All fish / Pomacanthidae

Purple Mask Angelfish

Centropyge venusta

Also known as purple mask angel, blue mask angelfish, venustus angelfish, venusta angelfish, purplemask angelfish, paracentropyge venusta, centropyge venustus, シテンヤッコ, 紫面神仙, 黄紫背神仙

A small dwarf angelfish with a bright yellow body and a rich purple to blue patch running across the head, back and rear fins. It comes from deeper rocky reefs and is prized by keen reef keepers for its unusual colours and relative rarity in the trade.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

22 to 26 °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: marine algae and sponge-based foods, mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood and quality flakes or pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Northwest Pacific: southern Japan, Taiwan and the northern Philippines

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite that spawns in pairs or small harems at dusk, releasing floating eggs. Captive breeding is very rare and the tiny larvae are difficult to rear.

Good to know

Usually collected from deep water, so imports can be shy and slow to feed and need a quiet, well-established tank with plenty of rockwork. It may nip at clams and some corals, and it fights with other dwarf angels.