Reunion Angelfish

About

The Reunion Angelfish (Apolemichthys guezei) is about as obscure as marine fish get. Its entire known range is essentially a single island in the western Indian Ocean, Réunion, with the possibility it also turns up around Mauritius and Madagascar. It lives on deep seaward reefs, which goes a long way toward explaining why so little is known about it. Practically no specimens have made it into the aquarium hobby, and most of what we can reasonably assume about its care is drawn by comparison to close relatives, particularly the three-spot angelfish. Like others in the Apolemichthys genus, it's an omnivore, and intermediate-level care guidance seems reasonable as a working assumption, though that's based on family resemblance rather than documented experience. If you're browsing this page hoping to find one for your tank, don't hold your breath. This is genuinely one of those species where sightings, whether in the wild or in the hobby, are rare enough to be newsworthy. For now, the Reunion Angelfish sits in that fascinating category of animals that science acknowledges exist but that most people, even serious marine fishkeepers, will never encounter.