emperor angel problem

slammy16

slammy16

Member
I purchased a emperor angel about a month and a half ago he was a juvinile. Never had a problem getting him to eat, no other fish bothered him. I had noticed that he looked as if he was starting to change his colors to the adult pattern, on the top of his head and face started to turn a pale color. Well i went on vacation and i had my dad watch my tank for me while i was away, i was gone for 8 days. When i got back it was in the evening and the actinc lights were on so i couldnt get a real good look at him though he looked a little more pale then last time i saw him and he was being shy hiding in a cave which he really never did he would always watch me or follow me around the tank. Well the next day he was dead, Now i tested my water it all came out good my salinity was just a tad high and all my other fish and corals are acting fine. Was this a case of malnutrition? or what i varied the diet as much as i could, he really liked veggie sheets i also gave him mysis, marine cuisine, krill, angelfish food from hikari, and flake food. i never saw another fish bother him, and my dad said he seemed to act fine, though my dad doesnt really know to much about this stuff. The tank is a 210gl tank fish mates are Purple Tang, Naso Tang, Racoon Butterfly, Maroon Clown, Potters angel, six line wrasse. and a fire shrimp.
Any ideas on this problem
 
fishygurl

fishygurl

Active Member
i am sorry for your loss i dont think it was malnutrition you seemed to know what to feed him so i dont think that was the problem and if it wasnt stress related or disease related...which i dont know too much about you would have to ask someone that is more knowledgeable but uhh maybe it was just an unlucky day...was all your levels normal and temp and everything? i have read that they can be a lil more on the difficult side but you have a big tank and fed it good so i really dont think there should have been a problem..again, sorry for your loss...anyone have any idea why this happened?
 
anthropo

anthropo

Member
if it's a malnutrition problem the color would fade. they eat veggies and food with sponge in them. also they fade when the water quality as far as nitrite, nitrates and ammonia are bad. if this is the case then they fade but in blotches.
 
eggs

eggs

Member
I have an Emperor that started changing colors last December.
I had heard that adult colors are not as bright when in captivity, but mine seems to be close to adult colors shown in photos.
 
waterworld

waterworld

Member
How big was your angel when it started to change? I have had one about 18 months and it is about 3" long and no sign of change as of yet.
WW
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by SieteDos
Do angels change from their juvi colors to adult colors in captivity? I've heard they don't.
I've raised both an Emperor and a Blueface from Juvi to adult. Sure, the colors change. I will admit that my tank raised adult's colors were not as intense as wild adults. But I would expect this; no how hard we try, we can't quite duplicate nature. I understand that people who breed clownfish, etc., (aquacultured) are constantly introducing wild fish into their gene pool-to keep colors intense. I know I did this years ago when I was breeding freshwater discus.
 
saltn00b

saltn00b

Active Member
how long has the tank been up and running? you say fine but what are your parameters at specifically? were you including sponge in the diet?
everything seems ok on the surface, and you may not have done anything wrong as the fish may have come home with a parasite of some kind or was caught with cyanide which can take months to eventually kill.
 
B

bellaroxio

Guest
I have a juvi emperor in my tank for 4 years. Need to start feeding him sponge diet. Thanks
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by bellaroxio
I have a juvi emperor in my tank for 4 years. Need to start feeding him sponge diet. Thanks
San Francisco Bay frozen Angel & Butterfly food is a very good staple food for large angels; they (like most fish) seem to like a variety in their diet. Because large Angels will often eat almost anything, it's easy to overlook their nutritional needs. I like to use selcon, or another vitamin supplement too.
 
hammerhed7

hammerhed7

Active Member
many of the large angels seem to die for no reasons, as far as water quality and diet requirements the are more difficult to keep than many other fish, in my opinion they seem to do better in long established tanks rather than new set ups.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by Hammerhed7
many of the large angels seem to die for no reasons, as far as water quality and diet requirements the are more difficult to keep than many other fish, in my opinion they seem to do better in long established tanks rather than new set ups.
This is true of most large, long-lived fish. Long established tanks also have long established owners. Coincidence?
 
ccampbell57

ccampbell57

Active Member
Originally Posted by SieteDos
Do angels change from their juvi colors to adult colors in captivity? I've heard they don't.
Yes they do...I have had my Emperor for 3 years now and he is finally changed. The issue is not changing, it is how long it takes and how full their color looks.
They say in captivity they are not as brilliant as when they are in the wild.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top