Keyhole Angel (Centropyge tibicen) Care Guide
Centropyge tibicen, the keyhole angel, is the largest dwarf angelfish, a black Western Pacific species with a white flank spot, commonly traded for marine aquaria.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Centropyge tibicen is a marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae. FishBase records it as the largest member of the genus, reaching about 19.0 cm in total length, and describes it as black with a single white flank marking. It is frequently exported through the aquarium trade.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacanthidae
- Genus: Centropyge
- Scientific name: Centropyge tibicen
Habitat
According to FishBase the species ranges across the Western Pacific from Christmas Island to Fiji, north to southern Japan and south to Scott Reef and Lord Howe Island, and is uncommon around oceanic islands. It is marine, reef-associated and non-migratory, occurring at depths of about 4-55 m in tropical waters.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 350 L (92 gal)
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- dKH (carbonate hardness): 8-12
- Lifespan: 8-15 years
Diet
FishBase reports that it feeds mainly on algae in the wild. In aquaria an omnivorous diet that includes algae-based preparations alongside small meaty foods is appropriate, offered in frequent small feedings.
Compatibility
This is a mid-water, semi-aggressive dwarf angel. FishBase notes it forms harems of 3-7 individuals and undergoes sex reversal over 29-35 days. Suitable tankmates include tangs, clownfish, wrasses and gobies, while other Centropyge angels and aggressive damsels are best avoided.
Reef compatibility
As a Centropyge species it is reef-compatible with caution, as dwarf angels may nip at coral polyps and clam mantles. Maintain specific gravity around 1.024-1.026 and carbonate hardness of 8-12 dKH.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2009), as reported by FishBase.
Centropyge tibicen (Keyhole Angel) Breeding Guide
Overview
Centropyge tibicen is an Indo-Pacific dwarf angelfish ranging from northwestern Australia and Christmas Island through the Indo-Australian Archipelago to Vanuatu and Tonga, north to southern Japan and Taiwan and to Lord Howe Island. At about 19 cm it is one of the largest members of its genus, living at depths between roughly 4 and 35 m on a mainly algal diet. It is not bred by hobbyists.
Sexing
The species is a sequential (protogynous) hermaphrodite: when a harem has no male, one of the females changes sex to take that role. As functional sex follows social position, there is no dependable external method to sex younger fish.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Centropyge tibicen lives in harems of three to seven fish. Reproduction follows the genus pattern: the male courts each female through the late afternoon, and at dusk a female ascends into the water column with the male nuzzling her vent before releasing pelagic eggs near the top of the rise. The eggs float upward on an oil droplet into surface plankton.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs in this genus are transparent, spherical and about 0.6-0.7 mm across. Larvae hatch tiny, deplete the yolk sac within roughly three days, and then need extremely small first foods such as copepod nauplii because rotifers are too large for the first-feeding mouth. There is no parental care, and larval rearing is the decisive obstacle to captive production.
Common Challenges
- Pelagic eggs disperse on release and cannot be collected from a display.
- First-feeding larvae require live copepod nauplii rather than rotifers.
- Its larger size demands very large systems to hold a harem.
- Captive offspring exist only via commercial or research larviculture.