Emperor Angels.
- Thread starter richie69
- Start date
anthropo
Member
there are a couple key essentials with these guys. first is making a stress free environment which includes plenty of places to hide, fish that aren't gonna pick on them, at least 100 plus gallon sized tank and perfect water quality. second thing is diet. you should buy foods that have sponge in the ingredients such as hikari mega marine angel or ocean nutritions large angel diet or you could buy a live sponge for him to snack on. also nori aka seaweed is key as well. third thing is the tank has to be a mature tank. the tank has to be running at least 9 months or longer with live rock and sand preferable.
hammerhed7
Active Member
Welcome to the boards, I personally have had no luck with large angels. I have lost 2 emporers, and a koran ( not at the same time). My water was always good, and they thrived for months, then died without warning. After losing that much $ I gave up on them for good (but still find myself thinking about trying again every time I see one at the lfs). There are alot of people here with great angels, they will be able to help.
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by Hammerhed7
Welcome to the boards, I personally have had no luck with large angels. I have lost 2 emporers, and a koran ( not at the same time). My water was always good, and they thrived for months, then died without warning. After losing that much $ I gave up on them for good (but still find myself thinking about trying again every time I see one at the lfs). There are alot of people here with great angels, they will be able to help.
Glad i'm not the only one.
I set up a FOWLR tank specifically to house these angels as obviously I can't put them in my reef tank.
Never had a bit of luck. The most they've ever lived for me is 30 days. I finally gave up and am not taking the reef safe fish in my FO system and my reef and consolidating them into one large reef.
Welcome to the boards, I personally have had no luck with large angels. I have lost 2 emporers, and a koran ( not at the same time). My water was always good, and they thrived for months, then died without warning. After losing that much $ I gave up on them for good (but still find myself thinking about trying again every time I see one at the lfs). There are alot of people here with great angels, they will be able to help.
Glad i'm not the only one.
I set up a FOWLR tank specifically to house these angels as obviously I can't put them in my reef tank.
Never had a bit of luck. The most they've ever lived for me is 30 days. I finally gave up and am not taking the reef safe fish in my FO system and my reef and consolidating them into one large reef.
ccampbell57
Active Member
I have had my Emperor for over 3.5 years now. I got him when he was 2.5 inches and he is now almost 7.5. My rule of thumb for these guys are:
Hiding places
Plenty of meaty and veggie foods (frozen, flake, dry)
Supplement some sponge with the Formula mixed foods.
High quality water
These guys need TLC when they are little. When they get bigger, they are a little easier.
I also say get one when they are little as they are easier to get to eat different foods.
Hiding places
Plenty of meaty and veggie foods (frozen, flake, dry)
Supplement some sponge with the Formula mixed foods.
High quality water
These guys need TLC when they are little. When they get bigger, they are a little easier.
I also say get one when they are little as they are easier to get to eat different foods.
peter1215
Member
I've had my queen angel for 21/2 years now and shes about 7 inches. I also have a juvi emperor thats now changing with the queen and they get aong great. I had to sell my blue ring to a friend . it was harrasing the emperor too much. Im not sure if i will add any more angels as i have a 210g. I'm tempted to add a juvi blue face but not sure.
hammerhed7
Active Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
Glad i'm not the only one.
I set up a FOWLR tank specifically to house these angels as obviously I can't put them in my reef tank.
Never had a bit of luck. The most they've ever lived for me is 30 days. I finally gave up and am not taking the reef safe fish in my FO system and my reef and consolidating them into one large reef.
Sorry to hear of your bad luck, but glad to know I am not alone either. I also set up a dedicated tank for a large angel (220) I kept it way under stocked, no aggressive tankmates, the whole 9 yards, fed them sponge based foods, seaweed and everything else, and they all went in the same way, one day they looked a little pale, next day dead.
Glad i'm not the only one.
I set up a FOWLR tank specifically to house these angels as obviously I can't put them in my reef tank.
Never had a bit of luck. The most they've ever lived for me is 30 days. I finally gave up and am not taking the reef safe fish in my FO system and my reef and consolidating them into one large reef.
Sorry to hear of your bad luck, but glad to know I am not alone either. I also set up a dedicated tank for a large angel (220) I kept it way under stocked, no aggressive tankmates, the whole 9 yards, fed them sponge based foods, seaweed and everything else, and they all went in the same way, one day they looked a little pale, next day dead.
3stripedamsel
Member
Hi
The secret is vitamins. I have a friend with 1 super large emperor angel (10 nch or above). All he does is dose the tank with vitamins and feed angel food with vitamins. He had them for more then 5 years with brillant color.
not zelcon but vitamchem, Zoe, vitamin C.
Try again with vitamins it works
The secret is vitamins. I have a friend with 1 super large emperor angel (10 nch or above). All he does is dose the tank with vitamins and feed angel food with vitamins. He had them for more then 5 years with brillant color.
not zelcon but vitamchem, Zoe, vitamin C.
Try again with vitamins it works
anthropo
Member
Originally Posted by 3stripedamsel
Hi
The secret is vitamins. I have a friend with 1 super large emperor angel (10 nch or above). All he does is dose the tank with vitamins and feed angel food with vitamins. He had them for more then 5 years with brillant color.
not zelcon but vitamchem, Zoe, vitamin C.
Try again with vitamins it works
dosing the tank with vitamins is for helping the fish keep it's brilliant color. most emperor angels lose their color with age if the water is not filled with trace elements and vitamins.
Hi
The secret is vitamins. I have a friend with 1 super large emperor angel (10 nch or above). All he does is dose the tank with vitamins and feed angel food with vitamins. He had them for more then 5 years with brillant color.
not zelcon but vitamchem, Zoe, vitamin C.
Try again with vitamins it works
dosing the tank with vitamins is for helping the fish keep it's brilliant color. most emperor angels lose their color with age if the water is not filled with trace elements and vitamins.
grouperlover
Member
Originally Posted by Hammerhed7
Welcome to the boards, I personally have had no luck with large angels. I have lost 2 emporers, and a koran ( not at the same time). My water was always good, and they thrived for months, then died without warning. After losing that much $ I gave up on them for good (but still find myself thinking about trying again every time I see one at the lfs). There are alot of people here with great angels, they will be able to help.
same here this past summer i broke my back working doing garden work (which i hate) to buy a lg queen and have him die that very next day due to a fungi that my dealer said was nothing
Welcome to the boards, I personally have had no luck with large angels. I have lost 2 emporers, and a koran ( not at the same time). My water was always good, and they thrived for months, then died without warning. After losing that much $ I gave up on them for good (but still find myself thinking about trying again every time I see one at the lfs). There are alot of people here with great angels, they will be able to help.
same here this past summer i broke my back working doing garden work (which i hate) to buy a lg queen and have him die that very next day due to a fungi that my dealer said was nothing
grouperlover
Member
Originally Posted by ccampbell57
I have had my Emperor for over 3.5 years now. I got him when he was 2.5 inches and he is now almost 7.5. My rule of thumb for these guys are:
Hiding places
Plenty of meaty and veggie foods (frozen, flake, dry)
Supplement some sponge with the Formula mixed foods.
High quality water
These guys need TLC when they are little. When they get bigger, they are a little easier.
I also say get one when they are little as they are easier to get to eat different foods.
it probably helped getting him smaller also
less stress
I have had my Emperor for over 3.5 years now. I got him when he was 2.5 inches and he is now almost 7.5. My rule of thumb for these guys are:
Hiding places
Plenty of meaty and veggie foods (frozen, flake, dry)
Supplement some sponge with the Formula mixed foods.
High quality water
These guys need TLC when they are little. When they get bigger, they are a little easier.
I also say get one when they are little as they are easier to get to eat different foods.
it probably helped getting him smaller also
less stress
peter1215
Member
Originally Posted by Grouperlover
same here this past summer i broke my back working doing garden work (which i hate) to buy a lg queen and have him die that very next day due to a fungi that my dealer said was nothing
dont they say its best to get angels between 3-5 inches . Buying angels arge (7 inches or larger) is not recommendd as they dont do well in the home aquarium. I bought my queen angels when she was about 3-4 inches. shes now almost 7 and doing great. Ive also had an emperor for six months now. hes about 4 inches now.
same here this past summer i broke my back working doing garden work (which i hate) to buy a lg queen and have him die that very next day due to a fungi that my dealer said was nothing
dont they say its best to get angels between 3-5 inches . Buying angels arge (7 inches or larger) is not recommendd as they dont do well in the home aquarium. I bought my queen angels when she was about 3-4 inches. shes now almost 7 and doing great. Ive also had an emperor for six months now. hes about 4 inches now.
srfisher17
Active Member
Originally Posted by richie69
Has Anybody Had Success With These, Any Tricks, Tips.
A lot of good advice, are you thinking of getting a juvi or an adult? I've raised several large angels from juvi to adult and its always a real "high" for me. For some reason, I have not found these to be difficult fish, as long as their demands are met. weird, but sometimes I think we pick up habits that work well with certain fish, but not others. Porcupine puffers are my nemesis; I just have never been able to keep one very long. I've had a spiny box for about 2 years, not as cool as a porky (IMO); but he is thriving and these guys are supposed to be tougher than porkys. Go figure. Large angels are not timid or wussy fish unless kept with very aggressive, larger fish. A healthy juvi is a bold fish and I keep them with similar bold fish. I'm convinced that establishing their place in the " pecking order" and competing for food helps many fish tremendously; assuming they isn't an assassin in the tank.IMO, if a large angel species hides a lot, there's a problem somewhere.I've had a juvi Hawaiian Emperor (from this site) for several months now and he's doing great, eats anything. Juvis need more meaty items than adults and I think brine shrimp, gut loaded with spirulina, is a good choice, as well as mysiss and Formula I.(Plain brine is worthless, IMO) I feed my angels a lot of frozen Formula II, attached to a grid clip, the sponge based frozen hakarii mentioned earlier, algae sheets et, I also use Selcon and one of the vitamin c enriched spirulina flakes available. I used to but this stuff from a FW angel breeder, great stuff. I heard, several years ago, that angels were one of the most common species to be caught with cyanide, and I think this may be a reason for many losses. I buy Hawaiian or Australian fish, whenever possible, for this reason. The larger angels are wonderful fish that will live many years.
Has Anybody Had Success With These, Any Tricks, Tips.
A lot of good advice, are you thinking of getting a juvi or an adult? I've raised several large angels from juvi to adult and its always a real "high" for me. For some reason, I have not found these to be difficult fish, as long as their demands are met. weird, but sometimes I think we pick up habits that work well with certain fish, but not others. Porcupine puffers are my nemesis; I just have never been able to keep one very long. I've had a spiny box for about 2 years, not as cool as a porky (IMO); but he is thriving and these guys are supposed to be tougher than porkys. Go figure. Large angels are not timid or wussy fish unless kept with very aggressive, larger fish. A healthy juvi is a bold fish and I keep them with similar bold fish. I'm convinced that establishing their place in the " pecking order" and competing for food helps many fish tremendously; assuming they isn't an assassin in the tank.IMO, if a large angel species hides a lot, there's a problem somewhere.I've had a juvi Hawaiian Emperor (from this site) for several months now and he's doing great, eats anything. Juvis need more meaty items than adults and I think brine shrimp, gut loaded with spirulina, is a good choice, as well as mysiss and Formula I.(Plain brine is worthless, IMO) I feed my angels a lot of frozen Formula II, attached to a grid clip, the sponge based frozen hakarii mentioned earlier, algae sheets et, I also use Selcon and one of the vitamin c enriched spirulina flakes available. I used to but this stuff from a FW angel breeder, great stuff. I heard, several years ago, that angels were one of the most common species to be caught with cyanide, and I think this may be a reason for many losses. I buy Hawaiian or Australian fish, whenever possible, for this reason. The larger angels are wonderful fish that will live many years.
kjr_trig
Active Member
Originally Posted by srfisher17
A lot of good advice, are you thinking of getting a juvi or an adult? I've raised several large angels from juvi to adult and its always a real "high" for me. For some reason, I have not found these to be difficult fish, as long as their demands are met. weird, but sometimes I think we pick up habits that work well with certain fish, but not others. Porcupine puffers are my nemesis; I just have never been able to keep one very long. I've had a spiny box for about 2 years, not as cool as a porky (IMO); but he is thriving and these guys are supposed to be tougher than porkys. Go figure. Large angels are not timid or wussy fish unless kept with very aggressive, larger fish. A healthy juvi is a bold fish and I keep them with similar bold fish. I'm convinced that establishing their place in the " pecking order" and competing for food helps many fish tremendously; assuming they isn't an assassin in the tank.IMO, if a large angel species hides a lot, there's a problem somewhere.I've had a juvi Hawaiian Emperor (from this site) for several months now and he's doing great, eats anything. Juvis need more meaty items than adults and I think brine shrimp, gut loaded with spirulina, is a good choice, as well as mysiss and Formula I.(Plain brine is worthless, IMO) I feed my angels a lot of frozen Formula II, attached to a grid clip, the sponge based frozen hakarii mentioned earlier, algae sheets et, I also use Selcon and one of the vitamin c enriched spirulina flakes available. I used to but this stuff from a FW angel breeder, great stuff. I heard, several years ago, that angels were one of the most common species to be caught with cyanide, and I think this may be a reason for many losses. I buy Hawaiian or Australian fish, whenever possible, for this reason. The larger angels are wonderful fish that will live many years.
Thanks for writing this Surfisher...Well done as always..great info.
A lot of good advice, are you thinking of getting a juvi or an adult? I've raised several large angels from juvi to adult and its always a real "high" for me. For some reason, I have not found these to be difficult fish, as long as their demands are met. weird, but sometimes I think we pick up habits that work well with certain fish, but not others. Porcupine puffers are my nemesis; I just have never been able to keep one very long. I've had a spiny box for about 2 years, not as cool as a porky (IMO); but he is thriving and these guys are supposed to be tougher than porkys. Go figure. Large angels are not timid or wussy fish unless kept with very aggressive, larger fish. A healthy juvi is a bold fish and I keep them with similar bold fish. I'm convinced that establishing their place in the " pecking order" and competing for food helps many fish tremendously; assuming they isn't an assassin in the tank.IMO, if a large angel species hides a lot, there's a problem somewhere.I've had a juvi Hawaiian Emperor (from this site) for several months now and he's doing great, eats anything. Juvis need more meaty items than adults and I think brine shrimp, gut loaded with spirulina, is a good choice, as well as mysiss and Formula I.(Plain brine is worthless, IMO) I feed my angels a lot of frozen Formula II, attached to a grid clip, the sponge based frozen hakarii mentioned earlier, algae sheets et, I also use Selcon and one of the vitamin c enriched spirulina flakes available. I used to but this stuff from a FW angel breeder, great stuff. I heard, several years ago, that angels were one of the most common species to be caught with cyanide, and I think this may be a reason for many losses. I buy Hawaiian or Australian fish, whenever possible, for this reason. The larger angels are wonderful fish that will live many years.
Thanks for writing this Surfisher...Well done as always..great info.