Dwarf Angel Popularity Ranking (A to D)

[Zionas]

I would like your experiences / opinions on which of the Centropyge / Paracentropyge angels are the most popular. This is for data-gathering purposes and meant to be fun. I will give mine (A most, D least, E borderline unobtainable / unobtainable):

A-
Coral Beauty (C. Bispinosa)
Flame (C. Loricula)
African Flameback (C. Acanthops)
Brazilian Flameback (C. Aurantonotus)- if it was more readily available
Atlantic Cherub (C. Argi)
Potter’s (C. Potteri)

B-
Multi-Bar (P. Multifasciata)
Purple Masked (P. Venusta)
Japanese Dwarf (C. Interrupta)- if not for the price
Golden (C. Aurantia)

C-
Lemonpeel (C. Flavissima)
Bicolor (C. Bicolor)
Eibli (C. Eibli)
Multicolor (C. Multicolor)
Colin’s (C. Colini)


D-
Rusty (C. Ferrugata)
Fisher’s (C. Fisheri)
Pacific Pygmy (C. Flavicauda)
Herald’s (C. Heraldi)
Keyhole (C. Tibicen)
Multi-Spined (C. Multispinus)
Yellow Fin (C. Flavipectoralis)
Half-Black (C. Vrolikii)
Midnight (C. Nox

E-
Peppermint (P. Boylei)
Narcosis (C. Narcosis)
Easter Island (C. Hotumatua)
Resplendent (C. Resplendens)- for sure an A if available
Deborah’s (C. Deborae)- new species, have seen a few listed for sale in Hong Kong but no one seems to have this species
Cream (C. Nigrocella)
Nahackyi (C. Nahackyi)
Mauritius Blue (C. Debelius)

Hard to place:
Shephard’s (C. Shepardi)- is it a legit species? Or does it simply represent multi-generational hybridization between the Flame and Rusty?

The Flame could be S-tier (for those of you familiar with Japanese video game rankings), for many it’s the icon for Centropyge.

Andrew Sandler’s had a pair of Narcosis for over a decade. There’s a couple Japanese hobbyists with long-lived Peppermints and one guy with a Debelius for over a decade. It does seem lots of rare species make it to Japan more often than North America / Europe.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

How do you define "popular"? Do you mean how attractive it is to you? For me, a lot of a fish's "attractiveness" is how hardy it is. I'm done with trying to keep the most delicate species I can, I'm more about keeping fish that are willing to meet me halfway and at least try to stay alive in my tanks (grin).

Jay

 

[Zionas]

Popular as in the number of people keeping them / attempting them, but if we go by success rates, that would relegate many to the bottom tier. (Grin) Which species in your experience tend to fare the best, which ones tend to be fragile?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I’ve had the best success with the dwarf Pygmy angels (Xiphipops?) I think I’ve have kept all of them, including the one from Ascension Island back in the 1980’s

Jay

 

[Zionas]

Shame the one from Ascension is no longer available. That one’s really pretty. Are the others less Hardy (non-Xiphypops).

 

[Reeferbadness]

I have a Flame Angel who, i'm pretty sure, has killed many SPS and some softies (it might also be his big brother, a monster Emporer angle who actually makes a growling noise when chasing tank mates). The Flame angel is otherwise a cool tank mate but i wouldn't get either of these angels again.


oth

 

[LaloJ]

Dwarf angelfishes that are popular here in Mexico, without a doubt Coral beauty angelfish should be at the top, followed by Cherub angelfish, Bicolor angelfish, Flame, Halfblack, Eibli, Rusty and Lemonpeel. I have seen Singapore angelfish, Keyhole angel and C.heraldi in smaller quantities but it is not difficult to get them, it may be that on a couple of occasions Multibarred, Venustus and Golden may appear sporadically throughout the year, in the last third of the year I have seen them available on a couple of occasions Golden angelfish but it had long since disappeared, other fish that are rarely seen around here are Multicolor and Potter angelfish. Not in a million years will we be able to see the holy grails like Peppermint angel and Narcosis angelfish in Mexico.

 

[hsosa]

I currently have a lemon peel angel in a reef. she's the boss of the tank and is not a nice fish . she does from time to time decide to nip at some of my sps. she also swims like the millienuem falcon sideways through my green Monti cap. great algae eater. I tried to put a flame angel with her and it was a bad fail. I do think its a lot cooler fish than a yellow tang, I've had her for two years now.

 

[Zionas]

Sounds good and thanks for sharing your experience. What other fish do you have with him and how does his personality compare to a Yellow Tang?

 

[LaloJ]

The flavissima complex is the most likely to bite when touching corals, but are you looking to see if it is biting coral polyps or some type of slime that corals give off?

 

[Zionas]

Yeah does it bite corals as in actually eating them?

Which angels you have now? The Coral Beauty is healthy and good now?

 

[hsosa]

Sounds good and thanks for sharing your experience. What other fish do you have with him and how does his personality compare to a Yellow Tang?

welcome, I currently have two lavender tangs, two clowns , two yellow tail blue damsels, 1 yellow clown goby, 1 purple stripe dottback. the lemon peel is great she s not shy and swims everywhere . she will slap u with her tail if u get too close to her. she is more aggressive than a yellow tang

 

[Tamberav]

I am not sure potters can be A as they can't be collected and therefor can not really be attempted anymore.

 

[blaxsun]

I have a coral beauty and midnight (midnight is fairly rare here, which is why I like him - despite his appetite for acans). The emperor occasionally chases him off the seaweed (emperor's can definitely be jerks).

 

[Zionas]

I was referring to the time when they were still available, they were near the top of the list for many.

 

[Zionas]

Nice. Do you plan to add any more Centropyge?

 

[blaxsun]

Nice. Do you plan to add any more Centropyge?

Me? No. I have a coral beauty, midnight, a lamarck's and emperor - that's enough angelfish right now and they seem to get along with each other and the 46 other fish... You can spot 3/4 of them in this FTS.

 

[Tamberav]

I see a lot of bicolors and some multicolors as well. I think lemon peel would be more popular if it didn’t seem to be so nippy! That being said, they have them captive bred now and someone is buying them. So I bet they are more popular then it seems.

 

[Zionas]

I am acquainted with a fish farm owner in Thailand (Atoll Farm), he’s producing Flame Angels and Colin’s Angels currently and will soon release his first batch of Brazilian Flame Backs, note not Acanthops. He’s conditioning two pairs of Multi-Bars for spawning.

Multicolor will be his next, and he also plans to breed Venusta, Lemonpeel and Eiblis. He and his fish farm also have their own brand of fish foods.

I think he’s the first in the world to breed C. Aurantonotus as a captive bred fish, and the second to breed C. Colini after Wen-Ping Su on a commercial scale. And of course always good to see classics like C. Loricula being available as captive bred.

 

[Zionas]

He is trying Multibars but knowing the reputation with this species, he told me earlier today 3/4 of his broodstock died. He thinks they were underfed at the wholesalers and never put on enough weight to get through the adjustment phase.