The Coral Beauty Angelfish ( Centropyge bispinosa ), also known as the dusky angelfish, is a captivating and popular choice for marine aquariums. Its vibrant colors, manageable size, and relatively easy care requirements make it a favorite among both novice and experienced reef enthusiasts. This article will delve into the specifics of Coral Beauty diet and care, providing a detailed guide to ensuring the health and longevity of this beautiful fish in your home aquarium.
Natural Habitat and Appearance
The Coral Beauty angelfish is native to the Indo-Pacific oceans, where it mostly inhabits shallow coral reefs. Commonly found in coral-rich lagoons, outer reef slopes, and reef crests, they are prevalent in areas like the Great Barrier Reef and reef areas in Tahiti, Australia, and east of Africa. They are typically found at depths of up to 60 meters.
This hardy, vibrant angelfish is a member of the Pomacanthidae family. The Coral Beauty has a dark purplish-blue body that is highlighted with an iridescent orange to yellow. At a juvenile stage, it has more bright orange colors, but as it gets older it becomes bluer while the orange still exists, giving it a large contrast of bright colors. The dorsal, caudal, and anal fins often feature electric blue edges, enhancing its spectacular appearance. A Coral Beauty can reach up to 4 inches in length.
Aquarium Setup
A Coral Beauty requires an aquarium of at least 70 gallons. This may sound like a big tank for such a small fish but trust us, when you see how active these guys are, you’ll be glad you went for something bigger! A larger tank with a good amount of rockwork can deter some of these disputes. The tank should be well-established with lots of live rock for grazing and places to hide, as the coral beauty prefers tanks with ample places to hide, as it is quite timid in many cases.
In terms of water quality, normal saltwater parameters work fine for this hardy species. Maintaining Ammonia at 0 ppm, Nitrites at 0 ppm, and Nitrates below 10ppm will help to keep your Coral Beauty Angel happy and healthy. We recommend doing a water change soon after Nitrates rise above 10 ppm. Maintaining proper calcium (420-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9.5 dkh - run it 7-8 if you are carbon dosing), and magnesium levels (1260-1350 ppm) will help to keep pH stable in the 8.1-8.4 range. We recommend a specific gravity of 1.024-1.026 with 1.025 being ideal for fish. Stable water conditions, moderate lighting, and plenty of hiding spaces reduce stress and encourage natural behaviors.
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Diet and Feeding
Coral Beauty are omnivores. In the wild, Coral Beauty Angelfish primarily graze on algae, small invertebrates, and detritus. They spend most of their days swimming around the live rocks, grazing on algae.
In captivity, providing a varied diet ensures optimal health and vibrant coloration. Keeping your coral beauty angelfish well-fed is not much of a challenge, as the species is omnivorous (leaning towards herbivorous) and not picky at all. A Coral Beauty will enjoy Nori and Spirulina as well. They will accept pellet or flake foods sometimes, but for good nutrition, they also need small meaty meals like Mysis shrimp, phytoplankton, copepods, and/or prepared or frozen offerings. Plant-based nutrition can be provided through nori sheets or spirulina tabs.
Offer the Coral Beauty Angel a mixed diet of mysis shrimp and algae preparations 4-6 times per week. Remember to feed slowly. Leftover food will cause nitrates and phosphates to rise. If you see food falling to the sand bed and into the rocks you should feed slower and give the fish a chance to eat before adding a little more. Using a turkey baster allows you to target food to different fish. For example you can feed the aggressive fish on one side of the tank and then squirt a little bit on the other side for the less aggressive fish.
Soaking all fish food with vitamins will help keep your fish healthier and make them less susceptible to disease. We recommend soaking food in garlic as well when adding new fish and whenever your notice ich or other disease in the aquarium.
Temperament and Compatibility
These fish are considered to be semi-aggressive. Though relatively non-aggressive, the coral beauty may display territorial aggression in tanks of insufficient size. They aren’t very fast swimmers compared to other reef fish. So, their aggression is often the result of territorial disputes with other aggressive fish, especially other angelfish.
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Although dwarf angels are generally pretty territorial towards their own kind, the coral beauty angelfish is considered a pretty peaceful species in general terms. It is not recommended to keep other angelfish with a Coral Beauty. A great fish for the community aquarium, the Coral Beauty Angel will do best in an aquarium with live rock for it to graze on. If you want to keep multiple coral beauty angelfish, getting a male/female pair is usually your best bet.
Reef Compatibility
The species is considered tentatively reef-safe. They could nip at snails, clams, sponges, and corals. For this reason, Coral Beauty angelfish are not considered to be reef safe. The Coral Beauty Angel may nip at zoanthids, clam mantles, less noxious LPS corals, & SPS corals. Some may claim that they will only go after specific coral. In this case, it is best to closely observe the fish day to day and make decisions on whether it needs to be removed or not.
Health and Disease Prevention
Coral Beauty Angelfish are generally hardy but susceptible to common marine diseases such as marine ich (Cryptocaryon irritans), marine velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum), and bacterial infections. Like other captive bred fish, these Coral Beauties are less susceptible to diseases such as ich and marine velvet and they better adapt to aquarium life. Proper quarantine of new arrivals, stable water parameters, and a balanced diet significantly mitigate disease risks. Regular monitoring of water parameters and careful observation for disease signs are essential.
Lifespan
With proper care, Coral Beauty Angelfish typically have a lifespan of 5 to 10 years in captivity, sometimes longer under optimal conditions.
Difficulty Level
The Coral Beauty Angelfish is rated as moderately easy to care for, suitable for intermediate hobbyists and attentive beginners committed to regular tank maintenance.
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Captive Breeding
Coral Beauty Angelfish exhibit protogynous hermaphroditism, beginning life as females with dominant individuals transitioning to males. Captive breeding is rare and challenging, but advances have allowed limited commercial breeding success. While these fish originate in the reefs of Indonesia and Fiji, they are now being captive bred, which gives hobbyists like you a higher chance at successfully keeping one of these magnificent fish.