Hey GTD...been a while. Kirk told me I should put my 2 cents in here.
I 100% treat all QT with cupramine. Depending on the fish I add between 50-100% of the treatment level.
I never treat until the fish is eating because medications tend to lower the fish's appetite
I do copper to...
Copper and ammo-loc or amquel is a leathel combination.
Using a bacteria to cycle in the first place is a bad practice and not HIGHLY advised.
This hobby is all about taking your time. When you get rushed it usually turns out very bad.
At this point get a near 100% water change and pray.
There are a lot of factors that cause an emperor to change. In the wild it is very common to see a 4-5" emperor in full adult coloration. You see this more in the areas where the water is pristeen and there is not a lot of "other" outside obstructions. My emperor took about 3 years to change...
Not QTing a fish is the worst thing you can do in this hobby. Evan - I fully disagree with your statement that it "stresses" the fish out. In what way does putting a fish in a 30-55g tank by itself for an extended period of time with timed feedings and no other animals in the tank with it...
That is not a black tang...it is a scopas tang. He has a bunch of low $ fish in a tiny 30-40g tank...pretty sad.
He has a Venustus Angel which are iffy at best.
Thanks Crypt - the conspic has a wide range of price. The bigger it is the less expensive it is.
Basically for the size I have (4"), they retail around $2300-2500. Large ones can go for around $1800.