Bicolor Angelfish care guide
Bicolor Angelfish (Centropyge bicolor) — minimum tank 200 L, temperature 24-27 °C, pH 8.1-8.4.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The Bicolor Angelfish (Centropyge bicolor) is a dwarf Indo-Pacific marine angelfish reaching about 15 cm, with the front half of the body bright yellow and the back half deep blue, separated by a sharp vertical line. A blue band crosses the head between the eyes.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacanthidae
- Genus: Centropyge
- Scientific name: Centropyge bicolor
- Common synonyms: Oriole Angelfish
Habitat
Distributed across the tropical Indo-West Pacific from East Africa to Samoa and from southern Japan to New Caledonia. The species inhabits sheltered lagoons and outer-reef slopes with abundant coral and rubble cover from 1 to 25 m depth.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L (52.8 US gal)
- Adult size: 10-15 cm
- Temperature: 24-27 °C (75-81 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- GH: 8-12 °dGH
- Water flow: moderate
- Lifespan: 5-10 years
- Salinity: SG 1.024-1.026
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-12
Diet
An omnivore grazing on filamentous algae, detritus and small invertebrates. In aquaria it requires a varied diet of marine pellets, frozen mysis and brine shrimp enriched with HUFA, plus dried algae sheets (nori) to maintain colour.
Compatibility
Peaceful by angelfish standards but territorial towards other Centropyge; only one per tank. Compatible with peaceful reef community fish — clownfish, smaller wrasses, gobies, blennies and cardinals.
Reef compatibility
Reef-safe with caution. Most specimens leave hard corals alone, but individuals may nip large-polyp stony corals (LPS), clam mantles or zoanthid polyps. Behaviour is unpredictable from fish to fish.
Breeding
A pelagic broadcast spawner. Captive breeding of Centropyge angels is performed at a few research aquaculture facilities, but most trade stock is still wild-caught.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. The species is widespread and the global population is not considered threatened.
Bicolor Angelfish Breeding Guide
Overview
The bicolor angelfish (Centropyge bicolor), or oriole angelfish, is a dwarf angelfish of the Indo-Pacific (East Africa, southern Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Fiji), found at depths of 1-25 m on reef slopes, in coral areas, lagoons and near drop-offs. It lives 5-13 years in the wild. Home breeding is not established; the following describes documented wild reproduction.
Sexing
All individuals begin life as females, and the species is a protogynous hermaphrodite. A harem is dominated by one male over several females (about seven on average), ranked linearly by size; when the dominant male is removed the highest-ranking female changes sex over roughly 18-20 days.
Conditioning
No home conditioning protocol is documented. In the wild higher-ranking females spawn more frequently than lower-ranked ones, so social rank within the harem governs reproductive activity.
Spawning Behaviour & Trigger
The male visits females at dusk to mate, sometimes visiting one or several in a night, while each female spawns at most once per night. The female scatters eggs into the water and the male releases sperm to fertilise them.
Egg & Fry Care
Reproduction is pelagic: the eggs are released into open water and the larvae develop in the pelagic zone over a larval stage of about 32 days. There is no nest and no parental care, and rearing the planktonic larvae is not practical in a home aquarium.
Common Challenges
Although other Centropyge species such as the coral beauty have been captive-bred at specialist aquaculture facilities, that work depends on cultured rotifers and copepods. The bicolor angelfish's dusk pelagic spawning and planktonic larvae keep home reproduction out of reach.