All fish / Pomacanthidae

Bicolor Angelfish

Centropyge bicolor

Also known as bicolor angel, two-colored angelfish, oriole angelfish, blue and gold angelfish, bicolour angelfish, bicolor dwarf angelfish, ナメラヤッコ, 双色神仙, 二色刺尻鱼

This dwarf angelfish is easy to recognise: the front half of its body is bright yellow, the rear half is deep blue, and a blue patch sits over the eye. Its strong colours and active grazing behaviour among live rock make it a popular choice for larger fish-only and reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

13 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, or as a male and female pair in a large tank

Diet

Omnivore: grazes algae and eats spirulina-based foods, mysis, brine shrimp and marine pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to Samoa, north to southern Japan, south to Australia

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, so females can turn into males, and pairs spawn pelagic eggs at dusk. Spawning sometimes happens in aquariums, but raising the tiny larvae is very hard and seldom done.

Good to know

It often settles poorly after shipping, so choose a feeding specimen and give a mature tank with plenty of live rock. It may nip corals and clam mantles and is aggressive towards other dwarf angels.