Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Western Indian Ocean: Mauritius, Reunion, and the Aldabra Group (Seychelles Islands)
Size: 3.5 inches (9 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits steep outer reef slopes in fairly deep water at about 50 to 300 feet (15 – 90 m).
General Husbandry: This beautiful deep water dwarf angelfish has a body that is mostly a deep purplish blue, with its chest and mouth area yellow, yet heavily blue spotted. Its dorsal and anal fins are also a deep purplish blue, with its edges a bright blue, and a tail that is bright yellow.
Its not normally seen in the U.S. aquarium trade, but has ‘very’ rarely been available in the Japanese aquarium trade, and when so, at an ‘extremely’ high cost! Not much is known about its diet, but it is said in the wild this species is sometimes found where there is heavy growths of algae. Otherwise, aquarium care would no doubt mimic that of other species in this genus, nevertheless, more definitive information is needed before one can precisely denote its care/needs.
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Percoidei
Family: Pomacanthidae
Genus: Centropyge
FYI: All Centropyge species start life as unsexed individuals, but begin their adult life as females. Then, the larger or more dominant individual within small groups will change sex within a few days to a couple of weeks and become a male. Knowing that size is the main difference between the sexes, and not so much its coloration, all one needs to do is place a small and larger specimen together. Within approximately sixty days one of the two fish will have physically changed sex to accommodate the other. A reversal of this sex change is possible if the need arises, but that requires much more time, e.g., weeks to months.
Keep in mind all angels have cheekspines at the edge of their gill cover; therefore use caution when handling and also avoid using a net to capture it, as it may become stuck or tangled in the net and become damaged when removed.
Experience Level: Professional
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Diet: Omnivore
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Reef Safe: Unknown
Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 79°F (22 – 26°C).
Specific Gravity: 1.020-1.027
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
