Scribbled or Emperor?

[alfon76]

Hi there:
I am posting this in hopes of getting varied opinions on which of these two angels to choose from for a 180 gallon tank. I have the option of buying either one at this time. The Emperor angelfish is almost 10 inches long and came from the Solomon Islands. The Scribbled Angel is smaller (about 6 inches) and came from Australia. I have always had a soft spot for Emperors mainly because they look impressive but I had never seen an adult Scribbled before and he is gorgeous as well. I have not been able to find too much info about the Scribbled angels online so if anyone knows anything good or bad about them please let me know because I would like to decide ASAP which fish to purchase for the tank.
Thank you,
Ivan

 

[perodogo]

Hi there!
I have both although my emperor is a 4" juvenile. The Scribbled Angel is a wonderful fish --- I wish I had a pair. He's a hearty eater and peaceful. I've attached a picture of my Scribbled (taken from the top) to show you how anxious he is during feeding time. In my opinion, since you're considering a rather large emperor, which may be difficult to acclimate, you would be better off with a Scribbled Angel. Good luck.
BTW: I have my angels in a FO 500 gallon tank.

 

[alfon76]

Thanks for sharing the picture. It seems like the Scribbled is indeed a very nice fish. The Emperor I am considering is gorgeous but I can see the possibility of him not acclimating well to captivity. The fish that are going to be tankmates of the angels are a panther grouper, a threadfin snapper, a harlequin tusk and a purple tang. It is a 225 gallon tank.
Maybe the tankmates would determine better which angel I should choose.
Let me know any thoughts as I have until tomorrow to decide which one I will buy.
Thanks again,
Ivan

 

[perodogo]

I'm not familiar with the panther grouper and the snapper although I know that the panther can get large as well. I've kept an Australian Harlequin Tusk in the past and IME, it is a rather peaceful fish. Depending on how big your Purple Tang is, this is the one fish I would worry about if you're thinking about a Scribbled Angel. Purple Tangs are agressive and very territorial. I'm pretty sure the 10" Emperor will be able to withstand the agression. But you may be able to get away with either. If you do decide to get the Emperor, ask the store to feed him what you intend to feed (i.e. not just brine shrimp). If he's not eating, I would think twice. The Scribbled Angel will accept most frozen food. Good luck.

 

[alfon76]

The purple tang is about 2 inches long (maybe slightly bigger) and it is indeed territorial but his displays are mostly bluff so far. I am getting inclined for the Scribbled unless I see the Emperor eat and do good in the store. The price is hard to beat as well so it will be difficult to decide.
Thanks a lot for the info so far, I will keep everything in mind when I go check them out tomorrow.
Let me know anything else that might come to mind.
Later,
Ivan

 

[alfon76]

Well here's the update. I went to the aquarium store today and both fish were in great shape. However, the Emperor had a slight discoloration in the forehead which the store owner told me could have been a scrape during shipping. He also told me that for a fish that big and relatively expensive he would rather wait a few days until it looks and behaves better. When I wne to see the Scrbbled, he was in full display. ALl the fins were open and an electric blue. The yellow in the body looks almost gold and his "body language" was much better than the Emperor.
I did the logical thing to do and went with the Scribbled. So far I do not regret it a bit as this fish is a lot nicer that I thought (coloration and behavior wise)
Thanks for all the help and input and I will try to post a pic of the Scribbled as soon as I can.
If anyone knows how to post a pic please let me know in case I don't know how to do it when the time comes.
Ivan

 

[perodogo]

Congratulations! I think you made the right choice. I truly enjoy mine - I'm sure you will enjoy yours immensely. Just make sure to mix his diet a bit and don't forget the veggies - he likes those as well. Looking forward to seeing a picture of your Scribbled.

 

[alfon76]

As promised, here is a pic of the Scribbled I just purchased. It was the best pic I could get but I know it is not a good one because the colors don't show well. I was re-reading my previous posts and realized 2 errors. I mentioned 2 different tank sizes on the posts and it was because I was counting the wet-dry filter size in the total gallon amount for the tank. The tank is actually 180 gallons and the sump is a 45 gallon tank. If you add both numbers it gives you 225 gallons but in reality the actual tank where the fish are is 180 gallons. The other error was that I forgot to mention 1 fish that also lives in the tank but that I always forget and that is a Leaflip Grouper. He is seen peeking his head behind the Scribbled in the picture.
Well, enjoy the pic and feel free to post your comments.
Ivan

 

[flamehawk]

Although I am partial to the emperor, the scribble looks awesome and I wish you the best of luck w/ him.
As far as acclimating an adult emperor...I bought a 7 inch emperor and he ate right away. He was collected as special order from Bali. He did come w/ an ailment which needed treatment and he ended up in QT for 4 moinths. All is well now. My point is that if you make sure he is eating and always QT , you should be able to acclimate an adult emperor successfully.
AGain good luck with your great looking scribble. After looking at yours, if I had room I'd get me one. It will have to wait for sometime in the future when I get my 2000 gallon tank in Hawaii......one day...