Thinking about getting a multibar angel

[audiowerks]

My LFS has a real nice multibar angel (Paracentropyge multifasciata) ive never seen one locally before and was thinking of adding it to my 90.

the tank has been setup for over a year and recently i moved most of my corals to another tank, so setup has a lot of liverock with lots of life.

current fish stock list is 4" vlamingi, 3" yellow coris wrasse, and 3 chromis.

any comments or suggestions? im having trouble finding much info on them.

 

[inselaffe]

mine took ages to get eating (apart from zoas that he would eat all day), at 1st he would only eat flake of the surface, as soon as it sank he would leave it, after about 5 months he decided to start eating frozen.

Great little fish.

 

[audiowerks]

thanks.

 

[lunner]

From what I seen in LFSs this couple of years. Most are healthy and would take frozen food right away. I have a couple, purchased at different time, for more then a year now with no issues with coral.

 

[reefsic]

mine took ages to get eating (apart from zoas that he would eat all day), at 1st he would only eat flake of the surface, as soon as it sank he would leave it, after about 5 months he decided to start eating frozen.

Great little fish.

+1 on eating. I've had one in the past and they are very striking in person, real beatiful fish and not very common in the trade. Be sure that it is eating before you make the purchase! They are very finicky eaters.

Also, I'd make sure that you have plenty of LR so that it has the option to feed on sponges!

GL

 

[copps]

This species is hard to adapt, but not hard to keep... if the fish is in good shape and feeding you have much better chances... I kept one of these for almost five years and currently have a pair... a beautiful, often overlooked, and rather unique species...

 

[roktsintst]

I have a trio I've had for nearly a year now as well and they continue to facinate me. Once acclimated they seem to do well. But they do spend most of there time near the rocks and are quick to dart back into the rocks...

 

[Jacob D]

Hey Ryan it was good to have met you at the NVR meeting. I wanted to ask you a few questions about your multibars but my voice was gone by the time the meeting got over.

What have you been feeding them and are you keeping them with any centropyge's?

 

[roktsintst]

Hey jacob! Thanks for having me. Mine eat anything I put in the tank now but they only ate brine shrimp in qt so I fed them brine over 5 times a day until they began eating other foods! There is also a venustus in the display with them and they get along great. There is some mild courting going on between the 4 that is very interesting to watch!

 

[snorvich]

My LFS has a real nice multibar angel (Paracentropyge multifasciata) ive never seen one locally before and was thinking of adding it to my 90.

the tank has been setup for over a year and recently i moved most of my corals to another tank, so setup has a lot of liverock with lots of life.

current fish stock list is 4" vlamingi, 3" yellow coris wrasse, and 3 chromis.

any comments or suggestions? im having trouble finding much info on them.

You have a vlamingi in a 90 gallon tank?????? :eek2:

 

[29reef]

You have a vlamingi in a 90 gallon tank?????? :eek2:

It's small 4", James knows what he's doing. I believe there's 400 and 300 gal homes for it if need be.

James- will you post some photos of your new girl already

 

[snorvich]

It's small 4", James knows what he's doing. I believe there's 400 and 300 gal homes for it if need be.

James- will you post some photos of your new girl already

Well, he does not state that he has a 400 and 300 but even the 300 would not be large enough for a vlamingi.

 

[29reef]

Let's not get off topic.

Steve do you have any suggestions on the multibar?

 

[snorvich]

Ok, if you are going to try this fish, put it in a tank by itself to attempt getting it to eat. Putting it in a community tank would be much more problematical.

 

[ataller]

mine took ages to get eating (apart from zoas that he would eat all day), at 1st he would only eat flake of the surface, as soon as it sank he would leave it, after about 5 months he decided to start eating frozen.

Great little fish.

Wow what a coincidence. I have had my multi barred for 4ish months. He has not eaten a single thing I have fed yet. Frozen, live, prepared, nothing. I noticed lately he would pec along the back of the tank at the surface after i fed the other fish.

So I started to put some pellet on the surface and tonight for the first time He actually ate some. I am hoping now I can train him this way to eat more of the foods I feed.

I wonder what it is about the surface.

 

[ataller]

He does nip at a couple of his favorite spas and some palys. He has a routine swims around and nips where he likes, rinse repeat.

 

[29reef]

Ok, if you are going to try this fish, put it in a tank by itself to attempt getting it to eat. Putting it in a community tank would be much more problematical.

For this fish in general is it best to medicate for flukes and ...? before or after it's eating?

 

[Jacob D]

Hey jacob! Thanks for having me. Mine eat anything I put in the tank now but they only ate brine shrimp in qt so I fed them brine over 5 times a day until they began eating other foods! There is also a venustus in the display with them and they get along great. There is some mild courting going on between the 4 that is very interesting to watch!

That's a lot of brine shrimp, but whatever it takes is worth it. Interesting about the venustus in the mix, especially the courting.

Did you treat with Prazi in QT? I'm also curious about if/when to treat them with Prazi.

 

[roktsintst]

This is difficult and really depends on the fish. You have to make a call. The prazi will decrease appetite which makes a fish not eating really not want to eat. But maybe it isn't eating because it has flukes. One good way to tell is a fw dip. If flukes come off then I would treat immediatly. If no fluukes come off I would wait. Until it is eating better. But there are many ways to skin a cat and this is just my take...

Oh and I go through a lot of food w a 300 display a frag and 4 qt tanks!!!

 

[Toddrtrex]

Let's not get off topic.

Steve do you have any suggestions on the multibar?

IMO, that is on topic. The other tank mates will go a long way towards how a new addition will adapt. With a vlamingi in a too small of a tank, it is going to be stressed/passing the tank often will make it harder for a difficult fish to settle in. I have a Venustus (( the other fish in this family )), and while mean started eating right away, it was still on the shy side for the first month. I could have seen it being intimidated/stressed into not eating if there was a vlamingi in the tank with it.