Queen or Emperor

[sohalwutang499]

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with Queen angelfish or emperor angelfish. I am trying to figure out which one would be the best choice. He would be going into a 150 galllon tank with live rock and a few damsels. One of the damsels is about 3.5 inches long and is really agressive. How big an angel should i get so that it can defend itself? I really like both angels, but which one is better?

 

[dubba-r]

Ive had my queen angel for well over a year now in my 125g. It is now about 5-6 inches big. Lots of personality, but has gone quite aggressive the past couple months. It has began chasing my bicolor and kole tang if they get close to it or in its territory. But nothing serious such as fin biting and such.

 

[cincyreefer]

Assuming the tank is well established... I would get both!
I know many people will tell that two angels wont get along but that is not true. Especially when you have a holocanthus genus and a pomocanthus genus in a larger tank. I have had both in my tank for over a year and they have never done anything to each other except bark at each other. I would agree that it would be better to get them at smaller sizes tho. Definitely plan on spending some money on a vitamin C based supplement to add to their food, and as trogan said make sure you feed them plenty of greens and sponge.

 

[flamehawk]

While there is a chance of success w/ two large angels in a 150g, this will become more problematic as they grow into adults. I personally would avoid.
AS far as preference , I like the emperor angel over the Queen. A 3-4 inch juvi is about right. I feed my adult EA a very varied diet all soaked in garlic, zoe and selcon. Good luck.

 

[cincyreefer]

Flamehawk- Are you going from experience or from what you have read? I never tried it because I always read the same thing, but then I saw a 220 gallon with 6 adult angels who had been together for years and never had a single problem. So I have done it many times now and I have never had a problem either.

 

[neutronics]

Personally I would go for the Queen as I think they look stunning and are quite hardy once acclimated in captivity.
As they are expensive, purchase a smaller healthy specimen about 3-4 inches that is already eating at the lfs if u want to get it. Some queens have difficulty switching from their sponge diet to the food we are used to give for feeding.
The only downside to Queen is that they tend to be more aggressive as they mature into full adult compared to the other angels.
If u want less aggresive ones, then get the Emperor. But, IMO, Emperor is a bit more sensitive to water quality. I would get the juvenile and enjoy their growth and colour changes over time
As for both cases, 6 months minimum stable large enough tank required.

 

[cincyreefer]

Yes, but when you take fish out of their natural environment and into a small tank they often loose most of their instincts. Their instincts in tanks seem to become more of a wait for food rather than staking claims. (same as captive animals in a zoo loose their instincts and couldn't live in the wild anymore.)
BTW- In nature, some angelfish such as the Grey will swim in schools and I saw two angels (such as a Queen and French) share the same rock for the whole two weeks in was down in Belize.

 

[sohalwutang499]

thanks for all the advice. If i do decide to try both angels, should i add them at the same time, or first one then the other later?

 

[cincyreefer]

I am not saying that fish will loose all their instinctual habits, but they can loose some. I have noticed this through years of my experiences in the hobby including tangs and triggers.... can't say on damsels. I have never kept many but they always seem to be mean That is why i recommended getting smaller angels to start with or possibly juveniles. In my experiences, when fish are raised in a tank from a smaller size they will not be nearly as aggressive as one the same size taken from the ocean.
So if you don't think that fish loose some of their instincts, then you think that fish would easily be able to survive in the wild if they had lived in a tank all their life???

 

[sammystingray]

Queen angelfish is my favorite fish......meanest fish I have ever kept. They will act as cleaners when young, and often they will draw blood while they clean....plenty of corals were injured in my "experiments" with a queen in a reef.....fine as juvis, but adults are absolutely destructive. A queen angel is a horrible choice for a reef tank, and they will easily outgrow a 150 gallon, or a 300 gallon for that matter. I came home one day to find mine had eaten all the flesh off a cowfishes belly , and another day came home to find a bloody tank with a really messed up stingray. They have vast areas in the wild, and belong in aggressive tanks with compatible fish....not a reef tank IMO. They get around 18 inches long, and have a very powerful beak like mouth.....poor choice in my opinion. Never kept the other.

 

[pfcbizz]

Flamehawk- Are you going from experience or from what you have read? I never tried it because I always read the same thing, but then I saw a 220 gallon with 6 adult angels who had been together for years and never had a single problem. So I have done it many times now and I have never had a problem either.

so how do think about them two being in a 180 gallon ?