Rock Beauty Angelfish
- Thread starter alton
- Start date
stuifbol
New member
I have one for about six months now and an another one at work(both the same size).... they eat everything from flake to pellets to frozen.....there only 5cm tall for the moment and where only 2 to 3cm tall when I bought them.My LFS tell's me buy them as small as possible and only specimens that allready eat at the store.
grtz Joeri
grtz Joeri
+1 ... admittedly old info, but haven't heard any 'good' news about them, recently.
alton
Well-known member
Thanks for your input, after posting this I went back online and read similar post like the others here on Reef Central. Most of the positive post like yours stating you have to get ones in the 2" to 3" range. Todays food that we can purchase is amazing plus it lets us keep more fish than ever before. May I ask what you had to pay for yours and did you try to keep them together in the same tank at first?
Did you want that in US dollars?...his location shows Belgium!
Exactly. Prices in Belgium will be radically different than here. Some stuff cheaper, others more expensive. Plus the exchange rate makes translation difficult at best.
alton
Well-known member
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
Rock Beauties are tough to keep long term but folks are more successful with them in a reef type system. The down side of this is that while they may be more reef safe than a queen they are still Holacanthus and will probably sample more corals than most angels. If you have a large tank and dont mind the fact that this fish is probably going to sample corals a small fish around 3" or so is your best bet and be sure to feed him some angel formula with sponge in it.
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
What size is your tank and what kind of corals do you want to keep?
I've had one for about 2.5 years. It's my favorite fish in my tank. My tank is a standard 75 mostly SPS reef that has been running for 5 years this past Jan. The rock beauty was purchased through Live Aquaria's Divers Den where I knew the fish was eating and taken care of. I initially put him in a 20L that was hooked into my main system. He was the only fish in the tank which allowed him to acclimate and start eating nicely. 3 weeks in I added him to the display and he's been doing awesome ever since. Eats basically whatever I put in the tank. Diet is mainly Ocean Nutrition Angel formula, P.E. Mysis, Roggers, Nori sheets, and Flakes. I knew going in it was going to be a difficult fish to keep so getting one from a reputable dealer was first priority. I've been pleasantly surprised with how well it is doing and to my knowledge has not touched a coral yet.......knock on wood.
Rob
Rob
stuifbol
New member
I payed 50€ each.....they where put together at the LFS but started killing each other,so where separated after this...
grtz Joeri
grtz Joeri
alton
Well-known member
300DD
Corals are mostly SPS and Frogspawn. I suppliment my income with raising and fragging Frogspawn for sale at the local fish stores. I have a few brains that I know I will have to remove to another tank and a few Acans they may have to be removed and I will just fill in more SPS. At this time I have two Flame Angelfish in the 300, two baby Annularis in QT that will go in next, a small juvenile Imperator along with two juvenile blueface that are in a another QT tank together. The idea is to add smallest to largest and if they work out it will be awesome, if there is any aggression well the fish store will get some great fish in trade. With all of them being juveniles they can not really hurt themselves, not like adults.
Last edited:
alton
Well-known member
Thanks for the information
philter4
New member
I have kept individuals for many years in the past, I have collected them by hand nets and they seem to do well if they start eating. My experiences is that success has to do more with how they were collected and handled before ever reaching a wholesaler or retail store then anything else.
It is legal to use certain drugs in Florida when collecting and I don't think rock beauties can handle them as well as other fish. It is best to get them smaller rather then larger because in nature they feed on all sorts of items as young but adults are almost exclusive sponge eaters. If they are already on a sponge diet when you get them there is little chance of modifying the diet so they will starve. Another problem is they are almost always collected deeper then the other angels except pygmies, and while some collectors do decompress the fish it takes hours and hours so the standard method of getting them to the surface is to pop the air bladder to allow the pressure to be released. While this is not the best method for a fish, it is survivable if done correctly. The problem is when you have 30 angels and everything else in your catch that also has to be needled you can't take too much time on any one individual fish and mistakes are easily made as you are just guessing at the area to put the needle into.
Still, as awareness of the problems become known more and more are being collected and cared for better and the success rates will grow to the point where it will be a good choice for aquariums with some experienced aquarists.
It is legal to use certain drugs in Florida when collecting and I don't think rock beauties can handle them as well as other fish. It is best to get them smaller rather then larger because in nature they feed on all sorts of items as young but adults are almost exclusive sponge eaters. If they are already on a sponge diet when you get them there is little chance of modifying the diet so they will starve. Another problem is they are almost always collected deeper then the other angels except pygmies, and while some collectors do decompress the fish it takes hours and hours so the standard method of getting them to the surface is to pop the air bladder to allow the pressure to be released. While this is not the best method for a fish, it is survivable if done correctly. The problem is when you have 30 angels and everything else in your catch that also has to be needled you can't take too much time on any one individual fish and mistakes are easily made as you are just guessing at the area to put the needle into.
Still, as awareness of the problems become known more and more are being collected and cared for better and the success rates will grow to the point where it will be a good choice for aquariums with some experienced aquarists.
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