Scribbled Angelfish Care Guide
Chaetodontoplus duboulayi is a marine angelfish from northern Australia and Indonesia, growing to about 28 cm.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Chaetodontoplus duboulayi, the scribbled angelfish, is a marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae described by Günther in 1867. It has a largely blue body marked with darker wavy lines, a yellow snout, and yellow fins. Males show sinuous blue lines along the flanks while females show yellow or blue spots.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pomacanthidae
- Genus: Chaetodontoplus
- Scientific name: Chaetodontoplus duboulayi
Habitat
The species occurs in the southwestern Pacific along northern Australia, extending to parts of Indonesia, southern New Guinea, and south to Lord Howe Island. It is reef-associated, found at depths of 5 to 20 metres on coastal and inner reefs with rubble, soft bottoms, or outcrops of rock, coral, sponge, and seawhips.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 600 L (159 gal)
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-12
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
FishBase reports a preferred temperature range of about 24.9-29.3 °C for the species.
Diet
The scribbled angelfish is an omnivore. In the wild it feeds on benthic invertebrates, especially sponges and tunicates. In the aquarium a varied diet is offered around twice daily.
Compatibility
This is a semi-aggressive, diurnal, mid-water angelfish. It is reef-keepable only with caution, as large angels may nip soft corals and sessile invertebrates. Conspecifics and other angels are best avoided; robust tankmates such as tangs, wrasses, and triggerfish suit it better.
Breeding
The species is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with dominant females capable of changing into males. It is an egg-layer, and captive breeding is considered expert-level.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2009).
Chaetodontoplus duboulayi (Scribbled Angelfish): Breeding Guide
Overview
Chaetodontoplus duboulayi is a Pomacanthidae angelfish of the Indo-West Pacific, found across northern Australia and parts of Indonesia south to Lord Howe Island. FishBase records a maximum length of 28 cm and a depth range of 5 to 20 m on coastal and inner reefs with rubble, rock, sponge and seawhip. It feeds on sponges and tunicates.
Sexing
Wikipedia describes the species as a protogynous hermaphrodite: all individuals are female initially and the dominant ones change to males. Functional sex therefore follows social rank rather than fixed external markings.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Like other marine angelfish, the scribbled angelfish is a pelagic spawner that releases gametes into open water. Wikipedia cites 1993 research giving an egg size of about 0.9 to 0.92 mm and a per-spawning fecundity of roughly 5,000 to 33,000 eggs.
Egg & Fry Care
The small pelagic eggs hatch into planktonic larvae that need cultured live feeds through settlement. Wikipedia notes the species has been successfully bred in captivity, with specimens reaching the trade through Quality Marine, indicating hatchery-scale rather than home rearing.
Common Challenges
Maintaining a protogynous group, inducing pelagic spawning and culturing the planktonic larvae all require specialist infrastructure. These needs place reproduction in aquaculture facilities rather than home aquariums.