Herald's Yellow Angel Care Guide
Centropyge heraldi is a solid yellow Pacific dwarf angelfish that grazes filamentous algae on outer reef slopes.
Overview
Centropyge heraldi, Herald's angelfish, is a dwarf angel of the family Pomacanthidae described by Woods and Schultz in 1953. It has a yellowish-orange body, sometimes with a darker olive patch near the eye. It reaches about 12 cm total length.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacanthidae
- Genus: Centropyge
- Scientific name: Centropyge heraldi
Habitat
Found in the western and central Pacific from southern Japan and Taiwan east to the Tuamotu Islands and south to Australia. It occurs on steep outer reef slopes and occasionally lagoon reefs at depths of about 5-90 m. FishBase records a temperature range of roughly 25-28.9 °C.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 250 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- dKH: 8-12
- Adult size: 10-12 cm
- Lifespan: 8-15 years
Diet
Herbivorous; feeds primarily on filamentous algae. In aquaria it needs a mature tank rich in microalgae for grazing supplemented with marine algae and prepared foods.
Reef compatibility
Reef compatibility is variable; being primarily an algae grazer it is among the more reef-tolerant dwarf angels, though it may occasionally nip polyps. Maintain specific gravity 1.024-1.026 and dKH 8-12.
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 usually lives in small harems of a male and one to three females and is a protogynous hermaphrodite; a female may change to male when no male is present.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2009). It appears in the aquarium trade.