Aquarium and Fish Care: Marine Angelfish

Showing posts with label Marine Angelfish. Show all posts

2017-06-24

Clown Fish, Tangs and Angelfish

As a marine aquarium enthusiast, you will have you veritable pick of the litter when it comes to species selection for your tank. The only limiting factor in most cases is the size of your aquarium and the size of your budget. Some are common and cheap while others are rare and expensive. Below we take a look at the most popular choices for marine hobbyists today.

LARGER On Black Ocellaris clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris. Some clown anemonefishes are brave. When divers close to them, papa anemonefish will swim out to defense. (Looks like very angery!!) But, oftenly they will hide.(papa will hide faster than their babies. haha~) Lovely!! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the top spot, we have the familiar amphiprion ocellaris in addition to amphiprion percula. These are most widely recognized clownfish in the hobby in addition to being the most popular ornamental saltwater fish on the market. Some of you might have seen finding nemo, where the species is well represented. However, to most saltwater hobbyists they are simply identified as the false percula and the true percula.

They look almost entirely identical with the difference being the number of dorsal spines present. Amphiprion Ocellaris is a cheap fishes that is a staple in the industry. Amphiprion percula commands a higher price along with is less common than its recognizable cousin. They both do well in the aquarium and are good selections for experienced or new enthusiasts.

The yellow tang in addition to the blue tang fill in the second spot. They are a recognizable choice on posters and a variety of saltwater aquarium products on the market. The blue tang also had some air time on the animated movie, Finding Movie. There, she was identified as the clumsy Dory. Blue tangs are usually cheaper than yellow tangs as they are imported in huge quantities.

They are both great candidates for captive life if they have ample room to swim in addition to are treated for any parasites that came in with them during shipment. Like It must be noted however that all tangs are susceptible to lateral line erosion plus particularly marine ich. Ensure they are given a diet that is rich in greens as they are algae grazers in the wild.

Finally, four angelfish make up the last spot. They are the dwarf flame angelfish, French angelfish, emperor angelfish as well as the stunning queen angelfish. These four always get top demand from the marine community. They are the most costly recognizable fishes in this article. For very large, show quality specimens of queen angelfish, french angelfish plus emperor angelfish, expect to pay hundreds per specimen.

Flame angelfish usually cost less than their larger sized brethren. But that does not reflect on its beauty as it is easily on of the most stunning members of the family centropyge. They should be fed a well rounded diet that includes seafood as well as seaweed plus algae. For the most part, angels are not reef safe so do not house them with corals. However, you're bound to have more luck with the dwarf angelfish family in this respect.

By Indran Manickam
Additional information on the popular Clown fish species of fish can be found at the authors hubpage.
Should you need information on specific fish like the Amphiprion Percula which is the nemo fish, don't hesitate to pay us a visit for a full guide including breeding behavior, care and requirements, photographs and videos.
Article Source: EzineArticles

2017-04-28

FRENCH ANGELFISH - Pomacanthus Paru

The French angelfish is a very popular large angelfish within the pomacanthidae family. They are also some of the largest angels in that family. They enjoy their popularity with two other angels, the Emperor and the Queen angelfish.

French angelfish, Pomacanthus paru (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Their scientific names are Pomacanthus Paru and they hail from throughout the Caribbean oceans. They are a common sight by scuba divers in the area and known for their curious and bold disposition. This is why there are so many videos on this species on youtube.

They are very similar to their close relative, the Gray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus). As juveniles, you would be hard pressed to tell the two apart. But as adults however, the task becomes much easier. The French angelfish has golden to yellow flecks throughout its body while those found on the gray angelfish are a dark gray.

While it may be difficult to tell juveniles apart, there is a simple method. Always note the shape of their caudal fins. Those in the french are always rounded while those on the gray are always straighter. Viewed side by side, this trait is very apparent.

Both the French angelfish and the Gray angelfish get really big in the wild. Specimens of up to two feet have been reported. But as is normally the case, they seldom reach such lengths in captivity. Expect no more than 16 inches or so.

Prepare a large aquarium for them if you are interested in rearing this large species. The minimum requirement would be a 150 gallon tank. They are an open swimming species so something larger like a 250 to 300 gallon aquarium is highly recommended.

In the wild they graze on a wide variety of food items from crustaceans, algae, polyps and sponges. Because of this, they are not considered reef safe and can destroy your corals in short order. Offer them a balanced diet consisting of dry pellet food, nori sheets and a mix of meaty foods.

They are usually easily fed once they have acclimated and are a wonderful addition to the tank. They are usually the first to at the aquarium glass once they see you and have interesting behaviors.

Indran Manickam

French Angelfish

Gray Angelfish

EzineArticles

2017-02-01

Tips on EIBLI ANGELFISH Care

Eibli Angelfish or Centropyge eibli are members of the family Pomacanthidae. This species is indigenous to the western Indo-Pacific. Geographical locations stem from Sri Lanka to Malaysia. This species inhabits reef formations from depths of 30 to 100 feet.

"Centropyge eibli" Licensed under GPL via Commons.

Ebilies are larger dwarf angles reaching an adult length of up to 6 inches. Their pale gray primary body coloring is accentuated by thin orange or red vertical banding from just behind their heads to shortly before the base of their caudal fins. The most posterior region of their body and their tail fin is black. This fish is further accented with blue highlights. The top of their heads and their anal fins are overcast in blue for an overall grayish-blue effect. Dorsal, caudal and anal fins are rimmed in pale blue. Anal fins have curved orange markings prior to the blue rimming. These fish often have a hint of orange around their eyes and orange underbellies. This species is known by the names red stripe angelfish, blacktail angel, or Eibli's (in the possessive form) angelfish.

If you are a novice aquarist, this species is the perfect choice for your first angelfish in a multi-species aquarium. They are a dwarf angelfish so they do not require an aquarium the size of a small swimming pool. They can be housed in a tank as small as 30 gallons. They have an easy care rating so they are more likely to survive and even thrive in inexperienced hands. These are mild mannered fish but are assertive enough to hold their own against bullies. This means they can be house with a vast array of species of varying size and temperament. Eiblies can even be kept with large, more territorial angelfish. Of course never raising a marine species with larger more aggressive fish is advisable. Cardinalfish, gobies, tilefish, butterflyfish, fairy basslets and wrasse of less aggressive natures will all make excellent tank mates.

A small community of ebilies can be raised together provided they have adequate swimming room and plenty of hiding places. You should only keep multiples in the same aquarium if they are introduced as juveniles. These fish will exhibit territorial behavior toward other dwarf angle species. They are considered semi-reef safe. A juvenile that learns to derive its nutritional needs from aquarium food and grazing on live rocks will be far less likely to nibble at corals or ornamental clams and crustaceans than and adult introduced to the same reef environment.

Dwarfs are omnivorous. Juveniles are planktonic feeders. Adults live on worms, small crustaceans and mollusks and algae in disproportionate quantities. When keeping any species of angelfish an abundant supply of well established cured live rock is mandatory. A good quality marine angelfish food can be supplemented with chopped fresh clams and shrimp. Frozen preparations for omnivores are acceptable. If keeping multiples it is essential to their health to have a large enough algae base to sustain them. Dried algae sheets or frozen algae will help ensure their nutritional needs are adequately addressed.

In nature, these are harem fish. A single male is charged with the keeping of up to half a dozen females and as many as a dozen juveniles. This same community environment can be emulated in captivity by the introduction of several juveniles to an aquarium. This is a protogynous synchronous hermaphroditic species. Juveniles are always female. The largest, most dominant of the bunch, will transition into a male and take custodianship of his harem. This species rarely breeds in captivity.

A note of interest: Eibli Angelfish are exceedingly scarce off the shores of Bali and Flores, Indonesia. As a result, ebilies are known to breed with pearlscale angelfish (C. vrolikii). Their hybrids are typically very light gray with faint orange striping. The commercial availability of these hybrids is becoming more commonplace as an exportable community from Indonesia. Another hybrid variation occurs off the coasts of Christmas, Coco-Keeling Islands and Western Australia. These are the offspring of coupling between the Eibli and Lemonpeel dwarf angels (C. flavissima). These hybrids are a rare and coveted find in the marine retail industry.

Stephen J Broy

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