Red Sea Pearlscale - Chaetodon paucifasciatus
- Thread starter SDguy
- Start date
I have always been a big biotope guy and I remember looking through books when I was younger and wanting to have a tank with all those fish you just listed John! With a purple and sohal tang before I knew how darn aggressive a sohal can be!
But yeah this buttefly is one of my favorites I wish we would see more of it! Although it doesn't seem likely to happen, hopefully I'm wrong.
But yeah this buttefly is one of my favorites I wish we would see more of it! Although it doesn't seem likely to happen, hopefully I'm wrong.
I ooed and ahhed over one before I even knew what it was. I went through my book, and said "That's the angel I want".... Well, back in '89, that wasn't going to happen for this young teenager. So instead, I got a baby blue angel, and an asfur tattoo when I turned 18 :lol: Who knew I'd eventually get a real one for $70 :beer:
Well, too bad that they just aren't bringing in the paucifasciatus. I love that orange eye stripe, and red back!
Cantonesefish
with active cooling
What ever did happen to the true Red Sea regals?
Peter,
Here is a pic of the one red sea pearlscale we have, I acquired it through a trans-ship back in 1998 or 1999. This image is a couple of years old I think, but the fish still looks pretty much like this, hasn't grown a whole lot, even though it's in a 500 gallon tank.
Jay
Here is a pic of the one red sea pearlscale we have, I acquired it through a trans-ship back in 1998 or 1999. This image is a couple of years old I think, but the fish still looks pretty much like this, hasn't grown a whole lot, even though it's in a 500 gallon tank.
Jay
Lovely shots, Jay. Man, that pearlscale is nice! 
I think that's what makes asfur angels so appealing... the quick glances of brilliant blue/purple scales, only in the right light. So gorgeous! Can I ask, how big it was when you received it, how is it housed, and how big is it now? I've read they get as big as Mac's, but have never had the pleasure of seeing one that big before...
Here's my little guy:
I think that's what makes asfur angels so appealing... the quick glances of brilliant blue/purple scales, only in the right light. So gorgeous! Can I ask, how big it was when you received it, how is it housed, and how big is it now? I've read they get as big as Mac's, but have never had the pleasure of seeing one that big before...
Here's my little guy:
scchase
Premium Member
Yep that is how an Asfur is supposed to look they flash as they turn. I've never seen a really big one other seems to either be a super slow grower or very variable in size. I have had mine in a 480 for a little over 5 years now and its around 6" and not growin gmuch anymore despite the rest of the angels getting ready to pass it in size that are all much younger than it is.
Interesting, thanks for the info. I wonder if it will go through a growth spurt after the other angels get bigger. I've seen tangs do this... not growing much until the competition does, then it starts growing again.
BTW, as for the regal angel, here's a super crappy pic of mine in ambient daylight showing how orange the body is. I guess Red Sea varieties have a more orange tail than this. True?
The Red back b-fly and the Asfur are in a 500 gallon FOWLR. I just went and tried to estimate their size, given that water magnifying things by about 30% I'd say the red back is about 3 1/2" total length and the Asfur is less than 6". I checked, the asfur arrived in 2002, so about 4 years after the red-backed. The red-back's color is actually darker red than the picture shows, and this fish has literally not grown an inch in ten years. Paid $75 for it. I have not seen this species available in the past year or two, and I keep pretty close tabs on a number of importers....not sure what the deal is. Could it be that people are now getting fish from different areas of the Red Sea than they were in 1998? IIRC, the transhipment for this fish came from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Jay
Jay
From what I have heard, this fish is VERY common where you find it, so I assume they are not collecting on purpose, or just not collecting in those areas.
rmougey
Chair, MACNA 2014
FWIW, I've been watching for red backs for a couple of years now. They haven't shown up on any stock lists and when I spoke with Kevin K. about them at Reefstock, he hadn't seen any either. He did say that if they became available, he would pick them up for DD, but again, they just aren't being brought in. They aren't rare in their environment, as mentioned previously.
A good friend of mine bought a lovely little Asfur about the same time I got my baby Mac, 12 years ago. The Asfur has grown to about 5.5" and stopped, while the little mac went from 1.5" to 14" during the same period. Stunning growth over a 10 year period.
-Rob
A good friend of mine bought a lovely little Asfur about the same time I got my baby Mac, 12 years ago. The Asfur has grown to about 5.5" and stopped, while the little mac went from 1.5" to 14" during the same period. Stunning growth over a 10 year period.
-Rob
Macs grow faster. Asfurs grow slower. But the asfur I saw at the Shedd that they had in their reef for a little bit was just huge! They must have brought it in that big, but it was easily over a foot long. I have never seen one that big since and everyone who grows them up seems to have them stop growing smaller. Weird.
