All fish / Pomacanthidae

Colin's angelfish

Centropyge colini

Also known as cocos-keeling angelfish, cocos keeling angelfish, colin's pygmy angelfish, colini angelfish, colins angelfish, colin angel, シコンヤッコ, コリニーヤッコ, 科林神仙, 可可斯神仙

This is a small dwarf angelfish with a bright yellow body and a broad blue to violet saddle across the back and dorsal fin. It lives on deep outer reef slopes, usually below 25 m, so it turns up in the trade rarely and fetches high prices with collectors.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Keep one per tank

Diet

Omnivore: marine algae, sponge-based foods, mysis, brine shrimp and quality flakes or pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Cocos-Keeling Islands, Indonesia, Philippines, Guam, Palau, Fiji

Breeding

Like other Centropyge it is a protogynous hermaphrodite that spawns pelagic eggs in pairs or harems at dusk. Captive breeding has not been reported in home aquariums.

Good to know

Deep-water collection makes it prone to stress and poor shipping, so acclimatise slowly into a mature, dimly lit reef with plenty of caves. It may nip clams and soft corals, and should not be kept with other dwarf angelfish.