I find pomacanthids, a genus of large angelfish, to be some of the most engaging fish to be around; they have a way of cruising around the reef and exploring their surroundings that suggests a great degree of awareness and even intelligence. They are naturally wary of diver,s and underwater photographers in particular, but here are a few of my favorite pictures of two great angel species.

My first fish is Pomacanthus paru, the French Angelfish, photographed here in the Windward Islands. This pair were super wary. This species is common in the Tropical Western Atlantic, from Floridian waters to the Brazilian coast. As you can see it is a large fish, reaching up to 35cm long. According to some sources it readily accepts substitute food and can be an easy aquarium fish. Having seen them in the wild though, I think they really ought to be given a very large aquarium. Often sold as cute and interestingly marked juveniles, they need a lot of space as they grow.

My next fish is the broadly similar Grey Angelfish (P. arcuatus). As you can see, this fish lacks the yellow detailing of its relative.
In this image, taken off the Yucatan peninsula, the fish were grazing on algae on the carapace of a turtle and allowed me and another photographer to get really quite close. Again, it is considered a hardy aquarium fish.