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Potter's Pygmy Angelfish

Family: PomacanthidaeCentropyge potteriPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Greg Rothschild

   Thanks To Katelyn for sending the following information on the Potter's Pygmy Angelfish:

   "My favorite angelfish is Potter's Pygmy Angelfish. It is a Hawaiian endemic. It does best in well established aquariums. For the experienced marine aquarist this would be a fabulous center piece animal. The other nice thing is that with this angel you never have to worry about cyanide catching, since it is only in Hawaiian waters. My sources of information are Natural Reef Aquariums, by John H. Tullock and The Conscientious Marine Aquarist."

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

Geographic Distribution Centropyge potteri Data provided by FishBase.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Pomacanthidae

Maintenance difficulty:    The Potter's Pygmy Angelfish is moderately difficult to keep. As with most angelfish, it isn't for the beginner.

Maintenance:    It is important that you feed angelfish all kinds of live, frozen, and prepared formula foods. Pygmy angelfish are known to eat mostly algae in the wild, so a diet rich in vegetable matter is essential. There are several good commercial foods available including Formula II and Angel Formula.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:    Potter's Pygmy Angelfish is a Hawaiian endemic. Juveniles can be found at depths of 5 meters while adults are generally at 10-50 meters (33-150 ft.) in rock, coral and rubble areas.

Foods:    See 'maintenance' above.

Social Behaviors:    Like other members of this genus it is solitary and stays close to shelter. They generally dart from crevice to crevice exposing themselves for only brief periods of time.

Sexual differences:    Differences in sex is hard to determine because they can change, however usually males are brighter.

Light: Recommended light levels:    In the wild they spend most of their time at depths that do not show off their colors as well as in an aquarium setting. For this reason it is recommended to keep them with medium to low light levels.

Breeding/Reproduction:    Not accomplished in captivity. See Breeding Marine Fish page for a description of how they reproduce in the wild.

Temperature:    No special requirements. Normal temperatures for marine fish lie between 75 and 79 degrees.

Length/Diameter of fish:    Potter's Pygmy Angelfish adults can grow to 10 cm (4 inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:    A minimum 75 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong    No special requirements.

Photo Courtesy: Seth Weintraub

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom    Generally found in rocks and crevices in the ocean, in the aquarium they will go anywhere.

Availability: This fish is occasionally avaliable and fairly expensive.

Author: David Brough. CFS.

• Centropyge potteri : $69.99
• Centropyge potteri : $49.99
• Centropyge potteri : $34.99
• Centropyge potteri : $74.99
• Centropyge potteri : $79.99

Potters Centropyge Potteri Large Fob 8 Next Day Offered By: Pets Warehouse Price: $69.99

Potters Centropyge Potteri Med Fob 6 Next Day Offered By: Pets Warehouse Price: $49.99

Potters Centropyge Potteri Small Fob 5 Next Day Shipping Offered By: Pets Warehouse Price: $34.99

Centropyge Potteri Potters Angel Small Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $74.99

Centropyge Potteri Potters Angel Medium Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $79.99

Lastest Comments on Potter's Pygmy Angelfish View all 3 comments on Potter's Pygmy Angelfish Add Your Comment

scallies - 2011-06-07 Know put a gold, flame, coral beauty and potters together in a 1200 lt coral tank. That is a beautiful site, together for about 9 months with a gimatum, yellow tang, gobies and mandarine x 2 Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2011-06-07 Very creative and interesting. Must be gorgeous. Reply

Chad - 2007-02-04 UPDATE: I recently had a nitrate spike in my tank. My Potters Angel stopped eating and died the next day. I was very sad to lose this fish. I kept him successfully for four months. Reasonably hardy but won't tolerate poor water conditions. Reply

Chad - 2006-11-27 Bought a 3" Potters Angelfish about a month ago. He's in a 135 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump and a 30 gallon refugium. About 200 pounds of live rock and 100 pounds of live sand. Tank mates are: Passer Angel, Koran Angel, Blonde Naso Tang, Kole Tang, Yellow Tang, Sohal Tang, Volitans Lion. He was rather expensive and I was a bit nervous putting him in a tank with much larger and bolder fish. Especially after reading that they can be rather shy and rarely come out of hiding. He proved to be the exact opposite. Almost always out in the open, often grazing on the live sand. He is a beautiful fish and adds a gorgeous splash of vivid reddish orange and purple. One of my favorite and strongest fish. Farely rare and expensive but well worth it. Reply

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