I already called, but I'm going to go ahead and ask here...

[Shooter7]

We are going to be doing a group buy here locally soon and I was interested in your Swallowtail Angelfish. The only one that is listed as available right now is this:

CN-67247 SW - Swallowtail Angelfish (Indo Pacific) - Medium


I am interested in a female of this fish, however, as you can see the above does not indicate male or female. You have listings for this fish from Fiji that is listed as female, though none are listed as available right now, but the above doesn't indicate one or the other sex. I called and asked this question and basically was told they didn't know what exactly was in stock, that I could try to specify the sex I wanted, but there wasn't a guarantee I'd get it. There is a distinct difference between the male and female of this fish and I don't want to just "take what I get", I want the female. Can I get some clarification on this? Do you have any females in this "Indo Pacific" selection, or are the females limited strictly to the listings you have out of Fiji? thanks

 

[dfs/la2]

Shooter7,

We apologize but there was an error on our website that reversed the coloration description. This has now been rectified.
The only Swallowtail Angelfish we sell regularly is the female. The males are extremely rare and are only offered a few times a year due to their scarcity. When offered they appear in the Collectors Corner. Male Swallowtail Angels are bluish white with narrow black bars on the body. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins have yellow spots.

Ginger K.
LiveAquaria.com

 

[Shooter7]

Really? So, are there any significant differences at all between the females from Fiji vs the Indo Pacific ones? (coloration, size, anything else) Thanks....this will definitely help my decision on what to order.

 

[Shooter7]

Oh....well forget it then, I guess...just went and looked and last night it said there were some available and now it says "email me", so I guess I won't be getting one after all.

 

[dfs/la2]

Shooter7,
Thank you for your post. There may be small differences in coloration between the females from Fiji versus the Indo Pacific but it is the same species and is just collected at a different location, the other side of Australia (Figi).
Due to the rarity and popularity of the Swallowtail Angelfish it does sell very fast. We apologize that the item you are inquiring about is currently unavailable on our website. The availability of specimens is dependent on what we have available in our aquatics center, and this depends on what we are able to harvest from the wild and which tank raised specimens are available at the time. Our holding facility does receive daily shipments, so the stock can change from day to day. We are unable to give you a specific date as to when we will have the specimen in stock. Please feel free to click the “Email Me” link by the specimen you are interested in purchasing and we will send you an automated email as soon as it becomes available.

If we can be of any additional assistance, please feel free to contact our Live Aquaria Department at 1-800-334-3699 or via email at customerservice@liveaquaria.com and we will be happy to answer any question(s) you may have.
Sincerely,

Ginger K.
Technical Support
Drs. Foster & Smith