All fish / Pomacanthidae

Flameback Angelfish

Centropyge aurantonotus

Also known as flameback pygmy angelfish, atlantic flameback angelfish, brazilian flameback angelfish, flameback angel, orangeback angelfish, caribbean flameback, フレームバックエンゼル, 火背仙

A small dwarf angelfish with a deep royal blue body and a bright orange to yellow patch running from the head along the back. It is kept for its strong colours, active personality and modest size, which suits medium reef and fish-only tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Singly, or a male and female pair in a larger tank

Diet

Omnivore: algae and grazing on live rock, spirulina-based foods, mysis, brine shrimp and quality marine flakes or pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: southern Caribbean (Lesser Antilles, Curaçao) to Brazil

Breeding

A protogynous hermaphrodite that spawns in pairs or harems at dusk, releasing floating eggs. Larvae are tiny and need very small live foods, so captive rearing has been achieved only rarely, although it is becoming more common in commercial hatcheries.

Good to know

May nip at soft corals, clam mantles and large-polyp stony corals, so it is a mild reef risk. It is easily confused with the Pacific Flameback (Centropyge acanthops), which has a clear rather than yellow tail fin, and it is territorial towards other dwarf angels.