Rusty Angelfish

Care at a glance

Overview

A dedicated algae grazer, so it needs a well-established tank with strong algae growth plus regular feedings of algae-based foods and small meaty items like mysis. It is one of the calmer dwarf angels day to day but, like its relatives, will not share space with another Centropyge in anything but a large tank. Reef keepers rate it caution: it is more likely than most to leave corals alone, but it can still nip LPS polyps or clam mantles if underfed.

In the wild

Found on Western Pacific reef slopes and rubble zones with good algae growth, staying close to cover and darting into crevices when threatened. It spends most of the day picking algae and detritus off rock. A tank should offer the same setup on a smaller scale: mature live rock riddled with caves plus room to establish a grazing territory.

Good to know

Centropyge ferrugata is a small dwarf angel, topping out around 10 cm, and a protogynous hermaphrodite that lives in harems with a single dominant male. It is easily confused with the much more common coral beauty angelfish, but the rusty angel wears an amber-orange body scattered with irregular black speckles rather than the coral beauty's bold purple-blue bars.

Did you know

Its rust-orange body flecked with black dots and finished with a neon-blue fin edge is often mistaken at a glance for a coral beauty angelfish wearing a duller coat.

Related species

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  Coral Beauty Angelfish

  Centropyge bispinosa

  3.9 in (10 cm)50 gal (190 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Flame Angelfish

  Centropyge loriculus

  3.9 in (10 cm)50 gal (190 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Half-Black Angelfish

  Centropyge vroliki

  3.9 in (10 cm)55 gal (210 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Herald's Angelfish

  Centropyge heraldi

  3.9 in (10 cm)55 gal (210 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Joculator Angelfish

  Centropyge joculator

  3.5 in (9 cm)70 gal (265 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Multicolor Angelfish

  Centropyge multicolor

  3.5 in (9 cm)70 gal (265 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)