So THAT'S what a healthy angel looks like!

[ACBlinky]

Before I started buying SW fish I read about selection and thought after 15 years in FW I'd be able to pick healthy fish at a LFS, but it's proven difficult. I've lost a few angels, but today I think I learned something important about why I lost them.
Each time I bought an angel I'd choose a fish that had good colour, some weight on them, clear eyes and at least a bit of an appetite (one store was feeding flakes, I didn't expect an angel to go crazy for them). I want to add an angel to one of my tanks and three times now I've lost an outwardly healthy-looking fish (two Potter's and a flame) within a week with no signs of things like ich, lymphocystis, brook, velvet etc.
I went to a LFS and saw two flame angels, both imported from Hawaii. One looked like those I've picked in the past. The second was something else all together: brighter, unbelievably alert (watching me intently through the glass), faster and just... somehow that much more vibrant. After unknowingly making several bad purchases, I finally saw what I should have been looking for all along. The books say to look for these qualities, but I didn't understand until I actually saw it with my own eyes.
Of course I brought him home, aclimated him and he took everything in stride. He ate dinner after ten minutes in the tank and has been watching everything going on in the room. With my run of lousy luck I've got my fingers crossed, but my gut tells me this guy's going to be with us for a long time

 

[mikersx02]

good luck with your fish-

what did your past fish die from?

 

[a.fool.for.fish.]

sounds like a good buy too me congradulations man

 

[Samala]

Yep Blinky, thats exactly how they should appear! I have been on a few fish runs with friends in the past to try to point out that same sort of 'quality' for angels. Fenner even talks about it for Centropyge in his article over on WWM. They should be a little like cichlids honestly (you'll relate to that, lol), reactive to your presence and not cowering in the corner, bright, inquisitive, the angels I've picked out in the past that have done well were always on the go and very curious about their surroundings. Another note, they all seemed to take bagging in stride, like you mentioned. No freak outs about their confined space, just kinda hovering, hanging out, wondering where they're going. Positively upbeat little personalities they have.

>Sarah