Coral Beauty Angelfish - Centropyge bispinosa
Updated August 4, 2019
Author: Mike - FishLore Admin
Social Media: 
The Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa) is a dwarf marine angelfish that only reaches about 4 inches (10 cm). The Coral Beauty is commonly available and is relatively inexpensive when compared to other saltwater fish. They can be fairly hardy and are known as one of the hardiest of the dwarf angels.
The Coral Beauty is usually fairly peaceful but can be belligerent with tank mates. Unless you have a very large tank, they will fight with other dwarf angels over territory. They may also be aggressive with smaller tank mates (fish and invertebrates) if kept in a smaller tank. Provide them with lots of live rock for hiding places and they may spend most of their time out in the open.
Feeding the Coral Beauty Angelfish can be difficult and it's usually hit or miss with this species. Some hobbyists have no problems getting them to eat flake and frozen foods whereas others report that they can't get them to eat standard aquarium foods. Either way, having a good amount of live rock in your tank will provide them with not only places for hiding but it will also give them a food source. They primarily eat algae and will graze on the algae growing on your live rock. For those reef aquarium keepers out there, this fish may not be the best choice for your reef tank. They have been known to nip at lps corals. If you're worried that they are not getting enough to eat, get some dried marine seaweed and use a veggie clip to place it in the tank. There are special marine angelfish foods out there as well and you may want to try them.
These dwarf angelfish can come down with the usual saltwater fish diseases and using a quarantine tank is a must. Keep them in quarantine for 2 - 3 weeks before introducing them into your main tank.
Coral Beauty Angelfish Care
Scientific Name : Centropyge bispinosa
Common Names : Two Spined Angelfish, Dusky Angelfish
Care Level : Moderate
Size : Up to 4 inches (10 cm)
Life span : 10 - 15 years or longer in the wild, but not likely in captivity
pH : 8.1 - 8.4
Temperature : 72°F - 80°F (22°C - 27°C)
Specific Gravity : 1.020 - 1.025
Carbonate Hardness (dKH) : 8 - 12°
Origin / Habitat : Günther, 1860 - Indo-Pacific, Great Barrier Reef
Temperament / Behavior : They can be aggressive with others, especially other dwarf marine angelfishes. It's not the best choice for a reef tank because they are known to nip lps corals.
Breeding : Very difficult to breed in captivity.
Aquarium Size : 30 gallon (113 liters) minimum, preferably larger - tanks on the smaller side will surely bring out territory problems with other fish.
Tank Mates : Use caution when selecting tank mates. You may have better results if this is the last fish placed in the tank. You may still see some aggression with other fish that are the same size or smaller. These fish are not necessarily reef aquarium safe because they will nip lps corals and may pick on smaller invertebrates.
Reef Tank Compatible? : Use caution if you have clams since it has been reported that they may nip at them. Otherwise, they could be a nice addition to help with algae control in a small way.
Fish Disease : Saltwater Fish Disease - Diagnose, Symptoms and Treatment
Diet / Foods : Frequent (2 times per day) and varied feedings. Try to give them a variety of marine foods but predominantly marine algae and spirulina. Having plenty of live rock for them to graze on goes a long way. They may accept vitamin enriched flake foods, frozen and definitely live foods although it may take time for them to go after flake foods.
Tank Region : Usually middle to bottom
Gender : No reliable way to determine the differences between males and females.
Forum : Saltwater Angelfish Forum
Photo Credit : Photos copyright JJPhoto.dk
Site References :
Fishbase
Wikipedia
Coral Beauty Angelfish Tips
| From: Tom The Coral Beauty is one of the easier dwarf angelfishes to care for... I had mine for several years until it decided to jump out of the tank. I wasn't home when it happened and found it dried out on the floor in front of the tank. Mine generated lots of peaceful activity in the tank and didn't bother any of the other fish. He was friends with the Yellow Tang and they swam frequently together. Mine was not picky about foods and would eat everything we offered - ocean nutrition flakes, frozen brine shrimp, frozen marine cuisine, etc. I will be getting a replacement very soon. |
| From: Mike I've bred my coral beauties in captivity and I am having a hard time just getting the larvae. I get about 100 eggs a night over 3 nights, then a break for a night or two as the female generates another batch. Anybody have any info in rearing Angel babies? |
| There doesn't seem to be much information available online, but you can get some ideas by reading through some breeder reports at the breeder's registry under Centropyge. |
| From: Jake I've had my Coral Beauty for about a month or so now. At first, he was extremely scared and hid behind the live rock. But, after about a week, he came out more. Now whenever someone comes into my room, he comes out to see who came in, then flips his tail and swims from one end of the tank to the other. He has a great personality. He doesn't bother any of my mushroom corals and he is extremely easy to care for. |
| From: Holly Caldwell I just got my beautiful coral beauty and so far she is very peaceful and even swims with my 3 stripe damsels. She won't take the spirulina tablets I stick to the aquarium wall and just picks at the algae growing on the glass and ignores the nice green algae on my live rock. I am praying this is just because she is settling in. What a gorgeous fish she is! |
| They may go after flakes too. It's worth trying herbivore flakes or flake foods with lots of greens in them. It may take a few days for them to feel comfortable and they should be out and about. Damsels can get aggressive though, so monitor closely. |
More Dwarf Saltwater Angelfish Profiles
Flame Angelfish
One of the most popular but not necessarily one of the easiest of the dwarf angels to keep. They usually come in with saltwater ich or very shortly show signs of it. Ask to see them eat and let the store keep them for a few weeks before spending the $40 plus on this fish. An amazing looking saltwater angelfish though.
Lemonpeel Angelfish
Gets to about 5 inches when fully grown but is not necessarily one of the hardier of the dwarf angel species.
Potter's Angelfish
Will get to be around 4 inches when grown and needs to be acclimated slowly. Endemic to the Hawaiin Islands.
Pygmy Angelfish
This angelfish isn't usually lumped in with the dwarves and it's sometimes referred to as a Pygmy Angelfish because it only gets to be about 3 inches (8 cm) in size. A very cool little saltwater tropical fish that can be kept in 20 - 30 gallon (113 liters) tanks.