Centropyge aurantonotus
The Centropyge aurantonotus in natural conditions is widespread in the Western Atlantic. It can be found along the coasts of the Lesser Antilles, Curaçao, Venezuela, the northern coast of South America and south of Brazil. It is a non-migratory fish species, inhabiting depths from 12 to 200 m.
Centropyge aurantonotus has an oval body with dark blue coloration underneath and yellow on top. The head and mouth are small. The dorsal fin has about 15 spines and 16 soft rays. Anal fins consist of about 17 soft rays and 3 spines. The eyes have a narrow blue edging. Young fish have the same coloration as adults, except that the yellow-orange coloration extends further to the root of the tail plumage. It is not possible to visually determine the sex of the fish by coloration. However, since these angelfish are hermaphrodites, individuals that are usually larger are considered males. The size of the fish reaches up to 6 cm.
Keep in mind that all angelfish have cheek spines on the edge of the gill cover, so use caution when handling and also avoid using nets to catch it, as it can get stuck or tangled in the net and get damaged when removed.
Centropigus yellowspinus can cause damage in a reef aquarium as they tend to bite stony and soft corals, sessile invertebrates and shell mollusks. This species can be extremely aggressive toward other fish. These fish require an aquarium of 100 liters with numerous shelters and live rock. The entire area in the aquarium should be divided into sections, confining them to large rocks to reduce their aggressive temper towards other fish in the aquarium. When adding fish to the aquarium, the least aggressive individuals are introduced first. When adding yellow-spined Centropigus of the same size, it is best if they are introduced into the aquarium at the same time.
Water parameters: Temperature 20-27°C, pH 8.0-8.5, salinity 1.020-1.027.
The yellow-spined Centropyge is an omnivorous marine angelfish that feeds primarily on algae and sponges in the wild. Under aquarium conditions, their diet consists of spirulina, seaweed, specialized angelfish food, frozen shrimp and other quality meat products. Feed the fish in small portions 3 times a day.
Reproduction
Centropigas yellowspin do not breed in captivity.
In the wild, the male swims up to the female and performs courtship gestures. He then, spinning around the female, enlarges his laterally curved body surface with unpaired fins, with his paired fins fluttering and his whole body trembling and pale. When the female finally shows her readiness to spawn, the producers line up, the bodies of both fish tremble, and at this time the male releases his gametes. The male gametes ejaculate into a cluster of eggs as the male rests his muzzle against the female's ovarian area. External fertilization then occurs, and approximately 6 hours after spawning, the fertilized eggs float to the surface of the water.
