Lemonpeel Angelfish : Facts On The Lemonpeel Angelfish

Scientific Name : Centropyge Flavissima

Origin : Central Pacific Islands all way up to Australia

Difficulty : Medium

Minimum Tank Size : 50 gallons

Temperament : Semi-Aggressive

Temperature : 72 - 82°F

Reef Safe : With caution

Maximum Size : 5 inches

Diet : Omnivore

Another bright star in the genus centropyge. The Lemonpeel Angelfish is a brilliantly colored marine angelfish that is popular among hobbyists. It sports a pastel like yellow-orange coloration throughout its body with neon blue outlines around its eyes, gill plates, dorsal and anal fins. As the Flame Angelfish is known for its red and orange coloration, the lemonpeel is an angel that is best known for its bright yellow colors.

It is not an expensive dwarf angelfish to purchase. With prices ranging anywhere from $25 to $35 USD, it is very affordable to hobbyists looking to add a splash of color to their marine aquariums.

It is one of the few marine angelfish known to breed with other species in the wild. Hybrid angelfish spawned from at least one lemonpeel angel parent include a combination of Centropyge Flavissima X Centropyge Vroliki and Centropyge Flavissima X Centropyge Eibli. These hybrid angels are usually sold in the low $100's. Personally, i'm not a fan of these hybrid angels. I love the lemonpeel angel because of its beautiful pastel colors. Coloration on the hybrid angels don't impress me at all. Alas, rarity determines demand all too often it seems.

Interesting titbit :- The lemonpeel angelfish is mimicked by juvenile yellow mimic tangs (Acanthurus pyroferus) in the wild. The lose their yellow coloration as they grow older.

Like the rest of the species in the genus centropyge, the lemonpeel angelfish can be aggressive. Once established, they can become bullies towards smaller fishes in the marine aquarium. Putting two lemonpeel angels together in the same tank is usually a bad idea. Do so only if they're a mated pair or you have a big tank.

Topping out at 5 inches, they are one of the larger dwarf angelfish, a 50 gallon marine aquarium should be the bare minimum. I personally wouldn't put them in anything smaller than a 75 gallon however. Big fish = Big space.

Give them plenty of live rock to graze on while ensuring your rock scape provides plenty of caves and holes for it to swim in and out of.

In the wild, dwarf angelfish are all grazers. They constantly scan the rock for food items throughout the day, much like surgeonfish. They consume algae, tiny crustaceans and sometimes even detritus.

A balanced diet should be given in a saltwater aquarium. They should be fed a wide range of foods for variety. Feeding them a specific food for too long can be detrimental to their health. Although there have been hobbyists that have fed them new life spectrum for long periods of time with no ill effects. They all looked very healthy in fact.

A good pellet like those by New Life Spectrum should be offered aong with algae/nori sheets plus a balanced frozen food (Formula One, Formula Two).

Ocean Nutrition produces the perfect food for dwarf angels, Pygmy Angel Formula. It closely resembles their natural diet in the wild with a whole slew of ingredients that include krill, algae, kelp, shrimp, squid, vitamins and trace minerals plus many others. The ingredients mentioned are all added prior to freezing. Pygmy Angel Formula is only available in frozen form i believe.

I don't like feeding brine shrimp as they don't offer much nutritionally. Adult frozen artemia are nothing more than roughage, which is fiber. Fiber can be found from far superior foods such as mysis shrimp or krill.

Should you insist on feeding your dwarf angelfish brine shrimp, choose a type that has been enriched beforehand. Enriched brine shrimp are adult brine shrimp that were fed something nutritious prior to freezing. So are simply a vessel housing nutrition.

As long as their yolk sacs are still intact, newly hatched brine shrimp are a nutritious food to offer. They turn back into garbage once their yolk sacs have been used up.

While there have been mated pairs that spawn in the hobbyists marine aquarium with regularity, that's where the progress usually stops. Marine angelfish are very difficult to breed in captivity. They require excellent water quality and a good food for their larvae. The larvae react to only certain kinds of live foods. Rotifers have been tried time and time again and it has been found that they simply won't eat it. Baby brine shrimp are simply too big for them as well. The answer lies in Copepods.

The male typically intiates courting during the evening. Eventually the male will nudge the female upwards until they are positioned to release eggs and sperm into the water column. The deed done, they seek shelter. Eggs float up to the surface which contains its first foods. Plankton.

Cherub Pygmy Angelfish - Centropyge Argi

Coral Beauty Angelfish - Centropyge Bispinosus

Eibli Angelfish - Centropyge Eibli

Fishers Angelfish - Centropyge Fisheri
Flameback Angelfish(African) - Centropyge Acanthops
Flameback Angelfish(Brazilian) - Centropyge Aurantonotus
Golden Angelfish - Centropyge Aurantia
Heralds Angelfish - Centropyge Heraldi
Lemonpeel Angelfish - Centropyge Flavissima
Multibarred Angelfish - Centropyge Multifasciata
Multicolor Angelfish - Centropyge Multicolor
Potters Angelfish - Centropyge Potteri