TankBud

Half-black angelfish

Centropyge vroliki

Also known as Pearlscale Angelfish, Half-Black Pygmy Angelfish, Vrolik's Angelfish

SaltwaterFish

Half-black angelfish (Centropyge vroliki)
Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
55 gal
210 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One male per tank
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Pomacanthidae
Origin
Indo-West Pacific, from Christmas Island and Indonesia through the Philippines and Micronesia to the Marshall Islands, north to Japan and south to the Great Barrier Reef

Overview

A steady grazer that does best with an established tank offering constant algae growth plus small feedings of algae-based and meaty foods several times a day. It is generally one of the calmer readily available dwarf angels toward non-angelfish tankmates but will still fight other Centropyge, so keep only one per tank. Reef keepers rate it caution: most stay out of trouble, but some nip soft coral polyps, zoanthids, or clam mantles.

In the wild

Lives on reef flats, lagoons, and outer reef slopes across a wide swath of the Indo-West Pacific, sheltering in rubble and coral debris and grazing algae off any exposed hard surface. It is one of the more adaptable dwarf angels in terms of habitat, turning up from shallow flats down onto deeper slopes. A tank needs mature live rock with plenty of nooks and a healthy algae film for it to work over.

Good to know

Centropyge vroliki reaches about 10 cm and, like other Centropyge, is a protogynous hermaphrodite living in loose harems where the largest female becomes male if needed. Its front half is pale and finely speckled while the rear half is solid dark grey to black, a two-tone split that gives rise to both the half-black and pearlscale common names.

Did you know

The finely reticulated, pearl-like pattern on its dark rear half, visible up close, is what earns it the alternate name pearlscale angelfish and helps separate it from a few very similar half-black-patterned Centropyge.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

Half-black angelfish is a mostly peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the middle. Keep only one male per tank. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Half-black angelfish need?

A Half-black angelfish needs at least 55 gal (210 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Half-black angelfish need?

A Half-black angelfish is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a Half-black angelfish get?

An adult Half-black angelfish reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

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