All fish / Pomacanthidae

Shepard's Angelfish

Centropyge shepardi

Also known as shepard's dwarf angelfish, mango angelfish, shepardi angel, shepard angelfish, shepard's pygmy angelfish, シェパードエンゼル, 谢氏刺尻鱼, 雪拉德神仙

A small dwarf angelfish that is bright orange to reddish, with thin dark vertical bars on the sides and blue edges to the fins. It is kept for its strong colour and busy, rock-picking behaviour in reef and fish-only tanks with plenty of live rock.

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, or as one male with females in a large tank

Diet

Omnivore: algae and biofilm grazed off rock, plus spirulina-based foods, mysis and brine shrimp

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Mariana Islands, Guam, Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands and nearby Micronesia

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite that lives in harems and spawns in pairs at dusk, releasing floating eggs. Spawning sometimes happens in large aquariums, but rearing the tiny pelagic larvae is very difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

Like other dwarf angels it may nip at corals, clam mantles and soft polyps, so it is not fully reef safe. Two males or other Centropyge in a small tank will usually fight.