All fish / Pomacanthidae

Midnight Angelfish

Centropyge nox

Also known as midnight angel, black angelfish, nox angelfish, black dwarf angelfish, midnight pygmy angelfish, ニシキヤッコ, 黑刺尻鱼, 黑仙

The midnight angelfish is a small dwarf angel that is solid velvety black all over. It is a shy fish that stays close to rockwork and caves. People keep it for its unusual all-dark colour and because it is usually a hardy, inexpensive dwarf angel once it has settled.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

9 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, one dwarf angel per tank

Diet

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

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, northern Australia, Melanesia

Breeding

Like other Centropyge it is a protogynous hermaphrodite that lives in harems and scatters pelagic eggs at dusk. Captive breeding is very rare and the larvae are hard to rear, so nearly all stock is wild caught.

Good to know

Its name is often given as Centropyge nox, though the newer name in use is the same species; it may nip at stony and soft corals and clam mantles, so it suits reef tanks only with caution. It can be territorial towards other dwarf angels and similar dark fish.