Centropyge Multifasciata
Scientific Name : Centropyge Multifasciata
Origin : Western Pacific
Temperament : Shy
Temperature : 72F - 82F
Maximum Size : 5 Inches
Diet : Omnivore
Difficulty : Hard
Reef Safe : With Caution
Tank Size : 100 Gallons
Centropyge Multifasciata, or its common name, the Multibarred Angelfish is a lovely dwarf species that has zebra like markings throughout its body. This is further accentuated by touches of yellow on its mouth and lower body.
In the wild, Centropyge Multifasciata live at incredible depths of up to two hundred feet or more. Like a number of other deepwater species, they are difficult to care for. While not very expensive, centropyge mutlifasciata is a somewhat uncommon offering in the marine aquarium trade.
Unfortunately, many of these beautiful fish go on to perish in our aquariums due to dietary issues or problems that came about during collection. Because they are a deep water species, care must be taken to ensure the swim bladder is not damaged as it is brought up.
As they are brought up from such depths, their swim bladders begin to expand. To solve this problem, collectors normally poke the bladder with a needle which releases the gas that is trapped inside it. Done incorrectly, this can result in a damaged swim bladder. Signs of a fish with a damaged swim bladder includes the inability to maintain buoyancy. Those with damaged swim bladders are normally seen to be tilting left, right or even up and down. Such specimens should be avoided at all costs.
Centropyge Multifasciata requires a large established tank that is a hundred gallons or more with plenty of live rock. The bigger the tank and the more rock it has, the higher the chance it will survive in the long run. This is because this dwarf angelfish species is difficult to feed in captivity. As such, the organisms on the rock and substrate are what will sustain it most of the time.
The genus centropyge feed primarily on detritus, small crustaceans and algae. Despite this, the vast majority of them tend to accept most prepated foods in captivity. It is always important to offer a mix of both meaty and algae or spirulina best foods in the marine aquarium.
A good mix of meaty and vegetable matter is essential to the overall health of dwarf angels. Some other good foods to feed daily are * Sea Veggies Seaweed, which are nutritious seaweed for grazers. Prime Reef * Flake Food which is a blend of numerous seafood and algae such as seaweed, lobster meat, salmon, shrimp, squid and zooplankton.
The best dry pellet foods on the market come from the highly reputable makers, * New Life Spectrum. Use a * Seaweed Clip when feeding them seaweed sheets. Simply take a sheet, fold it and clip it. Secure the clip to the aquarium glass in a location of your choice and they should graze on it throughout the day. Centropyge species can nip on corals so be warned.
At 200 feet, there is very little light present. Care must be taken to slowly acclimate this fish to aquarium lighting conditions. Perhaps lowering your photoperiod by a few hours or even turning off one or more light fixtures for a well will help.
Overall, centropyge multifasciata is an uncommon but beautiful addition to the tank. But they do require a tank that can see to their needs.
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