How related are they?
Same genus, Centropyge (Pygmy angelfishes): very close cousins
They split at the species level: the Bicolor Angelfish belongs to Centropyge bicolor (Bicolor Angelfish), the African Flameback Angelfish to Centropyge acanthops (African Flameback Angelfish).
Find the Bicolor Angelfish on the tree · Find the African Flameback Angelfish on the tree
Family lines, side by side
Highlighted rows are groups both animals belong to. The marked row is where their lines go separate ways.
| Rank | Bicolor Angelfish | African Flameback Angelfish |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia Animals | |
| Phylum | Chordata Chordates | |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata Vertebrates | |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates | |
| Parvphylum | Osteichthyes bony fishes | |
| Gigaclass | Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes | |
| Superclass | Actinopteri | |
| Class | Teleostei Teleost fishes | |
| Order | Acanthuriformes Surgeonfishes, angelfishes and kin | |
| Family | Pomacanthidae Marine angelfishes | |
| Genus | Centropyge Pygmy angelfishes | |
| Species split | Centropyge bicolor Bicolor Angelfish | Centropyge acanthops African Flameback Angelfish |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Bicolor Angelfish | African Flameback Angelfish |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fish · Angelfish | Fish · Angelfish |
| Care level | Moderate | Easy |
| Reef safe | With caution | With caution |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Semi-aggressive |
| Diet | Omnivore | Omnivore |
| Favorite foods | Spirulina and marine algae foods, Angelfish preparations, Mysis or frozen shrimp | Spirulina and marine algae foods, Algae grazed from live rock, Angelfish preparations |
| Max size | 5.9 in (15 cm) | 3.1 in (8 cm) |
| Minimum tank | 70 gal | 55 gal |
| Temperature | 72–78 °F | 72–78 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.020–1.025 | 1.020–1.025 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Lifespan | 5-13 years in the wild depending on location (Wikipedia); FishBase gives a maximum reported age of 13 years. No captive lifespan study was found. | Not documented in the sources we checked; no published longevity study or reliable captive lifespan figure was found. |
| Breeding | Very hard | Hard |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Least Concern | Least Concern |