All fish / Pomacanthidae

Peppermint angelfish

Paracentropyge boylei

Also known as peppermint angel, peppermint pygmy angelfish, boyle's angelfish, centropyge boylei, peppermint dwarf angelfish, ペパーミントエンゼル, ペパーミント・エンゼルフィッシュ, 薄荷神仙, 薄荷刺尻鱼

A small dwarf angelfish with a bright red body crossed by five clean white bars, giving it the look of a striped sweet. It lives on deep reef slopes, usually below 50 metres, and is one of the rarest and most expensive fish in the hobby, kept mainly by dedicated collectors.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

20 to 25 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Single specimen, or a confirmed pair in a large tank

Diet

Omnivore: mysis, enriched brine shrimp, finely chopped seafood, quality marine flakes and pellets, sponge-based foods and algae

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Cook Islands (Rarotonga), French Polynesia and nearby central Pacific islands

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite that spawns pelagic eggs in pairs or small harems at dusk. Captive breeding has not been reliably achieved, and raising the tiny larvae would be very difficult.

Good to know

Deep-water specimens need careful slow decompression and acclimatisation, prefer cooler water and dim, rocky caves, and may nip some corals or clams. Prices often run to tens of thousands of pounds, so buy only from trusted collectors.