Fish ID??

[heyitsliz88]

Hi everyone!

I was at a LFS the other day and fell in love with a pygmy angel of some sort. I tried to capture a picture but it was too fast for me! I'm new to the SW hobby, but I haven't ever seen an angel like this... been doing some research and still can't find it.

Description:

-same body type of pygmy angel, like a coral beauty, about 2" long
-face was rusty reddish orange
-body was a mix of maroon, brown, and deep deep purple/blue
-tail fin was pretty much colorless, but there was another splash or rusty red right before the tailfin began...
-had an electric blue outline

I asked 3 employees and none of them had any idea what it was. One of them said it looked like "a messed up coral beauty," and another said it looked like a hybrid of some sort.

Anyway, the fish kind of grew on me, and it was in a well stocked reef tank and didn't seem interested in any of the enticing corals. Not sure if I want to buy from a store who doesn't know what kind of fish it is, especially if it turns out to be common. It was a stunning little fish, though!

Wish I could put up a picture, but like I said, it was moving too fast. haha!

Any ideas, let me know.

PS. Not sure if this thread is in the right section, but I am brand new to the hobby so I figure I'd put it here anyway! Thanks!!

 

[geridoc]

It does sound like a coral beauty except for the colorless tail, which could just be an individual variation in coloration.

 

[heyitsliz88]

Yeah, I think it must have been a coral beauty... the colors were all there, just in different places! It was a beautiful fish

I'll go ahead and put up the very dismal picture I have of it... maybe it'll help, but I took it from pretty far away since there were a few other people looking at the fish too!

 

[zoidberg01]

It kinda looks like a potters angel

 

[zoidberg01]

How much did u pay for it

 

[grant778]

Keep a close eye on it around those corals, sometimes angelfish will pick at them, possibly killing them.

 

[heyitsliz88]

Oh I should have clarified! I haven't purchased it. My tank isn't quite ready for one. I just set it up with 75lbs of live rock and also lots of live sand... it's a 60g cube. Kind of wondering whether my tank is even big enough for a pygmy angel. It was just a beautiful fish and no one who worked there knew exactly what it was. Is it possible for it to be a hybrid of a coral beauty and a potters? If I do decide on getting a pygmy angel, I want to have corals in place first... Thoughts on this would be more than welcome! Thanks everyone

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by heyitsliz88 http:///t/397142/fish-id#post_3538796
Oh I should have clarified! I haven't purchased it. My tank isn't quite ready for one. I just set it up with 75lbs of live rock and also lots of live sand... it's a 60g cube. Kind of wondering whether my tank is even big enough for a pygmy angel. It was just a beautiful fish and no one who worked there knew exactly what it was. Is it possible for it to be a hybrid of a coral beauty and a potters? If I do decide on getting a pygmy angel, I want to have corals in place first... Thoughts on this would be more than welcome! Thanks everyone


Hi,

The pygmy angelfish are great in any tank...30g or larger. They are very active and like to swim in and out of the rock work. They also like to nip at hair algae, a plus if you ever get some of it, the fish will make sure it doesn't spread and take over the tank....they are no good for clearing an invested tank over run with it, but they like to nip at algae on the rock...kind of a preventive measure.

Some, not all dwarf angels nip at coral, it's up to each individual fish, those who do nip seem to like the LPS corals and clam mantles. They can't handle change very well at all, they need the parameters to stay very stable, so a mature tank is recommended (1 year old). Most tanks take about a year to stabilize the parameters and not be bouncing around. If the water quality goes bad, they are the first to go.

 

[heyitsliz88]

Flower, thanks for the comment! Good to know my tank is big enough to give the pygmy swim space. I have some really cool rock in there; there are a couple of pieces that have holes that go all the way through, perfect for little fish who like to swim in and out of caves! Good to know about the algae thing, too.

I'm sure this particular fish will be long gone by the time my tank is ready for it, but at the LFS, it was in a giant tank with tons of corals. For the 30 minutes I was observing, the little pygmy didn't seem at all interested in the corals. The guys said she'd been in there for a while and haven't had any problems. I hope the one that I do go with is like that!

I'm kind of struggling with what types of fish to put in the tank, to be honest. Are clownfish good as far as being the first ones in the tank? Or should I put another fish in there before introducing clowns?