The Golden Angel

[East_St_Reefs]

So, as the last "jewel" in my collection, I purchased a golden angelfish (Centropyge aurantia). When it arrived, it was destined for my 90 gal show tank, to live with my chronixis and purple tangs, as well as my mandarin, a couple of assorted chromis, one three spot damsel, two skunk cleaner shrimp and a bonded pair of harlequins. Plus all the LPS, SPS, polyps, clams and an a**-ton of pulsing xenia (you'd swear I was farming the stuff).

It's been acclimated, and in the tank for about 2 weeks now. Given that its a shy, deepwater fish, I only expected to see it every once in a while flashing in and out of the rockwork while hopefully munching a xenia flower or two. Alas, it never comes out of its house behind a couple of big rocks not even at feeding time. If I want to see it, I have to use the flashlight. It certainly looks nice and fat, doesn't seem to have any swim bladder issues from the depth change or other illness, but it just won't come out.

I'd like to see this little guy eventually - any suggestions on encouraging it to come out?

 

[Dmorty217]

Time is the only thing that will change this behavior. Once it feels at home in the tank it will be out and about more... Or it should be. Some angels are cryptic by nature and never really become social.

 

[o2manyfish]

Most likely no chance. It's a beautiful fish but very shy. I have been keeping them for decades now, and sometimes they don't appear for months. I have a pair of them for about 4+ years now. When my tank crashed in the fall of 2013 I lost 100+ fish and assumed they were gone. About 14 months later I was going through some photos I had taken of some fish, and there in the back of a photo, deep within a cave, illuminated by the flash was my larger golden angel in all his glory. I was amazed - 14 months without a glimpse. Then a couple of months later I see the smaller one dart from rock to rock across the back of the tank.

They are beautiful but very very shy. I will say I have had mine for 4+ years, when I see them they look fat and healthy, but I don't think they have grown a cm in the past 4 years.

When I used to have a desk in front of my tank sometimes during the day I would catch both Goldens out - but this was with the lights off in the tank, and sunlight filtering into the fish room. I would see them amoung the corals and doing quite a bit of coral picking. But for all the picking they were doing (on just acros) when the lights came on I never noticed any damage.

Sounds like at least you know where to look for yours. In a 400g tank with over 1000lbs of rock, there is just too many places for them to be happy and out of sight.

Dave B

 

[Moort82]

Can only concur with the above, I don't think time helps a great deal with their basic shyness. Kept one for a while before moving it onto someone who had always dreamed of it. In my tank it was only with a wetmorella and it was still shy so it wasn't because it was intimidated by its tankmates.
Don't get me wrong they are stunning and I loved it when I got a glimpse but it wouldn't be on the top of my list for a dwarf angel after keeping it.

 

[nonimmigrant]

+1. My pair u see if u know where to look. My big one though does come out for the nori block, but my small one u only see darting back and forth.

 

[o2manyfish]

Nonimmigrant - How long have you had your 2 for (or together for)? Have you seen any growth?

Dave B

 

[Toddrtrex]

Before mine was chased to its death by my mated pair of pink skunks, it would come out from time to time. Never saw it eat prepared foods, but in the 6+ months I had it, it put on weight.

One thing that did seem to get it out and about, was fleshy LPS.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_-Ma1xsjMTY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Can see it pop in and out in this one -- was a bit shaky, and the golden is dark

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kNPx-e7pFdU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[nonimmigrant]

Nonimmigrant - How long have you had your 2 for (or together for)? Have you seen any growth?

Dave B

Dave: I got both at an inch in length 6 yrs ago. They got to full length at 2.5" thereabouts pretty quickly, but now they just get wider my smaller one is just a smidge smaller, but you can tell them apart by coloration.

 

[mecheng]

I bought one from divers den about two months ago. He rules my tank and is out all the time. One thing I can suggest is they prefer subdued lighting.

 

[hobbzz]

Todd and Dave - how do you select your goldens if they don't eat prepared foods? Just make sure they're alert, fat, and healthy looking?

Also how do you pair them up? What's their normal pairing behavior like? An lfs has two in the same 30g cubicle right now. They each hide in a separate cave, but the smaller will occasionally come out and swim over to the cave of the larger one to check it out. They'll acknowledge each other and the larger one usually starts swimming toward the smaller one as if to signify "move on". No aggression or nipping though. Does that sound like a pair behavior or just tolerating achieve other?

Neither takes prepared food yet either. And it's a fish system so nothing to pick on. Not sure if I should pass, get one, or both. On the plus side they are fat and healthy looking.

 

[o2manyfish]

I am fortunate in that I get to pick my fish from a selection of many. I am always drawn to the smallest of fish. I'm looking for a fish that is swimming, but not twitching when its not swimming. A fish looking around it's cube for food. If there is poop in the cube, or the fish is pooping I don't want it to be white. And it's got to have nice colors.

The Goldens come in two colors. There is a dark rust color and then a brighter burnt orange color. I have one of each. I don't know why they are two different colors, or if they originate from 2 different locations, but there is a distinct difference in the colors.

Dave B

 

[hobbzz]

Thanks Dave, I was actually editing my original post when you were posting. Any info on pairing them?

 

[hobbzz]

So you aren't overly worried about goldens eating prepared foods as long as they look and act healthy?

 

[albano]

So you aren't overly worried about goldens eating prepared foods as long as they look and act healthy?

I would be worried...have heard stories about them seeming to do good for few months, then suddenly dead!

 

[o2manyfish]

My experience (and let's be cocky and say somewhat sucess) with Goldens, Venustus and Multibars - Is they have to have a tank which provides lots of dark reclusive safety and an abundance of natural food in the tank for them to feed off of.

I won't say it's pods, or sponge or even polyps. But these fish in my tank need to find something they like to eat in the tank and start feeding themselves. My Goldens don't come out of the rock work for any kind of food I put in the tank. My multi-bars are the same way. Dump a full bag of fresh brine in the tank, and they stick to picking at the rock work and let the brine swim right past.

As for pairing them up I have twice kept Goldens in pairs. The first time was about 10+ years ago when an old time reefer (Pucci here on RC) and I both got the opportunity and each bought a Golden Angel. I put mine in my display tank where it instantly vanished into the rocks. He put his into a frag tank - in which it swam back and forth across the front glass. After 4 months mine had vanished and his was swimming up front and eating everyday from his hand. I begged and begged and begged for him to sell me the fish. After a couple of months he agreed. I drove the 90 mins to his house. We caught the Golden in a minute - cause the damn fish is swimming back and forth along the front of the tank. I come home and am floating the fish in my display tank. And after 6 months without a glimpse of my golden.... Bam it's out of the rock work and swimming circles around the floating bag. I was really ****ed. Not a single sighting in 6 months and now the darn fish is out hanging out with it's twin. I released the second Golden and whoosh-- They both disappeared into the rock work. Those 2 were seen 1 following the other from time to time amoung the rocks, and along the bottom of the tank, but only when the lights in the tank were off. So during the day with the sunlight in the room but lights off I would see them out and picking off the rock work together. That pair was lost in a tank crash many moons ago.

The pair I have now was not such a romantic story. I had one Golden Angel - of the darker type. And it was barely visible in the tank - maybe seen once every other month. I came across a tiny Golden of the brighter red color and bought it and added it to the tank. It vanished into the rock work. That was 4 or 5 years ago. The two fish have been in there for years. They are as reclusive as reclusive can get. I have on occassion seen one swim by and the other follow. But in reality once every few months I see one dart underneath a rock, and I catch a glimpse of the size and know which one it is.

Dave B