Most of the Dwarf Angelfish from the Centropyge genus is usually characterized and identified by the yellow color appearance although not all the species in this group share the same coloration. As the name implies this, the fish does not grow up to very large size, reaching only about 3 to 4 inches in length. However, don’t be fooled by their size because dwarf angelfish will attentively defend its territory, often fighting with any new addition to their marine saltwater tank. Yellow Angelfish like the false lemon (C. heraldi) is pretty popular and so does the red flame angelfish (C. loricula). Another variation of the yellow angelfish is the Lemonpeel Angelfish (C. flavissimus) which can be seen having the blue colored ring around its eye (as shown in the picture above).Yellow dwarf angelfish and other species from this group are very prone to contacting ich and other saltwater fish disease and as such, perfect water condition must be maintained at all times. Usually a healthy specimen will exhibit full bright coloration while sick fish will show dull and pale appearance. As with other angelfish genus, these group of marine fish are also very picky when it comes to food and they love nipping on the surface of live rock. If you do not have established population of live rock make sure that you have constant fresh supply of spirulina algae to feed them. However, compared with types of angelfish genus, caring for yellow dwarf is not particularly demanding or tough while the other species like flame angelfish can be pretty hardy, meaning that they can tolerate changes in water quality quite well.
Breeding Centropyge in captivity has been successfully reported although personally I never did come to that stage. Centropyge are considered “protogynous” meaning that sex change will occur at certain stage of their life. Young yellow angelfish are all born females but towards certain stage approaching maturity, some larger sized dominant fish will undergo hormonal sex change to become a male. When scouting for your perfect dwarf angelfish as new addition to your saltwater tank, it is best to select the one, which are born and bred in captivity. I would suggest you avoid buying angelfish that are actually caught in the wild because most of these fish have yet to undergo acclimatization process. Some unscrupulous traders actually subject it to harsh, totally new aquarium environment and these types of fish will less likely survive in their new tank. If you are a novice interested in this hobby, I would suggest you learn up about the right way to set up your first saltwater tank.
Other saltwater angelfish species:
Blue and Queen Angelfish, Emperor Angelfish & Scribbled Angelfish
