Eibl's Angel Care Guide
Centropyge eibli is a grey dwarf angelfish with rusty bars and a black tail from the eastern Indian Ocean, mimicked by a surgeonfish.
Overview
Centropyge eibli, Eibl's angelfish, is a dwarf angel of the family Pomacanthidae. It is greyish with thin wavy rust-coloured vertical bars, an orange eye-ring and a black caudal peduncle and tail with a bright blue rear margin. It reaches about 15 cm total length.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacanthidae
- Genus: Centropyge
- Scientific name: Centropyge eibli
Habitat
Found in the eastern Indian Ocean from the Maldives and Sri Lanka to northwestern Australia and Indonesia. It inhabits areas of dense coral growth in lagoons and seaward reefs at depths of about 3-25 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 300 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- dKH: 8-12
- Adult size: 12-15 cm
- Lifespan: 8-15 years
Diet
Feeds mainly on algae. In captivity it needs a mature tank with microalgae for grazing supplemented with marine algae and prepared angelfish foods.
Reef compatibility
Reef compatibility is variable; primarily an algae grazer, it is often kept in reef tanks but may nip coral polyps and clam mantles. Maintain specific gravity 1.024-1.026 and dKH 8-12. It is considered hardy.
Compatibility
Semi-aggressive, especially toward other dwarf angels; avoid keeping multiple Centropyge in one tank and avoid aggressive damsels. Suitable tankmates include tangs, clownfish, wrasses and gobies.
Breeding
It lives in small harems of one male and several females and is a protogynous hermaphrodite; the dominant female changes to male if the male disappears. Juveniles of the surgeonfish Acanthurus tristis mimic this species.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern.