Cherub Fish Abaco | ROLLING HARBOUR ABACO

CHERUBFISH (PYGMY ANGELFISH): BAHAMAS REEF FISH (23)

Time for a bright little denizen of the not-so-deep. The Cherubfish Centropyge argi or pygmy angelfish is a very small (8cm) and distinctively coloured angelfish species. These fish are native to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and flicker round the coral reefs happily feeding as they go (see the video below to see how busily they forage). Or maybe they are just having a good time…

The Cherubfish is unsurprisingly a popular aquarium species. Don’t rush straight out and buy some though: a typical warning says “like other angel fish, they are not completely 100% reef-safe. Results vary among individual fish and tank qualities (size, feeding, tankmates, etc.), so caution is recommended when adding this fish to a coral tank“. You can read the whys and the wherefores HERE – sadly I lack the vibrant interest in aquaria to go into it myself…

Looking beyond Melinda’s lovely images of the species, I have found that these creatures will often show more yellow at the nose end. Here’s an example of a more two-tone Cherubfish in case you come across one.

I mentioned that Cherubfish flicker around the reefs instead of proceeding serenely and in an orderly fashion. Have a look at this short video to see what active little fish they are.

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Credits: all images Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba except the last, Brian Glanville

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“REEF ENCOUNTER”: TEN CHEERFUL BAHAMAS REEF FISH

LAURA JESSON “Do you know, I believe we should all behave quite differently if we lived in a warm, sunny climate all the time. We shouldn’t be so withdrawn and shy and difficult…” (Brief Encounter 1945)

The quote is there both because it is particularly apposite for any withdrawn etc Brit with a toehold in Abaco, and because it explains or excuses the somewhat clumsy title pun… March has been dominated by (a) a trip to Abaco and (b) publication of “The Birds of Abaco”. Time for some cheerful finny fotos to end the month with, courtesy of diving belle Melinda Riger of Grand Bahama Scuba and her top-class camera work.