emperor angelfish

NeonFish

Member
WAs thinking of getting a Pomacanthus imperator. Have a 210. Is that a big enough tank? current, set of tank mates are 2 yellow tangs, 4 stripe damsel, royal grama, green chromis, and a flame angel.
 
Wrong you do not need a 8ft tank for a Emperor, unless you plan on buying one that is already at show size you will be just fine
 
You won't have one grow anywhere near a full show size in your aquarium, the biggest one I have ever seen in a tank that was grown from a juv up was 10", that's a far cry from the 15" or so they claim
 
Mine started in a 30 when he was a 2 inch juvi he is in my 180 right now and is starting to change to a sub adult. Soon i will uograde to a larger tank im thinkjng 300. Its an awesome experience and as long as you upgrade to meet the fishes needs than its all good.
 
I will always agree that a bigger tank is better but if a 210 DT is what you have , a juvi Emperor will be fine for a few years. It will take around 4-5 years for that fish to even get to 10". Ive had mine since 2009 and hes now around the 8" range. As Dmorty217 said, ive also yet to see an Emperor reach 15" in a DT unless you buy it that size!
 
I agree that a 6-foot tank can sustain an emperor angel for many years as it is not a fast growing angel. However, I do think that once it reaches 10", it will need to be placed in an 8-foot tank to be happy.

I have also seen a 12" emperor angel in captivity that was grown from 4", so it's possible for them to reach over 10". It's just not commonly seen because most hobbyists keep them in tanks that are too small so they never reach "show size" and eventually die from stress of being in small confinement.

I don't think a 6-foot 210g can sustain an emperor angel for its entire life span of 15-20 years, but if the OP will take responsibility and upgrades to an 8-foot tank when the emperor reaches 8-10", then I don't see the harm of keeping it in a 210 for the next 4-5 years.

As a reference point, I have a 11" French angel that I grew from 4" in a 225g. By the time it was 8-9", the tank was obviously too small and the angel's behavior started being awkward. It would hover around one area, and then quickly dash to the other side of the tank. That's when I realized it was not happy being in the small tank, and upgraded to an 8-foot 375g. Quickly, the angel started behaving normally and grew two more inches in 10 months. It is still growing I believe.
 
I agree that a 6-foot tank can sustain an emperor angel for many years as it is not a fast growing angel. However, I do think that once it reaches 10", it will need to be placed in an 8-foot tank to be happy.

I have also seen a 12" emperor angel in captivity that was grown from 4", so it's possible for them to reach over 10". It's just not commonly seen because most hobbyists keep them in tanks that are too small so they never reach "show size" and eventually die from stress of being in small confinement.

I don't think a 6-foot 210g can sustain an emperor angel for its entire life span of 15-20 years, but if the OP will take responsibility and upgrades to an 8-foot tank when the emperor reaches 8-10", then I don't see the harm of keeping it in a 210 for the next 4-5 years.

As a reference point, I have a 11" French angel that I grew from 4" in a 225g. By the time it was 8-9", the tank was obviously too small and the angel's behavior started being awkward. It would hover around one area, and then quickly dash to the other side of the tank. That's when I realized it was not happy being in the small tank, and upgraded to an 8-foot 375g. Quickly, the angel started behaving normally and grew two more inches in 10 months. It is still growing I believe.

+1 and well said. For now it will be fine, but when the time comes please be responsible and upgrade, or find a large home for the fish.
 
Thanks, for the info. My tank is older so it is 7x2x2, I'll probably upgrade at some future point.

Size of angel would be between 1-1.5 inches. I was worried it would get beat up by the 4 stripe damsel and flame angel.
 
Thanks, for the info. My tank is older so it is 7x2x2, I'll probably upgrade at some future point.

Size of angel would be between 1-1.5 inches. I was worried it would get beat up by the 4 stripe damsel and flame angel.

Well, if it's a 7x2x2, I'd say you'll be fine keeping an emperor for its whole adult life.

However, I wouldn't get a large angel at 1-1.5". The chance of it surviving is much lower than if you get one 3"-5", which is the best size to get since the fish is more disease resistant and still hasn't developed a food preference.
 
Back
Top