The makings of a pair? My attempt with two Christmas Island Pomacanthus imperator

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15319946#post15319946 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
I like the new caledonia emps as well (love the streamer) but couldn't find one. I got a decent deal on my cxi and went for it. Hopefully I can get another one that is shipped ok to me. What is special about the red sea? I don't want to pay for a cxi unless it has the orange tail. Guess I will need to see it first.
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From my diving experience, Red Sea ones, especially the males can have the deepest colors ever, you can almost swear the tail is red.
Same as Christmas specimens, which are extremely popular in HK these days and coming in large numbers, the tail color differs from one specimen from another.

If you guys like the New Caledonia specimens you'd love the Jumbo China Emperors, same deal but some have orange tails!
 
Orange tail and a streamer??? I am in...I have seen ones that have a very dark shade of yellow, but not orange/red with a streamer...find me one of those Vili!
 
Yeah really! I'd LOVE an orange tail and a streamer!!!! I couldn't decide on what to get, so I went with whatever I could find. How much do they go for? Where could I get one?
 
CXI are the best IMO. they always eat and always come in good (to me anyway - but none of my customers have complained! granted i bag them very heavy) I actually had 1 emp from Xmas with a solid yellow tail - not faded or light, brighter than a yellow tang) and another one with an almost reddish tail. same place, same time.. crazy the diversity that happens.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15318243#post15318243 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Vili_Shark
John,
Thats interesting.
What food are you using?
Did it lose any color at all?
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Cayenne pepper and carrots... :D I feed a mixed slurry or frozen foods and a gel bound angel food that keeps the larger angels fat by giving them chunks of food. It doesn't appear to have lost color... again using my clarion as a gauge for the color of the tail...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15318251#post15318251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Vili_Shark
Like Red Sea Emperor, the best looking emperor....:)
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Yeah but you're from Israel aren't you? That opinion is biased! :) In all reality there is no ugly emperor... I believe the New Caledonia ones are nice, but these are almost always brought in HUGE so that may be the reason for that... A huge emp is a site to see anywhere... I regularly see them in Guam and they are stunning, with the magnification underwater adding to their apparent size (I never realized until I started collecting fish years ago that they appear MUCH larger diving... when I'd get them to the surface they shrunk it seemed!). Red Sea specimens are gorgeous fish... is it me or does their striping along the side seem to be more finely lined? For my money though, and I've seen them all, Christmas Island specimens are the most consistently striking in their color... it's so rich... orange tail aside, it almost looks like these specimens are photoshopped when you view them in person... gorgeous! The streamers I do not care too much about... the rounded look is cool IMO... but of course to each their own... Like so many other things, I'd love to do DNA work to see what's going on with all of these populations... As I said before, emps are an amazing fish... having found their way from South Africa all the way to Hawaii... the most distributed of all angels...

Copps
 
Hello John,

Seen them all in the hundreds , nothing can be compared to a pair of Red Sea Emperors in the shallow water in the sunset when the rays are penetrating the water from the side, it looks like a dream....makes u swallow your regulator.

There're many guys in HK who brings in the China emperors, always on the large size sometimes 15" or even more, there's obly one guy though, who imports them few times a year with a streamer and an orange tail, just amazing fish.
 
is there some way we could start a thread showing the different physical variations between populations? Does anyone have photos they could share?
 
So where can I get an emperor with a dark orange or red tail that I've been hearing about so much? My cxi emperor barely had a noticeable different in the tail, I want one that STANDS OUT! The more orange/red (prefer red) the better!
 
Best pictures I could find on google for a red tailed emperor. I believe most are from the Red Sea. Didn't find any that were orange/red with a streamer though.


pd1057883.jpg

EmperorAngelfish1.jpg

emperor-angelfish-550.jpg

sea131.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15338344#post15338344 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
So where can I get an emperor with a dark orange or red tail that I've been hearing about so much? My cxi emperor barely had a noticeable different in the tail, I want one that STANDS OUT! The more orange/red (prefer red) the better!
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Red Sea specimens like the ones from the pics were once popular in HK when Red Sea fish were coming in on a daily basis.

You could get a fish like that but evetually the Red/Orange tail would turn yellow-deep yellow.

Thats why I was interested to hear about John's specimen which is special as he holds the tail color.
 
I know a couple people who have CXI emperors with orange tails that still have them after 6-12 months later. Guess it's the luck of the draw. I'm sure water quality and diet plays a big role. Well I might as well forget about getting a orange/red tailed emperor then if it will ultimately end up like a regular emperor, no point in paying 2-3x more. Wonder what are my chances at getting an emperor with a streamer? That will never go away :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15341029#post15341029 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
I know a couple people who have CXI emperors with orange tails that still have them after 6-12 months later. Guess it's the luck of the draw. I'm sure water quality and diet plays a big role. Well I might as well forget about getting a orange/red tailed emperor then if it will ultimately end up like a regular emperor, no point in paying 2-3x more. Wonder what are my chances at getting an emperor with a streamer? That will never go away :)
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Streamer Emperor is not a problem at all, they're found in both Indonesia and Philipines.
 
When do they start devolpung one? Any chance in me getting one? I see lots of adult emperors at the LFS but none show signs of streamers. I don't want to take a chance.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15342422#post15342422 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
When do they start devolpung one? Any chance in me getting one? I see lots of adult emperors at the LFS but none show signs of streamers. I don't want to take a chance.
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Pretty sure it's an origin thing.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15342422#post15342422 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
When do they start devolpung one? Any chance in me getting one? I see lots of adult emperors at the LFS but none show signs of streamers. I don't want to take a chance.
Click to expand...

Im not in America so I cant help you in that , but Im sure if your LFS calls a serious importer in LA, they'll be able to get you one.

Keep in mind that if you want an Emperor with a streamer it'll have to be a very large fish.
 
How large are we talking? I dont think I should go any bigger than 8". I will be upgrading in the next year or so, but I don't want the fish to be crammed until then. I don't trust any of my LFS.
 
Getting caught up here guys... check out this orange tail changing specimen I got... the only one I've ever seen... he ended up going to a friend though as Pomacanthus do not generally form trios... :)

emperor.jpg
 
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