Over recent weeks, the hobby has seen a nice influx of arguably one of the most beautiful and rare angelfish in the world, the Clarion Angel (Holacanthus clarionensis). A few individuals have surfaced at online, with one particularly handsome looking fish showing up at B-Box Aquarium, who are pretty well known for their ability to scoop up the rare and unusual. The Japan-based dealer of exotic marine ornamentals was kind enough to share this beauty with the online aquarium community through the video posted above, and although it’s a brief clip, it gives us plenty to drool over. Besides being extremely vibrant in color, the Clarion angel appears well fed and eager to be unleashed into the beautiful display tank in the background.
The stunning Clarion angelfish hail from the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean, being found primarily in Baja Peninsula and surrounding waters. They are particularly rare, especially in the aquarium trade, and ofter fetch more than $3000 per individual. And like with all angelfish, the juvenile Clarion angels are brilliantly colored with a vibrant orange body and neon blue stripes. These stripes do fade as the fish matures, often giving way to a much more muted orange base color as it matures. Unlike most other rare gems of the aquarium trade, this angel isn’t found at extreme depths, usually hanging out well within the diving limits of traditional SCUBA gear.
