EMPEROR ANGELFISH Care

An emperor angelfish (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus Imperator) is one of the three very popular angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. They are a favorite choice among those with large fish-only aquariums. It is also the most popular angel within its own genus, Pomacanthus.

One of the most distinctively colored marine angelfish, it has bright yellow horizontal lines on its blue body, while a black band lined with neon blue covers its face. Its tail is either yellow or orange. Juvenile Emperor angelfish are no less stunning. Their deep blue body is filled with electric blue and white concentric circles.

The Emperor angelfish is commonly found throughout the Indo-Pacific ocean, the Red Sea and even the Great Barrier Reefs in Australia.

As juveniles, they provide cleaning services to other fish in the wild. They will constantly pick at any parasites it may find on the bodies of other fish.

A pricey fish, juveniles are priced from $60 to $80 USD while very large "show quality" adults can fetch up to $400 USD.

Most species within the genus Pomacanthus are bully's in one form or another. The emperor angelfish is aggressive towards other large angels and is very hostile towards members of the same species.

Fishes from outside the Pomacanthidae family are generally left alone. It might bully large tangs, butterfly fish, and even larger wrasses but in general, other species are ignored.

The emperor angelfish attain lengths of up to 16 inches in the wild. That translates into lengths of up to 10 to 11 inches in an aquarium as angelfish rarely achieve their full length in captivity. At that length, it is still a big fish that needs larger aquariums to really do well. 150 gallons should be the bare minimum and a 200 gallon or larger tank is highly recommended.

Caves and overhangs really only work with larger tanks, most opt for an "open" scape when housing large angels such as the Emperor Angelfish. They require a large amount of swimming space.

The Emperor Angelfish is not considered reef safe. Though you may sometimes see them housed in reef aquariums, they're generally better suited to fish-only aquariums. This is because their diets in the wild include corals, sponges, tunicates, and algae.

They should be offered a good variety of foods from algae-based foods like nori/seaweed as well as meaty foods like krill and mysis shrimp.

A balanced food that is pretty good for your Emperor Angelfish is Formula Two. It contains a mix of seafood and an extra portion of algae for herbivorous fish. It is available in three forms, flake, pellet and frozen. If you're going for a good pellet food, I suggest trying the highly reputable New Life Spectrum instead.

The most complete food available for all large angelfish is Angel Formula by Ocean Nutrition. This food was developed with large angelfish in mind, they contain fresh seafood, vitamins, marine sponges and fresh algae. Unfortunately, Angel Formula is only offered in frozen form.

They should be given ample amounts of algae. You can choose either seaweed sheets from companies catering to angelfish or you can get nori sheets sold as sushi wrappers at your local supermarket.

Make sure you buy unflavored/unspiced nori when shopping at the supermarket. Just get the regular, plain nori. Raw nori would be even better. Attach the seaweed/nori to a clip and stick in onto the side of the aquarium.

By Indran Manickam For guides containing lots of photos and videos on the Emperor Angelfish and the Queen Angelfish please drop by my Hubpages site, thanks. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Tips on KORAN ANGELFISH Care

Koran Angelfish - Pomacanthus semicirculatus - Photo: Wikimedia

Koran Angelfish or Pomacanthus semicirculatus belong to the family Pomacanthidae.This species is endemic to the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea as far east as Samoa. Their geographical range stretches from Japan down the entire east coast of Africa to Western Australia and New South Wales. These are reef fish occupying depths from 3-100 feet.

One of the common traits among large angelfish is the dramatic transitional color change between the juvenile and adult phases of their lives. It is simply amazing watching a juvenile's gradual metamorphosis into its adult color palette. Korans undergo three distinctive stages on the sojourn to adulthood. The Greek word semicirculatus refers to the initial phase of their life. Baby Korans have black bodies with blue and white striping that expands concentrically forward from the base of their tails. This patterning very much resembles 1/2 of the ripples on a still pond when a pebble is suddenly dropped into it. A baby Koran could easily be mistaken for a juvenile emperor angelfish. 

Closer examination reveals that Koran's have wider stripes and fewer of them. When these fish reach about 3 inches in length the semicircular markings slowly straighten into sweeping lines. At roughly five inches in length the fish begins to exhibit patterning between the blue lines on the tail fin that resembles Arabic script, hence the name Koran angelfish. They exhibit a combination of juvenile and adult coloration. This marks the conclusion of stage two. At approximately two years of age and between 6-7 inches in length, this species morphs into its adult color palette. Adults are typically a yellowish green in color with varying amounts of blue or browns spotting on their bodies and caudal fin. Their heads may be blue or their primary body coloring. Gills and fins are outlined in blue. 

This species is marketed by the aquarium industry under the following names; Koran Angel, Blue Koran Angel, Half-circle Angel, Half-circled Angel and Semicircle Angel.

These fish will grow to a maximum adult length of 16 inches. Because of their size, they will require a large aquarium. A minimum tank size of 135 gallons is recommended. A well-populated multi-species tank should be considerably larger.

This fish has a semi-aggressive temperament. It may bully smaller fish. It will, for the most part, ignore other larger species. It will, however, display major territorial behavior toward conspecifics and other angels. It is advisable to only keep a single large angle fish of any species in an aquarium.

Many species of large angles carry an expert care level. Korans are rated moderate. A healthy Koran may live 15-20 years.

Korans are omnivorous. In nature, their diet consists of a mixture of corals, algae, sponges, worms, mollusks, and crustaceans. Their dietary habits make them unsuitable for a marine reef aquarium. They will, however, require a large enough of an assortment of live rock for a fish of their proportions. Having a food source they are already accustomed to will aid in the acclimation process. You can begin training them to recognize aquarium fare as an acceptable food source by mixing increasing amounts with live food offerings such as brine shrimp.

This is the best technique for weaning them off live food. Make sure to choose a high-quality food product formulated for marine angelfish. Once they are successfully weaned, their diet can be supplemented with the following; chopped fresh crustaceans and mollusks for protein, table vegetables such as chopped spinach, zucchini and yellow squash for plant matter, frozen or dried algae such as algae sheets to ensure a well-balanced diet.

By Stephen J Broy Fish are not the only pets you can keep in an aquarium. Jellyfish Fish Tank Aquariums are the latest trend in aquarium ownership. Moon Jellyfish & Pet Jellies are some of the most exotic creatures you can keep in a home aquarium. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Fact Sheet: ARABIAN ANGELFISH - Pomacanthus asfur

(Original Title: Facts About the Arabian Angelfish)

Source: Fishbase.org - Photo: Randall

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License. 

The Arabian Angelfish is considered one of the most brightly colored fish in the world. They are very sought after, they are quite expensive and because of that, they are a rare sight in a tank. So, therefore, they are truly a visual delight in any aquarium.

Description

Also known as the Asfur Angelfish or Crescent Angelfish, the Arabian Angelfish as a juvenile is colored blue with light blue and white stripes. As an adult fish it is blue/purple in it's body, with a black head, and yellow markings on its dorsal and caudal fin. They have streamer-like extensions of the soft dorsal and anal fins.They have small mouths. The adults can grow to 40cm (16 inches) in length. Their genus is Pomacanthus.

Origins

These angelfish are found on protected reefs in the Western Indian Ocean from the Red Sea to Zanzibar. Like most Red sea fish it is hardy and has a long life expectancy under ideal conditions in a tank. They live at a depth of 3-30 meters. Because of the shallowness that they can be viewed, they are a glorious site for divers.

Breeding

Arabian Angelfish are very difficult to breed in aquariums. They are hermaphrodites, so it's very hard to distinguish between the male and female. This is why they are left to breed in the wild. This is the reason why they are so expensive to buy.

Temperament

They are shy fish and like all large angelfish, they have a tendency to be aggressive towards other large fish their size. The Arabian Angelfish should not be kept with other Asfur Angelfish as they will not tolerate them. They can be mixed with other smaller Angelfish successfully.

Aquarium Requirements

Smaller Angelfish require a tank of a minimum of 55 gallons. With larger Angelfish the tank should be a minimum size of 100 gallons. There should also be lots of hiding places for this fish because it is shy. They also require live grazing. The water temperature needs to be between 75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit for them. They are not reef safe which means corals are not safe in the same tank with them.They nip at soft and stony corals (sessile invertebrates) so it would be best to keep them with small polyped stony corals. This is generally why they are found in fish only tanks.

Food

The Arabian Angelfish are omnivores (eat both plants and animals). They require a varied reef diet. Chunks of meat, vegetables, prepared angelfish sponge products, mussels, clams, krill, and shrimp. In the wild, they graze on algae, polyps and smaller crustaceans. Your local pet fish and aquarium supplier will have sponge products for purchase.

If you're lucky enough to find an Arabian Angelfish for your tank and you adhere to a few simple guidelines pointed out in this article, you will have many hours of viewing pleasure.

By Kate Strong Article Source: EzineArticles

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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.

By Indran Manickam For a detailed look at the French Angelfish and the Gray Angelfish, kindly pay a visit to the authors site where a great many species of marine aquarium fish are listed. Article Source: EzineArticles

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