Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Marine Angelfish > Eibli's Angelfish

Eibli’s Angelfish

~ Red Stripe Angelfish ~ Blacktail Angelfish Family: Pomacanthidae Centropyge eibli Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The pretty Eibli's Angelfish or Red Stripe Angelfish is one of the larger of the dwarf angels, and makes an attractive addition to a a peaceful marine environment!

   A very pretty aquarium fish, the Eibli's Angelfish or Red Stripe Angelfish is regularly available and reasonably priced. It is fairly active but tends to retire around the rocks or corals. It will however venture near the surface for foods when it is well acclimated. The aquarium should be well decorated with rocks/ corals providing many hiding places for this angelfish.

   It can be kept in a fish only aquarium and possibly in a reef, but as with most of the pygmy angelfish it may harm stony coral polyps. This is an individual behavior with each fish having its own tendencies, so keep a close eye on your corals when you first introduce them to see how your fish will behave.

For more Information on keeping marine fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Status:
   These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   The Eibli's Angelfish or Red Stripe Angelfish has an entirely gray to greenish brown body with about 10 vertical narrow scribbled orange stripes on the sides. The posterior part of the body is blackish, sometimes interrupted or discontinued, and the rear is abruptly black. The face and head are sometimes slightly duskier. The fins are grayish with the dorsal fin have a black area posteriorly, the pelvic fins having orangish yellow, and the caudal fin is black with a blue margin. Juveniles are similar with fewer stripes on side.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Adults reach 4.3 inches (11 cm), but most available specimens are less than 3 inches (8 cm).

Maintenance difficulty:
   No special care or technique is needed to maintain this fish in the aquarium, it usually takes foods heartily if it is in a good condition. It needs many crevices to hide, when you first acquire this fish it will be shy, retiring and darting into holes or under/ behind rocks. Add other more aggressive tank mates after it is acclimated and you've confirmed that it is eating well. Once it is successfully acclimated it will become a hardy fish. As it may harm polyps of some stony and soft coral species, it is not recommended for reef-type aquariums.
   Most of the Centropyge members are very colorful and attractive but unfortunately many are rather difficult to keep for a long period, and on occasion they suffer from “ich” (white spot disease) and other infectious diseases. They can be treated successfully with medical care or copper drugs, but some species hate sudden changes of water including PH and temperature, and any drug treatment. In the wild a cleaner wrasse (Labroides sp.) will help them by taking parasites from their bodies.

  Diseases that marine angelfish are susceptible to:
Marine Ich (white spot disease), Marine Velvet, and Lymphocystis (a viral infection).

Foods:
   The Eibli's Angelfish or Red Stripe Angelfish are omnivores. Provide a varied diet. Meaty foods, dried flakes, shrimps, frozen prepared diets for sponge and algae eaters, and tablets are acceptable. Feed frequently at first with various foods, including frozen shrimps. Feed it at least twice a day.

Maintenance:
   Once this angelfish is successfully acclimated it will become a fairly hardy pet. Though it is rather active it needs many crevices to hide in. Frequent water changes are not necessary, rather normal water changes at 10% biweekly or 20% monthly are fine. Sudden massive water changes can cause trouble.
   For more information see, Marine Aquarium Basics: Maintenance

Aquarium Parameters:
   This is a rather active fish but is rather retiring, so will need many nooks and crannies to hide in. An aquarium well decorated with rocks/ corals will providing it with many places for retreat
Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 50 gallon (189 liters) or more.
Light: Recommended light levels
   It can be kept under normal lighting but prefers a dimly lit aquarium.
Temperature:
   This species lives in tropical areas. Temperatures between 75 -79° F (24 - 26° C) will serve them well, but temperatures higher than 84° F (29° C) or below 72 ° F (22° C) would not be good.
Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   Water movement is not a significant factor and it can tolerate a rather strong flow, but slow-moving water will be more desirable.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   It is a fairly active swimmer but hangs out around the rocks or corals, though it will venture to the surface for foods when it is well acclimated.

Social Behaviors:
   The Eibli's Angelfish or Red Stripe Angelfish is recommended for fish only community aquariums. The tank should be well decorated with rocks/ corals with many hiding places.
   It is said to be a reef safe fish as it does well in a coral-rich tank with sessile inverts, but it may nip at the polyps of hard or soft corals, and also inverts like live shrimps. However not every fish is going to damage corals, the behavior of each individual fish will be different. If you do want to keep it in a reef observe its behavior towards the corals closely, removing it to a fish only tank if it tends to pick at them for any length of time.
   A group of several individuals of this angelfish can be kept successfully but they need a lot of space for swimming and many hiding places. It can get along with more aggressive species but those that are less aggressive are preferable. Smaller and the ‘weaker’ cardinalfish, gobies, tilefish, butterflyfish, fairy basslets, fairy and flasher wrasses, etc. are good tank mates. It can be kept with larger and rather territorial angelfishes like Pomacanthus and Holacanthus and the smaller Centropyge, Apolemichthys, Genicanthus, Chaetodontoplus and Pygoplites would be good tank mates. Small but very territorial fishes like dottybacks should be avoided in the same tank.

Sex: Sexual differences:
   No sexual difference in appearance is noted.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   There is no report of reproductive behavior in tanks or in aqua cultivation yet. In their natural habitat, the pygmy angelfish form a harem dominated by one large male with between one and four smaller mature females and up to nine juveniles. At dusk during the lunar month the male will conduct an elaborate mating ritual and then spawn with each of the females individually. They are pelagic spawners, each pair will rise up several feet above the reef and release the eggs and sperm together directly into the water column. The eggs are fertilized and continue to rise up to the plankton rich surface.
   For more information see, Marine Fish Breeding

Buy Eibli's Angelfish From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
   The Eibli's Angelfish or Red Stripe Angelfish is commonly available at retailers with prices starting at about $10.00 - $15.00 USD. The specimens that are available rarely exceed 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) in length.
   If there is only traces of a stripe or an orangish area, it is most likely a hybrid between this species and the Pearlscale Angelfish C. vrolikii.

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Author: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS