JOCULATORS! Mount Up!

Contrary to popular myth, the Joculator Angelfish was not the inspiration for a Warren G song back in 1994. What is true about Joculator Angels is that they represent the very cool intersection where a rare and cool fish that gets to a reasonable size for most home aquariums is also very hardy! Their rarity stems primarily from their small natural range as they are only found around the Cocos-Keeling and Christmas Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. In addition, the remote nature of these islands means that few of these fish get collected, and those that do usually end up in Fish Stores in Asia, where it is still a rarity, but seen more frequently than in the US. Once upon a time, they were thought to only come from Cocos-Keeling which gave them one of their other common names, the Cocos Pygmy Angel, they also are sometimes called Yellowhead Pygmy Angels.

The fish are usually found around steep drop offs near coral and rubble reefs, most frequently at depths between 50 and 100 feet, but they have been seen at over 200 feet down as well. In the wild, they are found both singly and in small haremic groups that consist of one male and three to five females. Superficially, they appear very similar to another dwarf angelfish, the Bicolor Angel. The primary differences between the two starts with Bicolor Angels getting nearly twice as big with a max size of almost six inches, and the Joculator staying around three to three and a half inches long. In addition, Joculator Angels are trimmed in neon blue and have eye makeup to match, Bicolor Angels lack all this, instead having a dark band of blue that they wear like a low brimmed hat and also have a very distinct line between the yellow head and the blue butt, and their dorsal and anal fins develop long trailers that contrast the softly rounded ones of the Joculator. They both have a bright yellow tail.

There's no denying that the Joculator is a prettier fish, (even though the Bicolor is a looker too) and while they are similar, the biggest difference is in temperament. Joculators are a much more timid and less aggressive than their closely colored cousins. They are fine with many peaceful fish that the Bicolor might get bossy with. They can also be kept with other peaceful Pygmy Angels as long as the aquarium is big enough and all the little Angels are added at once. Other good tankmates might include things like Cardinals, small Wrasses, Gobies or Firefish, and some smaller, more peaceful Anthias species, like Dispars. Really the only fish you'll want to avoid are really aggressive or predator fish that might eat them. Don't keep your Joculator with Lionfish, or Scorpions (who could eat it), or even more pugnacious Angels and Triggers (who will bully it). Once the Joculator Angel is established, they will become a bit more territorial, so beware of adding fish that look too similar once your Joculator is comfy.

In regard to what size tank to keep them in, we recommend 75 gallons or more, and in this size, they could be kept with several other fish, and perhaps even kept as a pair, though a harem would take a larger tank. For the home hobbyist, who wants a pair, you're going to want to buy them that way. While males will be a little bigger, and have slightly longer dorsal and anal fins, they can be very hard to distinguish in person. They are hermaphroditic, and all of them start off their lives without a defined sex and will all turn female as adults. The most dominant fish in the group will segue to male (a very quick process) and until he is replaced, the rest will stay female. They are also relatively easy to spawn in the home aquarium, but they have a long larval and settlement period which strongly negatively impacts survival rates, and in spite of this, they are occasionally available aquacultured from our friends at Bali Aquarich!

Their display should offer many places to hide and swim around; the more secure the Joculators feel, the more you'll see them early on, when they are especially shy. Going for extra rockwork also gives them more places to graze, which they love to do all day long. They will appreciate strong flow and good filter overturn. This helps keep nutrients low and dissolved oxygen high. They'll be fine in pretty standard water parameters, pH between 8 and 8.4, specific gravity within a point or two of 1.024 and a temperature between 72- and 78-degrees Fahrenheit. If you mix your Tropic Marin Salts to the instructions on the back, and utilize R/O water, you'll get these results every time. While the Joculators aren't big jumpers, stranger things have happened, and so we recommend covering your tank, to prevent your rare little buddy from ending up on the floor after a double gainer with a twist.

Feeding Centropyge joculator represents no real difficulty, but focus should be placed on a varied diet. Their natural behavior is one of constant foraging where they eat a huge variety of things, algae, small invertebrates, sponge matter etc. They are the perfect fish for Nutramar Algae and Color Boost Shots, which can be stuck to glass or rockwork for the Angel to graze on. In house we also give them a mix of meaty foods from Gamma, the Nutramar Color Boost and sinking pellets as well. We feed them twice a day, and they do quite well on that schedule. As with any fish that likes grazing, more smaller meals never hurt, but with this fish, aren't strictly necessary. They will like some algal matter to graze on, and so some Nori or Ogo occasionally would also be a good addition.

The number one question we get in regard to pretty much every Dwarf or Pygmy Angel is “are they reef safe?” Frustratingly, there isn't a straightforward answer to this, because there is some individuality to fish, especially grazing fish. When a species' entire niche is grazing and trying new foods, some will have learned to eat different things than others. Some Joculators might be model citizens in your reef tanks, happily munching away on algae and whatever you feed it, and others might have already developed a taste for Acropora polyps and will head for your prized Shortcake straight away. This is why you'll see different opinions on reef compatibility for these (and pretty much all Dwarf/Pygmy Angels) all over the internet; the most common opinion you'll find says “reef safe with caution.” Fish that are really well fed, and perhaps even slightly overfed are much less likely to experiment with new foods, and if you're going to try to keep any angel in a reef system, we suggest making sure they always full, get many feedings per day and have an extremely varied diet. With that we'll let you make your own decision.

Some of you fish geeks are looking for a showpiece fish for your aquarium and the Joculator Angel makes a perfect choice for this. Rare, Hardy, Gorgeous and Small is checklist that almost never gets closed out, and Centropyge Joculator has it all. They are easy to feed, resistant to most common aquarium maladies, and are peaceful to boot! If your aquarium is ready to house a member of Pygmy Angel royalty, head to your LFS and ask them about a Joculator Angel from Quality Marine today!