All fish / Pomacanthidae

Lemonpeel Angelfish

Centropyge flavissima

Also known as lemonpeel angel, lemon peel angelfish, lemon peel angel, lemonpeel pygmy angelfish, yellow pygmy angelfish, ヘラルドコガネヤッコ, レモンピールエンゼル, 黄新娘, 柠檬皮神仙

A bright lemon-yellow dwarf angelfish with electric blue rings around the eyes and blue edges on the gill covers and fins. It is kept for its striking colour and active, inquisitive behaviour in fish-only and rockwork-heavy marine tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

250 litres

Keep as

Single specimen, or a male-female pair in a large tank

Diet

Omnivore: algae and 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

Indo-Pacific: Cocos-Keeling and Christmas Island east to the Line, Marquesas and Pitcairn Islands, north to Ryukyus

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite that spawns in pairs or harems at dusk, releasing pelagic eggs. Captive spawning happens occasionally, but raising the tiny larvae is very difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

Not reliably reef safe, as it often nips at clams and large-polyp stony and soft corals. Juveniles mimic the Indo-Pacific blue-eyed surgeonfish, and it may hybridise with related Centropyge species; keep only one per tank unless it is a pair.