The Genus Centropyge make up the smallest members of the angelfish family, Pomacanthidae. There are 34 or so members of this large family and most of them enjoy good popularity in the marine aquarium industry. Generally much smaller than their larger cousins like the Queen Angelfish, Emperor Angelfish or the French Angelfish, expect a centropyge specimen to range anywhere from two to seven inches.

While they can come in a myriad of colors and sizes, they typically have similar body shapes. They also share very similar dietary needs as all of them are omnivorous grazers in the wild. Their diet can include algae, detritus, sponges, tiny crustaceans and sometimes even corals. As such, there is always the danger of a Centropyge Angel going after the corals in an aquarium. They are also known to nip on clams which will surely kill the clam in the long run. Below is a list of the most popular Centropyge in the marine aquarium hobby.

The Flame Angelfish. The most widely recognized member of the centropyge genus.

Widely believed to be one of the most beautiful as well.A very popular choice among saltwater aquarium enthusiasts.

Found around Hawaii, Marshal and Christmas islands, the flame angel can grow up to 4 inches in length.

The Lemonpeel Angelfish. A very striking fish that is just as yellow as the equally beautiful Yellow Tang.

The differences between the two are body shape, diet, size and price.

Collected around the Central Pacific Islands, they can grow to 5 inches in length.

The Cherub Angelfish. This diminutive little member of the genus Centropyge is one of the smallest members.

It is for this very reason that a great many people find it cute and adorable.

Collected from the Caribbean, Centropyge Argi stays small at a length of about 2.5 inches.

The Bicolor Angelfish. Very striking with the front half a bright pastel yellow and back half a deep blue.

One of the larger Centropyge species, they can attain a length of six to seven inches.

Unfortunately, getting them to feed can prove difficult. Collected from the Indo-Pacific.

The Coral Beauty Angelfish. Another favorite among reef keepers.

Is said to be commonly collected with cyanide from the Phillipines. Fishes captured through this method may seem fine one day and suddenly die the next.

Caught from all over the Indo-Pacific. Can grow up to 4 inches.

From here on end, we will be dealing with rarer members of the genus centropyge. Some may be simply uncommon but most of them share one trait. They are all expensive with some reaching impossibly high prices.

Some of the rare ones are also deep water Centropyge, which are much harder to catch and in some cases, downright dangerous. This is usually reflected in the scarcity and price of these angels. When available in the market, they are usually snapped up quickly by enthusiasts waiting to get their hands on one.

The Golden Angelfish. This deepwater beauty is also one of the shyest in the genus Centropyge. It is for this reason that Centropyge Aurantia is one of the harder angels to keep in the aquarium. Feeding is difficult due to its shyness. It need plenty of live rock to graze on.

Collected from the Indo-Pacific at depths approaching 200 feet. Reaches 4 inches.

The Multibarred Angelfish. While relatively uncommon, they go for very decent prices considering the difficulty in collecting these fishes.

Feeding may be difficult in the beginning so provide ample live rock for grazing.

Quite shy, they are collected from the Western Pacific. To 5 inches.

The Multicolor Angelfish. This fish used to be very expensive but with increasing numbers on the market, prices have dipped. Still expensive no doubt, expect to pay upwards of $100 per specimen.

A very hardy species that adapts readily to the aquarium, can be aggressive. Collected from the same areas as the Flame angel, Christmas and Marshall Islands, Hawaii.

The Joculator Angel. A beauty that does relatively well in captivity.

Collected from the Coco-Keeling Islands as well as Christmas Island. This fish used to be downright impossible to get, but more and more have been showing up.

Still expensive, expect to pay around $500-$600 for a single specimen.

The Easter Island Pygmy Angelfish. This is a rare fish owing to where they are collected. They are only known to inhabit the waters surrounding Easter Island.

Looks like a bland, not so colorful version of the Joculator Angelfish. Easy to keep in Captivity.

Price, unknown. They come in at about 3 inches or so.

The Blue Mauritius Angelfish. Very rare.

They are found only in Mauritius and the surrounding islands.

Shares the blue crown found on the centropyge multicolor only with a much larger spread.

Not much is known about this fish, price, size, feeding habits or otherwise. But should be no harder than a joculator.

The Japanese Dwarf Angelfish. Super rare.

Found only in Japan, this angelfish is a whopper with specimens coming in at 7 inches.

Very hard to find for sale with specimens already accounted for they're shipped out.

Price - In the low thousands. Smaller specimens generally cost more. www.phishybusiness.com gets a few a year so give them a ring if interested.

The Peppermint Angelfish. The holy grail for centropyge enthusiasts. This fish is so rare that there are only a handful of photographs on it.

Collecting this fish is dangerous. Depths of 300 feet or more are where you'll find them. Found only in the waters surrounding the Cook Islands.

Price? The last one went for a cool $20k.

To the right is a video of deepwater fish collectors stumbling on an angelfish. Here is the transcript :-

"Angelfish here! Angelfish! Angelfish! I've got an angelfish in my viewfinder! I've got it on video, i've got it, i've got it!".

You may think he may have been over-reacting, but trust me, he wasn't. I think this may have been the first time Centropyge Abei was ever caught on video. If this is true, the divers would have never seen this fish before. Hence the excitement.

Centropyge Abei, along with Centropyge Nigriocella and Centropyge Narcosis are probably the rarest Centropyge members in the world. They are all collected from very deep waters probably rivaling that of Centropyge Boylei.

There is very little information available on these fishes since not a lot have been caught.

But i'll tell you this, if any one of them are put up for sale, they would cost more than the Peppermint Angelfish.