Flame Angelfish
Centropyge loricula
Vivid red dwarf angel, bold and strikingIntermediate
- Lifespan
- 5-10 years
- Size
- 8-10cm (3-4in)
- Social needs
- Usually one dwarf angel per tank
- Time
- Medium
- Cost
- Medium
- Diet
- Omnivore, algae and meaty foods
Overview
What is this animal?
- The Flame Angelfish is one of the more striking dwarf angels, a vivid red-orange fish banded with black and trimmed in blue.
- It stays compact at around 10cm and is moderately hardy, making it a rewarding intermediate reef fish.
- With good water and a mature tank it is bold and active.
- Captive-bred specimens are increasingly available and tend to adapt more readily than wild-caught fish.
Temperament
- Generally reef-safe but, like other Centropyge, some individuals nip LPS, SPS, or clam mantles, and this varies by fish.
- It is semi-aggressive and territorial toward other dwarf angels and similar-shaped fish.
- Keep only one flame angel per tank unless it is very large.
- It usually integrates well with peaceful community reef fish once it has claimed a territory among the rocks.
A good fit for
- Reef keepers wanting a vivid centrepiece
- Medium reef tanks with mature rock
- Aquarists who choose captive-bred stock
- Intermediate hobbyists with stable systems
Common mistakes to avoid
- Some individuals nip corals and clams
- Wild specimens can be shy, slow feeders
- Multiple dwarf angels causing aggression
- Adding to immature tanks lacking algae
Enclosure
Minimum 200 litres (53 US gallons)
Must be housed alone. Usually one dwarf angel per tank
- Provide a mature reef of at least 200L (55 gallons) with plenty of live rock for grazing and numerous caves and crevices to retreat into.
- It settles best in established tanks with algae film and natural microfauna.
- Keep temperature 24-27C (75-81F), salinity 1.024-1.026, pH 8.1-8.4, and ammonia and nitrite at zero.
- Stability and good rockwork are key to a confident, healthy fish.
Supplies
Setup
- Tank, stand and sump
- Return pump and powerheads
- Protein skimmer
- Reef lighting
- Rock and sand
- Salt mix, refractometer and test kits
- Quarantine tank
Ongoing
- Spirulina-based marine flake
- Quality marine pellet
- Dried marine algae (nori) sheets
- Veg clip
- Frozen mysis and brine shrimp
- Vitamin or HUFA soaking supplement
- Small thawing cup and strainer
Safe substrate: Aragonite sand · Dry or cured live rock · Bare bottom
Care routine
Daily
- Check salinity, temperature and flow
- Feed a varied, algae-rich diet
- Head-count and look everyone over
- Top up evaporation with fresh water
Weekly
- Service the skimmer and filter socksevery 3 days
- Check corals and clam mantles
- Clean the glass
- Test the water
Monthly
- Water changeevery 2 weeks
- Calibrate the refractometer
- Check salt, RO/DI and reagents
Less often
- Deep-clean pumps and powerheadsevery 3 months
- Replace RO/DI filter mediaevery 6 months
Vet: Quarterly review with a diet and coral check — every 3 months
Top resources for more info
Independent creators and organisations we would send a friend to. We have no affiliation with any of them, and nothing here is sponsored. Links checked 2026-09-19.
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Diet
- Feed a varied omnivore diet: spirulina and algae-based flakes, marine pellets, dried nori, and frozen mysis and brine shrimp two to three times daily.
- Natural grazing on rock algae supplements prepared foods.
- A diet heavy in vegetable matter maintains the red colour and reduces the urge to nip corals.
- Well-fed angels are the least likely to sample reef invertebrates.
Health
- A reasonably hardy species once acclimated, but prone to the usual marine parasites, so always quarantine new fish.
- Newly imported specimens can be shy and slow to eat, so choose established, feeding individuals.
- Watch for hiding, refusal to feed, white spots, or laboured breathing.
- Most problems stem from stress, immature tanks, or poor water quality rather than the fish itself.
Is your enclosure big enough?
Is this urgent?
In a reef, stability matters more than any single target number. A parameter moving fast does more damage than a parameter sitting slightly off.
Go now
Today
Quarantine every new animal, including corals and inverts. It is the single practice that separates a reef that lasts from a reef that restarts.
This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.
What it really costs
Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.
Bedding and substrate
In a marine system the rock and the sand are life support, and how you start them decides the first six months.
Safe
With a caveat
Never
This is our general list for saltwater fish. We have not built one specific to Dwarf Angelfish yet.
My kit says 0.25 ppm. Is that dangerous?
A liquid kit measures total ammonia, but only the un-ionised fraction is really toxic, and that fraction is governed by pH and temperature — each whole pH unit multiplies it roughly tenfold. So the same reading can be nearly harmless in one tank and lethal in another; this works out which one you are in.
Compare with other animals
The same axes for every animal, side by side — the way the guides are written makes that a fair comparison rather than two articles.
Dwarf Angelfish, side by side
Same axes, same care guides — the honest way to choose between types.
See all Dwarf Angelfish side by side →
