[BK's Reef]

Centropyge bicolor is known under several English common names, including Bicolor angelfish, Bicolour angelfish, Two coloured angelfish, Two-colored angelfish, Blue and gold angelfish, and Blue & Gold angelfish.

The Bicolor Angelfish is one of the boldest colored dwarf angelfish you can find. With its bold blue and yellow this fish will definitely be the fish that pops out. With a maximum size of 6" this fish will be ideal for any aquarium 30 gallons or larger. This species was originated in the Indo pacific to Australia.

Geographical Range and Habitat

The Bicolor angelfish lives in the Indo-Pacific. The Bicolor angelfish inhabits lagoons, channels and protected seaward reef slopes, including drop offs and environments filled with corals or rubble. It lives alone, in pairs or in small groups and is known to quickly swim from one protective crevice to another. It is rarely found far from a suitable hiding spot. The depth range for this species is 3-82 feet.

Care

The Bicolor angelfish is not an easy fish to keep and many species of dwarf angelfish are hardier than this one. It is only recommended for well established and stable aquariums. It is very important to provide the fish with plenty of suitable hiding spots in the aquarium, e.g. in the form of crevices.

Quaranteening and long acclimation periods are recommended when introducing them to your tank. They can easily develop marine ich and other diseases. Once acclimated in they become more resilient and easier to maintain.

Feeding

Feeding a bicolor can be alittle harder than some species of marine animals. They love algae and that should definitely be a good portion of there diet. Most will eat flakes and mysis as few wont. Mine is strickly eating algae only. I recommend buying algae sheets from your LFS as they love it.

Behavior

The big issue with this fish as of any Angelfish is whether they are reef safe or not. Most dwarf angelfish have a 50/50 chance of being a reef safe fish. In my opinion, the bicolor is less apt to nibble corals than some other dwarf angelfish. They will likely be fine in a sps tank but not recommended in a mostly lps of zoanthid reef.

With most any angelfish, you should not keep multiples of the same angelfish as they tend to fight with each other. Another caution would be if you have another blue and yellow fish. They may fight due to the similar colors.




Conclusion

This fish is a great addition to a display tank, rewarding to keep, and makes a great "show fish" which is always a crowd pleaser when you have guests over to see your tank. If your tank doesnt have much lps or zoas i would recommend this fish to mostly anyone.

Species Spotlight Summary
Scientific Name:	Centropyge bicolor
Common Names	Bicolor Angelfish, Gold and Blue Angelfish, Oriole Angelfish, Boray-boray, Two color angel
Care Level:	Moderate
Size:	Up to 6 inches
Life span:	5 - 10 years?
Origin / Habitat:	Indo-Pacific near Japan down to Australia
Temperament / Behavior:	They can be aggressive with others, especially other dwarf marine angelfishes.
Tank Size:	30 gallon minimum, preferrably larger to provide adequate swimming room.
Compatible Tank Mates:	Only one dwarf angelfish per tank, unless the aquarium is extremely large.
Reef Tank Compatible?:	Can help control algae if in small amounts, but can nibble at corals, clams and other invertebrates.
Diet / Fish Food:	Frequent (two times per day) and varied feedings. Try to give them a variety of marine foods but predominantly marine algae and spirulina. Will eat flakes once acclimated.
Gender :	No reliable way to determine the differences between males and females.
Breeding / Mating / Reproduction:	Very difficult to breed in captivity partly due to their aggressive nature with members of their own species. They are hermaphrodites and practice harem breeding.

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[jimsflies]

Brendon - Thanks for putting this together for us!

I love the colors of these fish alot!

Also thanks Gordon (Bongo Shrimp) for the bicolor photo! Great job!

[Sir Patrick]

Sweet fish- love the write up!

[igot2gats]

Excellent job, BK. Very informative!