Conspic angel Q's

[bradleyj]

I may have the oppurtunity to acquire a 4" conspic angel.
As many of you know, I already own a regal angel that is a bit larger than this, and I also have 2 joculator angels, along with a bellus female, watanabi female and a swallowtail angel.
My concern is, would the conspic and regal be alright together?
I dont want to jeopardize the well being of my regal by adding another angel that might be to aggressive towards it.
I know John has many angels together, along with a few of you other guys.
How has your experience been with them?
Any information would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[deepblue68]

as far as aggression i dont know but sometimes it can be hard to get them to start eating. beautiful fish.i had one in qt with a flame back and the flame back had velvet and lost them both.good luck.

 

[nanotank]

My regal is not aggressive at all.. I have a larger blueface and they get along fine. I had a nice goldflake with them for a few yrs but last summer he jumped out. These were all in a 240 and I never had any problems.

 

[copps]

Bradley that mix should be rather easy relatively... but more importantly what temp will you be keeping this at? I've kept conspics through the years and these are a different fish when kept cool... as I've found with pretty much every fish that is found in the wild in cool waters. Sometimes the side effects are found through YEARS even...

Also, beware of the fish you are receiving. Even when small some of these have been sent while in the "living dead" category...

 

[roktsintst]

John, can you explain the living dead a little more?

 

[copps]

After so many years in the hobby and having seen, kept, and QTed so many fish, I've come to the point more and more each year where I can see death coming on many fish... the fish is alive, and many times with no obvious symptoms of disease... but by its behavior, reactions, and many other intangibles, the fish is a goner, regardless of who's hands it's in and what is done with the fish... the fish is alive... but will die... sometimes days out and sometimes weeks... to many people that lack experience the fish may otherwise look good. I call these the "living dead"... many people who work in the industry know these fish, but do not use that exact term... A good friend of mine who works in the industry (whom I respect... one of the good guys), says many fish are passed along like "hot potatoes" through the chain... it's a great analogy really... whoever has the fish (or animal) passes it along like a hot potato before it dies, and in the end it's the hobbyists like us that suffer. So just beware especially on expensive fish, that many times when you are getting a "deal" it is not the case, as a dead fish is worth nothing. Places like the Diver's Den weed out the living dead, and eat them on their end. Do not be discouraged completely though... it is great that we could now get small conspics with more regularity... I got my little girl when she was smaller than my key a while back... super-photographer Gary Parr was over my house last week and got some nice shots of her I could post later... Chaetodontoplus are great fish... I call them the puppy dogs of the Pomacanthids, because that is just how they act!:spin3:

Copps

 

[pookstreet]

John, you said that the "living dead" period could be days or weeks. Could it be as long as months? The reason I ask is that I have had one for almost a month now. Before that, I think it was in the care of the place I got it from for about 2 1/2 months. It's very active and eats like a pig. Gets along with the other angels.

 

[myerst2]

John that is a very good point. I worked in the retail side for 5 years and kept fish for many years longer. I have too have begun to get that ability to look at a fish for 10 minutes and get a pretty good idea of what the future holds. In your opinion how prevalent are high end fish like conspics passed along at discounted prices until a novice ends up getting screwed? I see this most often with Japanese fish, i.e interruptus, wroughts, bluelines. The japanese keep the nice ones and send over the "swimming dead" to us. T

 

[stunreefer]

It's very active and eats like a pig.

Kenny, based on what I know about your fish (prior to you getting it and messing with it's head ), and the fact your still seeing what you mentioned I would not categorize your fish as "swimming dead", and I don't think John would either. Your fish is boisterous, eating well and last I heard gaining weight/girth, no?

 

[copps]

John, you said that the "living dead" period could be days or weeks. Could it be as long as months? The reason I ask is that I have had one for almost a month now. Before that, I think it was in the care of the place I got it from for about 2 1/2 months. It's very active and eats like a pig. Gets along with the other angels.

On larger fish the period could be months yes... the larger a fish the longer is could go... smaller fish adapt better but go downhill faster when not feeding. Do not worry though... if your fish is acting as you say you should be good... just keep it cool... many people get overconfident keeping many cool water species warm, but it will catch up with you...

John that is a very good point. I worked in the retail side for 5 years and kept fish for many years longer. I have too have begun to get that ability to look at a fish for 10 minutes and get a pretty good idea of what the future holds. In your opinion how prevalent are high end fish like conspics passed along at discounted prices until a novice ends up getting screwed? I see this most often with Japanese fish, i.e interruptus, wroughts, bluelines. The japanese keep the nice ones and send over the "swimming dead" to us. T

It is more common with high end fish, but happens with all things... I hear it often... I even have a slide in one of my talks where I bring it up and it reminds me of my wife comparing grocery prices... people say "hey this guy told me he could get a deal on X fish for me"... spending more from a reputable source is usually worth it... again because these are live goods... when they are dead they are worth nothing... in regards to the Japanese stuff they don't keep the nicer ones... just the smaller ones... It is not really a matter of them sending the swimming dead, but really a matter of the species they send... interrupta are almost always collected large and have a few issues inherent to them... wroughts are hardy but are also collected larger usually and have a long transport as they are collected in Ogasawara with a full day transport by ferry... bluelines are rarely caught in Japan as they are no different looking than from cheaper places like Taiwan. Export costs for Japanese fish are astronomical so they stick to the endemics like wroughts (or nearly endemics like interrupta)...

Bradley, sorry of this is a highjack...

Copps

 

[bradleyj]

John, you are not highjacking at all, on the contrary, you are the exact person I was hopeing would respond, and answer these questions. I am hopeing to receive the fish from the same guys that pookstreet got his from. They seem very good with there fish and dont release them untill they are satisfied that they are good and healthy.
You pay more for this, but like D/D, it is well worth the money, especially for the more expensive fish.
My tank is in my basement where it stays cool most of the time, I would say the hottest my tank ever gets is 77. Is that too hot for the conspic?
I was concerned that he might bully my Regal, but from what I'm hearing it should not be the case, I hope. I've had my regal angel for over 3 yrs now and dont want to choose the wrong fish to house with it.
I appreciate and admire your expert advice for these angels, and hope to hear from you again.

 

[copps]

Bradley, more important is the normal mean, or median temperature your tank runs... peaks into the mid 70s are fine on those 100 degree days, but more important is the usual temp the fish is housed in for the long haul... let me know bud... and ask for a short video of your fish feeding... not a hard thing to provide for a fish this expensive...

 

[pookstreet]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Austin and John. I wasn't so much worried as curious. My fish was about 4.75" when I got it. It's not considered "large" but definitely not small either. It's nice and fat so eating isn't the issue. In terms of gaining girth, I think I got the conspic beat in that department

 

[bradleyj]

My tank temp never varies out of 75-77 degrees, night and day. all year long, I have fans on the sump and on top of the tank that are controlled by my AC111. Central air in the house, but it doesnt need it downstairs. I've bought from Frank and Richard before and have complete confidence in them and they have alot of clients that I respect with their judgement. If the fish isn't healthy, I'm sure they would not sell it.

 

[pookstreet]

Bradley, are your fans on a good portion of the day or only rarely? If you can set the temp control a couple of degrees lower, they might run more often but won't cost much more in terms of electricity usage.

 

[bradleyj]

Kenny, My fan on the sump is on 24/7 but the larger fan comes on every so often.
I might change the fan in the sump to a larger one and also run the one up top more if need be. What does your temp usually run at?

 

[pookstreet]

My system typically runs 72/73 but may peak into 76 during part of the day on those really hot ones. Last summer, I bought one of those portable A/C from Costco to keep the garage temp down when it's 100+ outside. I have 3 8" fans blowing on the system using a temp controller. They come on when the temp hits 73. It's worked out well for me so far. During the summer, they pretty much stay on 24/7. When it's cooler like now, they come on for about 5-7 hours during the photoperiod.

 

[bradleyj]

So is the conspic just as spectacular as they say. Frank told me you got the angel a bit ago. He says he can get another one if I'm seriouse. Thats why I'm trying to find out if one will work in my tank.

 

[euod]

69-70 is the way to go. There is no getting around that. I am surprise that no one is suggesting the jocs may be an issue.

 

[pookstreet]

So is the conspic just as spectacular as they say. Frank told me you got the angel a bit ago. He says he can get another one if I'm seriouse. Thats why I'm trying to find out if one will work in my tank.

The conspic is one stunning fish. It's hard to describe. It seems the lines and colors are almost painted on. And John is right. It's behavior is very much like a puppy dog, without the tongue hanging out Along with the bandit, they are two very beautiful fish that like to roam the length of the tank at all times.