phantom Angelfish

Chaetodontoplus cf. melanosoma (undescribed) -  The Black Phantom is one of the rarest angelfish in the hobby. It hails from the northern Philippines and sits in a tricky taxonomic grey zone: it has the deep, velvety black body of C. vanderloosi paired with the solid yellow tail of C. dimidiatus, and scientists still aren't sure whether it's a distinct species or a striking regional variant. Wild specimens are scarce even in their home range, limited by seasonal collecting windows, which is exactly why Poma Labs' work captive breeding this fish is such a big deal for the hobby.

Every captive bred Black Phantom from Biota is aquacultured by Poma Labs, meaning no pressure on wild populations and a fish that's raised on prepared foods like pellets and frozen. It's important to include angelfish specific frozen food diets with sponges and tunicates, and marine algae.

Should be kept singly or in a pair. If you have an exceptionally large aquarium and angelfish experience, your best chance of pairing two of the rarest angelfish in the world is to introduce two captive bred Black Phantoms from the same group simultaneously to the aquarium. 

A showstopper centerpiece fish for the advanced reefer looking for something genuinely hard to find, and a great example of what captive breeding can do for species that are under real pressure in the wild.

Reef Safe? Yes with Caution

Parameters:

Diet:

Current Size:

Max Size: 8"

Suggested Tank Size:

120 Gallons