Fish Focus - Lemon Peel Angelfish

[Cougra]

This weeks fish focus is on the Lemonpeel Dwarf Angelfish - Centropyge flavissimus. They are a member of the family Pomacanthidae and are fairly popular in some LFS's. Their bright colours make them very attractive fish.




Origin/Habitat
Indo-pacific: Cocos-Keeling Atoll to the Line, Marquesan and Ducie islands (straying to Easter Island), north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to New Caledonia and Rapa. Common at most oceanic islands except the Carolines at depths between 3m to 50m.

Maximum Size:
5 inches

Recommended Minimum Tank Size
36" x 12" x 18"



Notes
Centropyge flavissimus is a very common dwarf angelfish in the marine hobby. They are easily identified by the blue ring around their eye and along their operculum. Juveniles will also have a dark spot with a blue ring around it on their flanks. They are very similar in appearance to Centropyge heraldi which does not have the distinctive blue markings. If at all possible it's best to get specimens collected from the Indian ocean as they are less likely to have been captured with the use of cyanide as well as the specimens from that area being better able to adapt to captive environments.
They are prone to carry diseases such as Marine Velvet (Amyloodinium) and Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon iritans) and should be quarantined before being added to the main tank. They can easily live over 10 years in captivity provided they are given a healthy diet and stable living conditions.



Have you had any experience with the Lemonpeel Angelfish?
Have you found that they are more likely to nip at corals then other dwarf angelfish?
Do you have any photo's of your Lemonpeel Angelfish that you would like to share?
Would you like to have one or do you find them boring?

[boozeman]

oooohhh...I love those, wish it were reef-safe

[Woodstock]

Nice info/pics Cougra!
Beautiful fish that my lfs usually has in stock. I've never owned one since I've heard they eat corals.

[billyr98]

Roadrunner should chime in on this fish... I never had one..
But I know they are very known to nip at corals more than other dwarf angels..

[cheeks69]

I have never kept that one particularly because they're one of the most problematic dwarfs to keep in the reef, although I have kept the Heraldi. It's a stunning fish and one of the biggest dwarfs I've seen and wouldn't recommend it for anything under a 55 gal tank.

[BoomerD]

Beautiful little fish. Perhaps my favorite of the Centropyge angels. Too bad they're not considered to be very hardy. Fenner rates them at 3,
("Lastly, and sufficient for our purposes, a three (3) is the worst score, with more than 50% of the species perishing before a months time of capture. I entreat you to leave the latter group to the sea, or at least to study and provide the best possible circumstances for these animals.")
which unfortunately mirrors my experience with them as well. I've only tried 2 specimens over the years, neither of which made it more than 2 months.

[Cougra]

Boomer, I didn't realise that they were that difficult to keep. I guess that's why it's a little harder to find information on them then it is for other members of the genus.

[BoomerD]

Michelle, it's a shame too, because they're so beautiful, with those pretty "blue eyes" and friendly dispositions. Probably not the best choices for a reef tank, with their taste for corals and such, but still gorgeous fish in the right setting...the ocean...

[SueT]

I saw quite a few this morning at the LFS. I have not kept this species but have had the heraldi, like cheeks. Sadly after 8 years in my 120g reef I lost this big brute of a fish. It never nipped a single clam or sps coral and was a model reef citizen all it's life.

[Cougra]

Does anyone know why the Lemonpeel Angel doesn't do well in captivity, is it because they don't eat? Are they poor shippers? Are they more prone to disease then other members of the Centropyge family?

[Witfull]

its very strange as to why they dont survive like others of the genus. lately i have been reading is that they are more of a herem group, but its mostly observation/anectotal talk no studies on them. but i kinda accept this idea, as they are more shy than than others in the genus and less agressive. i would be interested to see how a school of say 7-10 do in a large heavily rocked tank with lower than reef lighting, as they are a deeper water fish.

[cheeks69]

Cyanide, poor shippers and disease are the primary reasons for their poor record in captivity, Wit also makes a good point about a deeper water fish so maybe the methods used to capture them from deeper water aren't the best. I know the one's I've seen at the LFS are usually in terrible condition.

they are more of a herem group

The entire sp. of Centropyge is haremic so I don't see that as being an issue IMO and it would be very difficult to get a harem since most of the one's we get in the hobby are already adults, it certainly would be interesting to get 7-10 juveniles but just about impossible to survive the shipping process.