Changing Juv Emperor

sofiasnemo

New member
Hello,
I am just getting back into this wonderful hobby and I am in the beginning pahses of setting up a 110g, 50g sump/refugium sytstem.
I was wondering how long will it take for a Juv Emp take to fully transform into an Imparator angel???

Lasty, your opinion on housing togather an Imperator Angel with 1 Coral Beauty drwaf and 1 Swallowtail dwarf angel.

Thanks in advance.

Sofiasnemo
 
depending on the size of the juvie it will vary, if it is a juvie right about to change then it will take years to make the full transformation, thats if it is getting a varied and healthy diet, not alot of stress, and extremely good water quality and then you will hopefully get a fully transformed adult
 
I second that, my LFS has had the same changing koran and emp. angel for the last 1.5-2 years and it still looks the same. It is a very healthy tank but they say it just takes time.
 
Hi there sofiasnemo,

I do not normally like to jump in with opinions, however you did ask for opinions, so here goes :)

I personally think that a 125 gal tank is right on the edge as a minimum tank size for an emporer (some would argue it is too small altogether). I wold think that it wil be a good long term home for the fish, providing there will be no "competition" once he starts getting larger. By competition I mean fish like large tangs or butterflies, triggers, etc. i.e. other "alpha" type fish. I would recommend housing it with tank mates such as grammas, blennies, gobies, hawks, chromis, small wrasse etc.

To answer your main question, I think it should be ok with a coral beauty, providing they are introduced at the same time and providing there is a bit of size diffrentiation.

Time for transformation - assuming you get a juv. about 4", then it could take anywhere between 12 months and 2-3yrs. Mine took about 12 months to go from total juv. to about 90% complete. At 90% you could call it adult really, with just the odd stripe not complete. But to get him to complete solid blue and yellow lines, with the pure black and grey head etc...... that could literally never happen...... but if you do everything right it would take a couple to three of years.

HTH

Matt
 
Thanks Matt i really appreciate your feedback. I plan on keeping only one large fish as the 'feature fish'.

Would a Majestic Angel be better suited for a 125g?

Thanks again
 
A majestic would work great in a 125. I have one in a 100 gallon(5 feet long) and it works out great. Mine is only 3 inches, but will be happy in my tank in maturity too. The emperor will get like 15 inches long, were a majestic is lucky to get over 11-12 inches. And the majestic would work with dwarf angels, but will be the boss of the tank after it acclimates. They are shy when you first get them, but after a week mine is getting more brave, lol. He will only hid if you apear in front of the tank to fast, or bump the tank. But it only lasts a min, then hes back out looking for food.
Hope this helps,

Michael
 
I don't know if you are familiar with Ed Kruzel (he's a mod on one of the boards), but Ed is firmly of the opinion that an emporer will easily reach its full potential size of anytghing up to 15", if cared for properly. The reason I would take note of Ed's opinion, more so than most others is that Ed had a majestic angel, which he got at 3" or so (if I recall correctly) - he grew it on to 8 or 10" in a 220gal tank, then passed te fish onto a friend, and te animal is now 12"+.

My point is that if cared for properly, angels can and will grow prety big..... and an emporer will get pretty big indeed - again, if given the correct care. If a majestic is going to top out at 12" or so, and an emporer will hit the 15" mark (i.e. 25% bigger) then I would certainly think the majestic is a better choice for your tank.

Even if the fish does not reach its potential size in your system, logic would seem to suggest that the emporer is always going to be 25% bigger - that is 25% longer. But if you notice, the difference in body weight of a fish is not propotional to the difference in length - he will be 25% taller and thicker as well - he could be 50% heavier!

I do not like suggesting folks to get differnt fish than those they have chosen, but again, since you are asking I would say that a majstic is an infinitely better choice for your tank - not only will one be smaller but they are also less aggressive - you might even get away with adding a butterfy or a smaller, less agressive tang like a yellow........... they will certainly be less likely to terrorise your prspective coral beauty.

HTH

Matt
 
Here is how much mine has changed in the 11 months I've had him.
aa508866.jpg

Emperor2007-02-03.jpg
 
You guys are great. Thanks for the advice. When my system is up and running I will definitely post pictures.

Majestic it is.

Sofiasnemo.
 
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