Potters angel primer

[BrianD]

Please offer your suggestions and advice for keeping these fish.

Possible items to cover:


Waterflow and tank dimensions

Acclimation and quarantine

Tank mates (good and bad)

Suggested foods

Recommended size at purchase

Recommended tank physical environment (live rock, live sand, etc)

Please improve the usefulness to the reader by stating opinions as such and actual experiences as such.

Thank in advance to all who participate.

 

[adtravels]

60 gallon plus cube or regular tank, medium to high flow.

Qt in a tank containing live rock and algae growth ideally, away from aggressive active fish.

All tanks regular reef dwelling tank mates tolerated.

feed algae based flakes, but ideally a preparation of high quality shrimp and scallop mixed with nori and other choice flake and pellets, freeze and grate finely to entice.

Small to medium purchase size best, unless trying to pair form.

lots of live rock, coral and algal growth, a mature tank is favored.

I keep mine in a 60 cube with other similair sized tank mates, it was bare bottom and 1 year old before the fish was introduced it was 1 inch long and grew to 2 in 6 months, ate readily. the tank was kept at 27 to 28 degrees centirade and parameters were for an sps tank.

 

[NexDog]

I lost two in QT recently. Not sure why the first died but PraziPro killed the second for sure. After dosing PraziPro the fish lost scales and was bleeding. I think there was an area of flukes there which the Prazi knocked off and teh fish basically bled to death. I tried Melafix (or was it Pimafix) but it didn't help.

So I would advise freshwater dips every 2 days (maybe 2-3 dips total) to knocj off flukes first before hitting whatever is left with Prazi. And maybe going for half a dose of it.

 

[wrott]

I inrtoduced mine to my 120g directly from DD. It picked at LR for 2 weeks then ate spirulina flakes, brine, mysis, forumula 2 flakes.
I have extremely high flow, it loves it, and now is fat and eats most everything, but it definately prefers things green. It also loves Spectum Optimum(sp?) flakes, that is a mix w/ garlic in it.
I'd bet DD had something to do w/ it's good survival:
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/r2pwHHHA58RXya6VgfWI2w?authkey=Gv1sRgCIHe2LiJ_q664QE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_fafthIIaoF0/Sjy6VKJt2-I/AAAAAAAADjI/eVOJKaPM9U8/s800/IMG_1017.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/corn64/61909?authkey=Gv1sRgCIHe2LiJ_q664QE&feat=embedwebsite">6-19-09</a></td></tr></table>

 

[Toddrtrex]

I had a pair of Potter's in my 58 for 4 months, and were doing great. I lost them back in March when my main pump failed, or ran dry. I had to go into the hospital for an unplanned surgery on a Saturday evening. Had no time to get a reefer to watch the tank. So I just had my father stop by my place to top off and feed. I believe 2 days before I was released the pump stopped. When I came home the were both dead. The temp was 70* (( normally 78*-83*)), and the SG was at 1.030 (( normally at 1.026 )). The other fish -- pink skunk pair and golden algae bleeny were fine. My 2 Haddonis even were fine -- though one of them spawned the next evening. It seems to me that they are very sensitive to any parameter being out of the normal range.

Prior to that pair I did have a single one (( in the same tank )) that was doing great for a couple of months, and was dead one morning.

I currently have a small one in there that is doing wonderful. I am attempting to pair it, but the larger one still hasn't eaten any prepared foods after 3 weeks. But, so far it is otherwise acting normal, and picking at the rocks.

IMO, one of the important things is to have a "old" tank with mature live rock, with a decent amount of algae on the rock for the fish to pick at.

As for QTing, them.... First, I should note that I normally don't QT my fish (( wild caught clowns are QTed )). I did it for 4 days with my current small one, and it was only doing okay, eating but not with gusto. Right after I put it in the main tank, it started eating like a pig. So, if someone does choose to QT a Potter;s, I think it is best that the QT be as close to a normal tank as possible --- lots of hiding spots, and some aged live rock to pick at.

I have noticed that they seem to have smaller mouths then similarly sized dwarf angels, so that will have to be taken into account. I feed mine 3 types of Rod's Food (( red, green and blue labels )) Prime Reef, LifeLine's herbivore mix, and Spectrum pellets.

Believe that keeping them in a full reef tank is the best choice, mainly due to better (( on average )) water quality, and algae to pick at. In addition I feel that they do better with less aggressive fish. Oh, and I wouldn't want to put one is a tank smaller then a 58, mainly due to the fact that a bigger tank will (( at least most of the time )) have more live rock, which provides more natural food.

Lastly, it has been my experience that the small to medium sized ones adapt better then the larger ones, though that seems to hold true for a lot of fish.

Some pictures over the years,

My current wee one, during its few days in QT,

The PVC is 1 inch,

The pair I lost to the pump

Female

Male

Together-ish

 

[pugbreath13]

Tried twice. First one 2" ordered online and went into QT. QT had pvc for hiding and algae covered rocks. It never picked at the rocks and never ate anything I placed in the tank. Died 5 days later. I did treat with Prazipro on the 4th day. Second one purchased from LFS after watching it pic the rocks. No QT straight into display. High flow sps tank with a maroon clown and sixline. Ate algae and algae flakes and rods food. Acted fine but died after 4 weeks.

 

[wrott]

Toddrtrex,
Is there any way to tell male from female? Or do you assume a very small specimen will be female?
I'd like to have a pair myself, I've had mine for 9 months.
Yours, departed and the one thriving, look spectacular BTW.

 

[ccampbell57]

Female potters (when in a pair) have considerably less blue in their body coloration, and a shorter gill spine.

As for long term health of Potters the best thing to give them is in QT is very mature live rock. This will allow them to pick off the rock while they acclimate to captive life. It can take up to 2 weeks for potters to eat in captivity. I have gone as much as a month with them not eating anything but the live rock and the algea on the sides of the tank.

Once acclimated I start them on small mysis shrimp and move them to brine and eventually flakes and pellets.

Variety of food is essential. If you want to pair them up, you need to QT them individually get them healthy and then put them together...that way any aggression they have will enable them to fight through it.

 

[block head]

qt'ed in a mature ten gallon with lots of rock/pods. treated with prazi pro -actively. slow to accept frozen food, but now eats anything. reef safe after 6 months. housed in a 28g cube. very active fish ,would reccomend mature 30g or larger tank.

 

[mrwilson]

One aspect of behavior others haven't really touched on yet is that although Potters can be a bit on the delicate side to begin with, once they are eating/acclimated/established, IME (which limited to a total of one Potter's, so take it for what it's worth) they turn into "typical" centropyge in terms of aggression. My fish harasses most new tank additions, to varying degree. In other words, one shouldn't have the idea that because they are delicate to begin with, that they are docile, peaceful little fish. I would categorize mine as fairly aggressive.

 

[audiophile42]

I usually QT my fish, but I decided not to with the Potters Angel and I'm glad I didn't. For the first week or so, it wouldn't eat anything I fed, just picked on the rocks. I think these fish need to have a lot of live rock to graze on - especially at the beginning.

Never had any issues with aggression. Mine's in a tank with Lyretail Anthias, Onyx Clowns, and Chromis along with various snails, shrimp, and corals. I've never seen it nip at any coral, but ymmv.

It eats formula 1/2 pellet, rods, pe mysis, cyclopeeze, ocean nutrition pygmy angel formula, and NLS flake.

Mine was about an inch and a half at purchase. I've had it for a little over 3 months.

 

[Korrine]

I purchased mine September 18, 2009 from Live Aquaria's Diver's Den. They had it for 5 weeks and it was eating mysis and brine at their facility.

I didn't really have trouble getting it to eat. She eats frozen Marine Cusine, Formula 1 pellets, and nori so far. Has eaten everything I've offered.

She's in a 29g tank that has been set up since March 2009. Tank cycled in 2 weeks and first fish was added 2 weeks after there weren't any traces of ammonia, nitrite. It's still fairly new, but I think DD has a lot to do w/her doing well. They already had her eating and they also treat them for any diseases or parasites she may have.

Also I've had some cyano (red algae) on the sand for a little bit and she EATS it!!!

Look at the blue on her tail

Part way through the video she starts zipping and zagging through the rocks.

 

[sixspeed]

Through my experience, i agree with everyone who thinks that the potters angel is a picky eater. Every time i have brought a potters angel home, they never eat prepared food immediately. To get around this, an abundance of mature live rock helps, and i used live brine to help trigger a feeding response. Once i get them eating live brine i try and ween them onto frozen brine and mysis.

 

[Radioheadx14]

I bought 2 potters angels from phishy business and both ate flakes, mysis and anything else i gave them the day i brought them home. first one died of ich/velvet (my first tank and everything died) I've had the second a little more than a year and its the biggest pig in my tank. It eats formula 1, 2, algae sheets, mysis (frozen and freeze dried) squid etc. It also picks at rocks all the time.
Mine doesnt mind high flow. gets along pretty well with everything else in my 90g. "nips" at sps some times... not enough to worry or have no PE.

I couldn't be happier with it. Mine was about 2" when i bought it

 

[NexDog]

Few questions for Potters Angels owners....

1) How long have you had your fish?

2) What's the average temperature of your tank.

I've read many threads but I still haven't heard of one living more than a year? If that's the case this isn't a fish for captivity. Looking for success stories of 3 years at least and the temperatures they are kept at.

 

[Wind]

How about diets? What has worked for you folks.

 

[Tylt33]

The pair on DD tonight was AMAZING. Someone got lucky.

 

[Wind]

My pair has nipped algae and grazed rockes and loved brine, But hasn't touched anything else.

Any ideas of what I might try?

 

[LargeAngels]

I always QT with 2 treatments of Prazipro and about 6 weeks of Cupramine done in established tanks with sand/rock (Cupramine copper is not absorb as much as other coppers by sand/rock.) Temps kept at 75°F. I currently have one trio and one pair.

One thing which has surprised me is that after acclimating and eating is that most of mine prefer to feed in the open water column on small chopped up pieces of mysis and don't browse on the algae or rocks as often as I would have thought. My largest male looks more like a clownfish or anthias hovering in the water flow eating particles floating by. Favorite food is Hikari mysis that has been chopped up after going through a power head.

 

[Diadado]

My husband brought one home 2 weeks ago. It's been eating Hikari mysis, Spirulina brine and Arcti Pods but I think its favorite is Frozen Angel & Butterfly Diet by San Francisco Bay Brand. PE Mysis was too big - it prefers much smaller pieces. It will definitely pass by bigger pieces and go for the smaller ones. It came in fat and eating so we were lucky. It's in a 29g QT with 3 other fish right now.