Centropyge boylei (Peppermint Angelfish)
- Thread starter chingchai
- Start date
Windy Miller
New member
Stunning fish.
Never kept a Peppermint but if they are anything like the Multibar then it is mostly a case of getting them eating. Once that hurdle is over they seem to be as hardy as any other Centropyge. In fact my Multibar is the most agreeable fish I've kept. Eats anything and placid as they come.
Yet for every one that is like this I would guess two probably perish by refusing food - at least from the numerous chats I have had with people concerning Multibars.
I would never touch one without seeing it eat at the store.
Never kept a Peppermint but if they are anything like the Multibar then it is mostly a case of getting them eating. Once that hurdle is over they seem to be as hardy as any other Centropyge. In fact my Multibar is the most agreeable fish I've kept. Eats anything and placid as they come.
Yet for every one that is like this I would guess two probably perish by refusing food - at least from the numerous chats I have had with people concerning Multibars.
I would never touch one without seeing it eat at the store.
Supposedly Pieter van Suijlekom is trying to purchase a pair of them to put in his NPS tank.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17252716&postcount=9
http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/coral-interviews-pieter-van-suijlekom
The Reef Expert
New member
ask ccampbell, he knows a little about them. Chingchai, you are really going for the gold here in reefkeeping! The peppermint angelfish (Centropyge boylei) is a deepwater species native to the Cook Islands. Marines Gardens brought some in from Japan earlier this year, but they are all sold out. They were selling for $5000 USD. They require a chiller as they are a cold water species, around 61°F so it won't work in your show tank. You could set up a deepwater coldwater tank though! 
. Angelfish formula food, and chopped seafood will suffice. things like chopped mussels, clams, lobster, any human grade seafood. H20 life has this good stuff. Think what a fish in deepwater would eat. Acclimation will be difficult as with all centrops, but feeding shouldn't be a huge problem as long as live roc k for grazing is available and you exhaust your food options. You will probably have to order special from Japan into Thailand in order to get a boylei. Good Luck!
- The Reef Expert
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/speciessummary.php?id=25427
http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/species.asp?id=8344
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-02/hcs3/index.php
http://www.eol.org/pages/992573
. Angelfish formula food, and chopped seafood will suffice. things like chopped mussels, clams, lobster, any human grade seafood. H20 life has this good stuff. Think what a fish in deepwater would eat. Acclimation will be difficult as with all centrops, but feeding shouldn't be a huge problem as long as live roc k for grazing is available and you exhaust your food options. You will probably have to order special from Japan into Thailand in order to get a boylei. Good Luck!- The Reef Expert
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/speciessummary.php?id=25427
http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/species.asp?id=8344
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-02/hcs3/index.php
http://www.eol.org/pages/992573
glassbox-design
New member
Hi Ching,
I believe this fish can be kept, as it has been long term by one aquarist. The main determinants of success will likely be decompression and aquarium temperature. Historically the success rate is not very high. Multiple specimens have made their way to Japan, including a pair, but nearly all have perished... and nearly all have been kept at +78F temps.
Here's some additional ramblings / quick notes...
Paracentropyge boylei has not been collected due to lack of demand. There is ample demand for this $10K+ fish from Asia, the Americas and Europe.
It also has not been collected in 2009 or 2010 for that matter. Some may remember the rumblings about a collection trip a few months back. Chris Buerner of QM laid out the pieces for this to happen, but it did not come into fruition (per comm K.Kohen).
Many smaller online shops list this fish, however, note the images are all the same! (and most likely used without permission). A new specimen of P. boylei has not been for sale for sometime now and if one does show up, it will no doubt go to a major player in the industry.
Lastly, there is only one publicly known specimen alive in captivity--which resides in the aquarium of Mr. Uragami in Japan. This specimen has lived for ~10 yrs in a dedicated tank, with cleaner shrimp. The aquarium is kept at 69-71F illuminated only by some low intensity, high kelvin spotlights. This specimen readily eats frozen, but its staple diet is pellet.
Any extensive words on captive care is likely derived from experiences with the closely related P. multifasciata and P. venustus.
I believe this fish can be kept, as it has been long term by one aquarist. The main determinants of success will likely be decompression and aquarium temperature. Historically the success rate is not very high. Multiple specimens have made their way to Japan, including a pair, but nearly all have perished... and nearly all have been kept at +78F temps.
Here's some additional ramblings / quick notes...
Paracentropyge boylei has not been collected due to lack of demand. There is ample demand for this $10K+ fish from Asia, the Americas and Europe.
It also has not been collected in 2009 or 2010 for that matter. Some may remember the rumblings about a collection trip a few months back. Chris Buerner of QM laid out the pieces for this to happen, but it did not come into fruition (per comm K.Kohen).
Many smaller online shops list this fish, however, note the images are all the same! (and most likely used without permission). A new specimen of P. boylei has not been for sale for sometime now and if one does show up, it will no doubt go to a major player in the industry.
Lastly, there is only one publicly known specimen alive in captivity--which resides in the aquarium of Mr. Uragami in Japan. This specimen has lived for ~10 yrs in a dedicated tank, with cleaner shrimp. The aquarium is kept at 69-71F illuminated only by some low intensity, high kelvin spotlights. This specimen readily eats frozen, but its staple diet is pellet.
Any extensive words on captive care is likely derived from experiences with the closely related P. multifasciata and P. venustus.
jmaneyapanda
Commencing hatred
ask ccampbell, he knows a little about them. Chingchai, you are really going for the gold here in reefkeeping! The peppermint angelfish (Centropyge boylei) is a deepwater species native to the Cook Islands. Marines Gardens brought some in from Japan earlier this year, but they are all sold out. They were selling for $5000 USD. They require a chiller as they are a cold water species, around 61°F so it won't work in your show tank. You could set up a deepwater coldwater tank though!
- The Reef Expert
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/speciessummary.php?id=25427
http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/species.asp?id=8344
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-02/hcs3/index.php
http://www.eol.org/pages/992573
Seriously dude, where do you get this information? Its absurd. Marine Gardens is a joke- they never got them in. As of currently, as far as I am aware, there is only one currently living in captivity in Japan. Collection, while rumored to be in teh works, hasnt panned out yet.
jmaneyapanda
Commencing hatred
Ha!- GBD beat me to it!
rachenbrazil
Member
It seems that the long lived one ...already died ... I recall I read it on glassbox design...
Iwishihadgills
New member
Get certified with re-breathers and go see one in person 
melanotaenia
New member
Still such a beauty. I hope they go on a collection trip soon.
its incredibly dangerous and requires a team of people. definitely not gonna be solo diving that. ya know, honestly, i think that would be a record dive. im sure, almost positive, that the ones caught were captured at less depths than that-thats more than 400 ft.
only a few hundred of people on the planet have the means to survive going that deep.
i mean the knowledge and funding to stay safe.
jmaneyapanda
Commencing hatred
its possible they come up empty handed-a trip doesnt garentee a specimen.
melanotaenia
New member
So does that mean that there are no known captive specimens alive? Surely this should spur the effort or desire to at least go for a dive to see if a few could be acquired. It is too bad we don't know more about where they are commonly seen.
I think it can a least be agreed that this fish has been kept successfully in an aquarium and the major bottleneck is not as much proper keep, but rather properly collecting and shipping.
I think it can a least be agreed that this fish has been kept successfully in an aquarium and the major bottleneck is not as much proper keep, but rather properly collecting and shipping.
melanotaenia
New member
True. It would seem hard to pinpoint an exact location due to depth and the fact that they have not been extensively collected. But hey, they may find some other fish that we will all drool over
The Reef Expert
New member
Ouch, I was just going by thinking what a deepwater angel would eat, sound info from other sites like fishbase(temp). thats all. What is marines gardens anyway like aquacon or something?
