Collecting angelfish west of Key West with a legend
- Thread starter copps
- Start date
Cantonesefish
with active cooling
So, my question is, where can I get a queen angel collected by John Coppolino?? 
Also is there a way to tell m/f queens apart when they are adults?
Also is there a way to tell m/f queens apart when they are adults?
tanglovers
New member
Congrats and awesome John! Sounds like a dream.
ccampbell57
Premium Member
Queen #1 is perfect! I love the collection John!
Great work...
Great work...
jjk_reef00
New member
Queens are definitely one of my favorites, thanks for sharing!
michael_cb_125
New member
Awesome Trip John!!
I was in South Florida two weeks ago myself and did some collecting of my own.
I managed to find a juvenile lionfish and some of the most amazing juvenile blue angels I have ever seen. I caught one blue that was the size of a quarter, simply amazing.
There were tons and tons of greys and blues and some juvenile french angels as well. But since we were diving inshore no, queens.
~Michael
I was in South Florida two weeks ago myself and did some collecting of my own.
I managed to find a juvenile lionfish and some of the most amazing juvenile blue angels I have ever seen. I caught one blue that was the size of a quarter, simply amazing.
There were tons and tons of greys and blues and some juvenile french angels as well. But since we were diving inshore no, queens.
~Michael
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
Awesome pics and sounds like you had a perfect day, thanks for sharing.
I love that juvie french, very nice fish.
I love that juvie french, very nice fish.
On many Caribbean islands Queen Angels can be found extremely close to shore. In places like Dominica and Jamaica, with cliff faces that continue underwater, small Queens can be abundant at the water's edge. Shallow sandy bottoms are what keep Queens (and other fishes) further offshore in the keys, along with habitat degradation. Long ago, before developers and chain dragging destroyed inshore reefs, the SE Florida coast was a very, very different place.
French Angels are easy to net. Black Angels swim like butterfly fish, faster, in a straight line. I've caught many Blue Angels and a few tiny Queens in late summer, under boat docks and around encrusted pilings in less than 6 feet of water as far north as NJ. Both species are numerous in the Carolinas in deep water beyond the sandy bottom, but I've seen them inshore around stone jetties near Beaufort, Radio Island, etc.
That Townsends are a Blue/Queen hybrid was well understood by ichthyologists many decades ago. The term survived primarily among collectors.
French Angels are easy to net. Black Angels swim like butterfly fish, faster, in a straight line. I've caught many Blue Angels and a few tiny Queens in late summer, under boat docks and around encrusted pilings in less than 6 feet of water as far north as NJ. Both species are numerous in the Carolinas in deep water beyond the sandy bottom, but I've seen them inshore around stone jetties near Beaufort, Radio Island, etc.
That Townsends are a Blue/Queen hybrid was well understood by ichthyologists many decades ago. The term survived primarily among collectors.
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small alien
The fungus is among us.
Thanks for taking the time to share. Fascinating.
Well, its already been said, but I will again: WOW! And wow, wow.
And now, a white whine: I wanna go diving again! Waaahhh! LOL
Always went to the Keys when I lived in Florida the 2nd time around. But years before that, my Dad's first SW tank, Centerpiece fish, none other than the Queen angel.
My family loved that fish, though it was in a tank WAY too small for it.. But everyone had no clue in those days..
And I remember when I was snorkeling, just prior to my Sport Diver C-card, that juvi French and Grey angels were very common around the barrier islands, like Dunedin Beach in Pinellas Co. Florida.
John, you have sent me shamelessly down memory lane.. Always saw Queens on the reef around Islamorada. But I think I saw the first pair of adult ones on the Duane, on my 2nd diving trip. Actually, I should say Blues were always seen, H. cilaris seemed to like deeper, cleaner water..
Sincerely, semi-coherently,
Matt
And now, a white whine: I wanna go diving again! Waaahhh! LOL
Always went to the Keys when I lived in Florida the 2nd time around. But years before that, my Dad's first SW tank, Centerpiece fish, none other than the Queen angel.
My family loved that fish, though it was in a tank WAY too small for it.. But everyone had no clue in those days..
And I remember when I was snorkeling, just prior to my Sport Diver C-card, that juvi French and Grey angels were very common around the barrier islands, like Dunedin Beach in Pinellas Co. Florida.
John, you have sent me shamelessly down memory lane.. Always saw Queens on the reef around Islamorada. But I think I saw the first pair of adult ones on the Duane, on my 2nd diving trip. Actually, I should say Blues were always seen, H. cilaris seemed to like deeper, cleaner water..
Sincerely, semi-coherently,
Matt
small alien
The fungus is among us.
Matt, you are out of control. Love the spirit of your post.
copps
Premium Member
Thanks again so much guys...
Hey Luiz! Indeed it's an Indigo.
Apparently somewhere in Asia these queens went to...
In regards to m/f differences, I know for sure queens show sexual size dimorphism... males being larger than females... and I'm sure if looking at a pair the female will be fatter and rounded, but aside from that I'm unaware...
John
Hey Luiz! Indeed it's an Indigo.
So, my question is, where can I get a queen angel collected by John Coppolino??
Also is there a way to tell m/f queens apart when they are adults?
Apparently somewhere in Asia these queens went to...
In regards to m/f differences, I know for sure queens show sexual size dimorphism... males being larger than females... and I'm sure if looking at a pair the female will be fatter and rounded, but aside from that I'm unaware...
John
ocd_mariner
New member
I would give anything to have just one angel in my aquarium that I collected myself. Thanks for sharing the story John.
copps
Premium Member
Go for it Chuck... it's too easy!
One other cool thing I noticed I forgot to mention. The day of my talk I spent with Julian Sprung and Tony Vargas... we hit up a bunch of inlets... at Boca Inlet we saw three full grown purple tangs! I'd heard of these before, along with many other aquarium releases, but these were a site! They were by huge boulders though... and I could safely say these things would be near impossible to catch. As soon as I came within eye shot they were gone for good... I could guarantee that for years these fish have grown to fear net bearing humans! What a story these fish have... born and raised in Yemen, or wherever in the Red Sea, traveled around the world only to be released in South Florida. Apparently this was done after the tangs had bad lateral line erosion. These fish were fully healed and beautiful For obvious reasons one should never release anything from our aquariums...
Copps
One other cool thing I noticed I forgot to mention. The day of my talk I spent with Julian Sprung and Tony Vargas... we hit up a bunch of inlets... at Boca Inlet we saw three full grown purple tangs! I'd heard of these before, along with many other aquarium releases, but these were a site! They were by huge boulders though... and I could safely say these things would be near impossible to catch. As soon as I came within eye shot they were gone for good... I could guarantee that for years these fish have grown to fear net bearing humans! What a story these fish have... born and raised in Yemen, or wherever in the Red Sea, traveled around the world only to be released in South Florida. Apparently this was done after the tangs had bad lateral line erosion. These fish were fully healed and beautiful For obvious reasons one should never release anything from our aquariums...
Copps
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