Bicolor Angelfish

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Moderate   • Temperament: Semi-Aggressive   • Maximum Size: 6"
• Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons   • Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
• Diet: Omnivore   • Origin: Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea
• Family: Pomacanthidae   • Species: Angels (Dwarf)   • Aquarium Type: Reef Compatible

Help Support AquariumDomain!      

• Your support keeps AquariumDomain advertisement free, lightning fast and fully optimized for both mobile and desktop browsing.

• Visit our Patreon page to learn about the exclusive benefits our Patrons receive!

Bicolor Angelfish are a species of pygmy or dwarf angelfish that get their name from their contrasting blue and yellow coloration. Bicolor Angels have a unique body shape for a dwarf angelfish with a more elongated body than other dwarf angelfish species, which gives them the look of a larger angelfish in a small body. Bicolor angels will spend much of their day swimming in and out of rocky caves and crevices looking for algae or small organisms on which to feed. If kept in a well established aquarium with plenty of live rock and at least 30 gallons of water volume, the Bicolor Angelfish should thrive.

While a minimum of 30 gallons is required for this species to do well, a larger of aquarium of 55 gallons or greater is recommended so that the Bicolor Angelfish can truly thrive. Bicolor Angelfish need plenty of live rock on which to graze and for protection if they feel threatened. This species will do very well in most any FOWLR (fish only with live rock) community aquarium where it can be kept peacefully with a large variety of other community species.

As with most dwarf angelfish, the Bicolor Angelfish should not be kept with other dwarf angelfish as they will fight with each other to the point where one is likely to die. The only exception to this is when they are kept in very large aquariums that can support many dwarf angelfish species and provide each of them a suitable amount of territory. While something like a 300 gallon aquarium with 350 plus pounds of live rock with 4 or more different dwarf angelfish species can be achieved due to the amount of territory and number of species kept. However, even in this scenario where it is possible to keep multiple dwarf angelfish together, there will still be some squabbling but unlikely to lead to serious injuries or death.

Bicolor Angelfish are a pretty hardy fish species, but it is highly recommended that they are kept in established aquariums as they do not tend to do well in newly established tanks. It is generally not recommended to keep the Bicolor Angel in a reef aquarium as they are well known to be coral nippers that will nip at soft corals, stony corals and sessile invertebrates.

The Bicolor Angelfish requires a varied diet that is high in vegetable matter and especially various types of marine algae. It is highly recommended that they are kept with large amounts of established live rock, so that they can supplement their diet by grazing. Mysis or brine shrimp make an excellent food offering to encourage the Bicolor Angel to begin feeding when it is first introduced to the aquarium. Long term the Bicolor will need a diet that is based mostly on marine angelfish preparations (either frozen or flaked) that have marine algae Spirulina and sponge material and supplemented with meaty preparations such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimp or other meaty foodstuffs.