Bicolor Angel turns 10 yo

[Basenji]

Hi,
I'm a long time reader at RC, but don't post here all that much, as I spend most time on our local board in Australia
But I've just hit a milestone and felt I had to tell the world.

My Centropyge bicolor has just hit his 10th anniversary of entering my tank.

His name is Fabio, the most beautiful fish in the universe (at least in his own mind) :lolspin:
He's is a great character, and absolutely a part of our family.
He is the longest surviving resident of my tank (which was started around 10.5 years ago), and has successfully made his way through 3 house moves in that time.

I know this a species that doesn't have such a good survival record in North America, but happily this doesn't seem to be the case in Australia. I can only guess that it must have something to do with a shorter supply chain and reduced transit times.

Cheers,

 

[McCrary]

Congratulations, beautiful fish.

 

[dustin323]

Wow, 10 years that is something to brag about.

 

[edwing206]

that is sweet.

 

[Jaken]

Happy birthday Fabio!

 

[beez]

He's beautiful...well done!!! :thumbsup:

 

[rlm2005]

Nice!

 

[jmccown]

awesome cake! Is it garlic flavor, Ha!

 

[Navyblue]

10 years, Great!

I just got one last week and in my QT right now.

I am in Singapore, which is very close to Indonesia where the fish is from, Yet I have two attempts in this fish and both didn't made it through the quarantine.

I have been hesitant to try another one, since I heard quite a few success story, I gave it another shot. He is very active in my QT.

Any tips that you can share? Mine although active, he doesn't seem to have a lot of appetite, he would take my seafood blend and formula 2 flakes, but he would just take a couple of nips, closely examining every bits that falls into the bottom of the tank, but left most of them alone. I hope it is not a symptom of cyanide poisoning.

 

[Jerry W]

Well done! I'm sure a lot of it has to do with your husbandry methods as well. Interesting observation about the supply chain being much shorter.
I tried one of these fish a few years back. It was fine for a few weeks and my tank was in top shape. Found it dead one morning on the bottom of the tank. As pretty as they are, I won't attempt another. Here's to another 10 years for Fabio!

 

[thor32766]

wow, that is really cool!!! congrats

 

[copps]

He's ten years old, his name is Fabio, and he doesn't have a "sheila" yet? Congrats by the way!

 

[tom sumter]

Very nice fish. Congrats on the 10 years.

I had a King Angel that lived about 10 years in my tank. But he was such a mean SOB that I could never add another fish.

 

[Basenji]

Thanks for the comments guys.
Going way back to when I got the fish, I recall having a very nervous first 3 days waiting for it to accept prepared food.
Tried a variety of foods, but it ended up accepting sinking pellets first. Now eats any dry, frozen, fresh food that goes into the tank.

One interesting note. In the early days, I tried feeding nori sheets, but he refused to touch it. Some 6 months later, I added a yellow tang, and started feeding nori again. The yellow tang obviously tucked in straight away. Given the hint what to do, the bicolor joined right in. That suggests to me that the use of other companion fish might be helpful in coaxing this beautiful fish onto prepared food. (Incidentally, I also still have the yellow tang, which will turn 10 yo in August 2007)

My bicolor is certainly not the most reef friendly fish. He has a taste for fungiids and xenia, and he polished off a particularly nice Duncanopsammia axifuga. He takes the occasional nip at Acropora, but as long as there is plenty of colonies his attention seems to be sufficiently diffused that it doesn't present a problem.
However, he doesn't seem to bother Euphyllia glabrescens or E. ancora, Catalaphyllia, corallimorphs, Montipora, Sarcophyton.

Like I said earlier, I was fortunate to be able to obtain a healthy specimen that had not spent a long period of time in transit. This would appear to be fairly common here in Australia, but not so much in North America.
I don't believe it is a particularly non-hardy fish, at least not once it has become established in the aquarium. But, like with so many aquarium fish, the key is making sure you can get them trained onto prepared foods as quickly as possible.

 

[Angel*Fish]

Well done!

He's a beauty! How long is he? More pics, please!

And as John mentioned, I bet he'd appreciate a wife...

 

[PallidSilversky]

Congrats!
Beautiful fishy!

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

congrats.
excellent post!

 

[just dave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9023015#post9023015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Angel*Fish


And as John mentioned, I bet he'd appreciate a wife...

That'll probably shorten its life, I know my wife has shortened mine.