Straight Fire

It's hard to imagine a fish being even more beautiful than the aptly named Coral Beauty, one of the most astoundingly colorful fish in the sea. That being said, occasionally regional variants, hybrids and aberrant coloration / patterns do pop up and they rarely disappoint. This is the case with the Fiery Coral Beauty, an absolute stunner of a fish, where the almost metallic purple along the back and dorsal fin extends down to the top third of the body, the middle is all purple and gold tiger stripes and the belly is a sunset orange, all while retaining that iridescent strip of tropical ocean blue all along the perimeter of the fins. They are jaw-droppingly beautiful.

If you (like us) have spent any time in a Local Fish Store or even online perusing fish suitable for marine aquariums, you've seen Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa) before. All Centropyge are the dwarf members of the family Pomacanthidae, which we usually just call the Marine Angelfish. They're hardy fish that stay small (almost always less than about four inches long) and are easily acclimated to captive environments. You've maybe even seen some other aberrant color forms of them like the Tiger Tail and Lautokas which are both very rare in their own right, but very few people have seen the Fiery Coral Beauty in person.

Centropyge bispinosus got this name for the two spines on their dorsal fin which usually go unnoticed until they are either stuck in your hand, ouchie, or stuck in a net, dangnabbit. As a result of these pokey bits and this scientific name, they are sometimes called Two Spined Angelfish, which is frankly boring. Let us abandon this. In the wild, they can be found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from East Africa to the Kingdom of Tonga and Lord Howe Islands but are absent from the Red Sea and Hawaii. They're often found in large congregations in the wild but are also often found singly as adults.

In these locations, Coral Beauty Angels prefer habitats that feature a ton of flow and dense cover, which stony coral reefs offer in abundance. The home aquarium display should mimic this habitat as well as possible. Start with a 75-gallon tank and load it up with rock; the more hidey holes and swim throughs you can provide, the happier and bolder your Fiery Coral Beauty will be. They don't need substrate, and are great candidates for bare bottom aquariums, which is useful if you want to really crank up the flow for them and them and other things in your tank. Even though dwarf angels aren't notorious for jumping, we still suggest having a cover for this aquarium as they can jump out accidentally.

On the topic of the other things in the tank, many of you will want to put your Coral Beauty into an aquarium full of corals. If you spend a couple minutes googling whether or not this is a good idea, you're going to find the full range of advice, and the reason for this isn't confusion, or malice, it's variability. Some aquarists report successfully kept Centropyge bispinosus in coral heavy setups for years on end. Other aquarium keepers bring home fish that immediately start to nip and corals and other invertebrates. We've personally seen examples of “well behaved” Dwarf Angels that one innocuous day, go full Golden Corral on coral polyps. In the wild, these fish can eat whatever they want, and the coral population is so large that the corals aren't overly affected by this grazing. In your aquarium this is hard to emulate, and so we do not recommend keeping them in reef tanks unless you are willing to take this risk. We've found them to be high risk with Clams and LPS corals, moderate risk with SPS corals and Zoas and lower risk with softies like Xenia, Colt, Leathers, Mushrooms and Cauliflowers, but still risky. Fish wise they mostly mind their own business but might take exception to other Centropyge Angels. They will definitely get more assertive the longer they are in the aquarium, so add any peaceful fish to the display before you add the Fiery Coral Beauty. If you're dead set on having more Angels, adding smaller (pygmy) or larger Angels can work and should be added at the same time as the Coral Beauty. Watch these additions carefully to make sure no one is getting overly bullied.

All Coral Beauties are very hardy fish, and these are no exception. While they aren't picky about water chemistry, they love a high level of dissolved oxygen, which you've already taken care of with the huge flow you having gone in the tank. Where most hobbyists struggle with Angels is getting them good nutrition, they usually eat easily but need a varied diet. In the wild the coral beauty grazes biofilm off rocks and eats small invertebrates it finds in these places or that the currents bring past their dense coral homes. As a result of this, they eat an incredibly diverse diet, and they do it all day long. They'll definitely continue the grazing activity in the tank but will need a well-rounded diet on top of this. Nutramar Algae and Color Boost Shots are a perfect food for Centropyge Angels. They offer a wide range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients and when stuck to the rocks or glass, also offer the Angel a very natural feeding behavior. In time, they can be trained to take the Nutramar Pellets as well. In house, we mix these foods with a variety of Thawed foods from TMC Gamma like Mysis, Brine Plus Spirulina, Krill Pacifica, Chopped Mussel and Chopped Prawn. They'll happily take live Brine as well, but these will not supply them with enough nutrients long term.

Coral Beauties have been bred by professionals and hobbyists alike, and the Fiery Coral Beauty would be awesome genetic material for an aquaculture project. This being said, breeding Marine Angelfish is a difficult undertaking, and only the most experienced home aquarists will ever have a shot at succeeding at it. Occasionally we do have aquacultured Coral Beauties available here at Quality Marine and you can have access to these through your Local Fish Store.

Coral Beauties are just that, and the Fiery ones are even more astounding. There is really no way to describe or even photograph how gorgeous these fish are. In addition, they are super active fish that will utilize every inch of your aquarium's aquascape. They are easy to feed as long as you utilize a high-quality food. Pair all this with their small size and outstanding hardiness and you have one of captive aquaria's best fish. If you decide it's worth the risk to see one of these in your reef tank, observe them very carefully, especially for the first few days to attempt to make sure they don't have the hunger for coral. Want one? Stop by your Local Fish Store and ask them about getting you a sustainably sourced Fiery Coral Beauty Angel from Quality Marine Today!