Venustus Angelfish

Cracken

New member
I have read most articles on this fish and it seems like the main problem is to get a healthy specimen and to get them to eat. Besides this what makes them so challenging. Any success or failure stories would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have read most articles on this fish and it seems like the main problem is to get a healthy specimen and to get them to eat. Besides this what makes them so challenging. Any success or failure stories would be greatly appreciated.

I was going to make a similar thread but specifically ask those who bought their Venustus from DFSLA. I would like to see how many of these specimens are thriving since their purchase. I passed on the two that were offered this week, even after I had them in my cart and was ready to pay. I just can't get myself to pull the trigger on this fish due to their reputation. :crazy1:
 
jnc914 i think the reason they are less hardy is because they are tough to get to eat. Once established to a tank it seems that they become pretty hardy.
 
I have had mine for about a month and a half (( it came 6/24/10 )) from Diver's Den. It came in the AM, and I put it in a breeder box (( after acclimating it )) while I was at work. Once I got home I released it (( didn't want to take a chance of the other fish going after it while I was gone )). Within 5 minutes of it being released it was eating prepared foods. I would like it to put on some more weight, but it isn't skinny.

It seems to eat anything I put in the tank -- Rod's food (( red, green and blue label )), LifeLine's herbivore mix, PrimeReef and PE Mysis.

venustusangel12.jpg


venustusangel11.jpg
 
I absolutly love this fish and i have gone through quite a few of them. I now have one doing excellent in my display after 8 weeks of QT and another that has been in QT for a few weeks now and already through 1 round of prazi.

These are very shy fish and dont liketo be bothered much at first. Plus, they dont eat well usually so finding a strong healthy one is of the highest concern. The one if have in my Display ate right away. I got them from many different places, but none through LA.

My Venustus in the Display has been in there a few weeks now and is just now starting to vneture ou of her cave to check out the tank but there are many places she still has yet to visit in the tank!

Jason, I think if the opportunity presented itself you have the skills to keep a Venustus expecially if you got a DFSLA Venustus!
 
I have read most articles on this fish and it seems like the main problem is to get a healthy specimen and to get them to eat. Besides this what makes them so challenging. Any success or failure stories would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Cracken, i have some experience with these fish as they do come in with some regularity in my country (Malaysia). From what i've seen, smaller specimens have a much better chance of eating prepared foods. By smaller, i mean 3 inches and below.

The vast majority that come in however, are 3.5 inches and up. And those almost always perish from starvation here. If you see one that is healthy and eating, don't hesitate, buy it on the spot. Even if it isn't eating alot, their taste for prepared foods generally increase with time from what i've seen. Here are my two 3 inchers in their quarantine :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De-oSp04Vc4

The one on the right was never a strong eater in the beginning. After two weeks, its eating habits are improving greatly.
 
Here is a longish video of my Venustus eating -- Prime Reef -- and some of the other fish. This was my first video, so bare with me.

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Beautiful tank todd! I tried a few. Getting them to eat was the easy part. after about 2-3 months they would always break down with ich and never made it through it. One day I will try another one but for now I have my potters and multicolor!!
 
Thanks a lot.

Knock on wood, it won't come down with anything. I couldn't get it in the video, but there is a Golden dwarf in that tank too.

I used to have a Multicolored, but I believe I could never clear it of "bugs" and it started losing weight after 5 months and a couple treatments with prazi (( or however it is spelled )). I have a Potter's in one of my other tanks, little pig.
 
I was going to make a similar thread but specifically ask those who bought their Venustus from DFSLA. I would like to see how many of these specimens are thriving since their purchase. I passed on the two that were offered this week, even after I had them in my cart and was ready to pay. I just can't get myself to pull the trigger on this fish due to their reputation. :crazy1:

Funny that I was thinking similar but rather let the respondant fill in where they got their specimen from. I was thinking one month time frame then tally up.

Got my male last October from SWF. Took it 24 days before eating frozen mysis and since intro to DT he will eat pellets and nori.




I'm not convinced that getting them to eat is the biggest challenge as I received 2 Golden angels recently that was eating within couple of days but both didn't make it past 3 weeks.


PirateFX--I agree with you that the smaller the better. Took my 2" Goldflake angel only 2 days to eat while the 6" adult took 24 days.
 
I'm not convinced that getting them to eat is the biggest challenge as I received 2 Golden angels recently that was eating within couple of days but both didn't make it past 3 weeks. PirateFX--I agree with you that the smaller the better. Took my 2" Goldflake angel only 2 days to eat while the 6" adult took 24 days.

Hi Flameangel. If you're talking about "questionable" collecting methods, then i agree with you. I don't quite trust locally collected angels, specifically Aurantia, Nox, Bicolor and Venustus. But i don't have proof that they were caught with cyanide. All i can go with are the experiences of reefers here as well as my own. Its the sudden inexplicable deaths of eating specimens that is worrying.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31257827@N02/4871903949/" title="Venustus by benilava, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4871903949_fc1d941867_b.jpg" width="800" height="515" alt="Venustus" /></a>

Pic was taken today at a wholesaler here. One or two might make it, the rest won't.
 
I don't have any proof either about Cyanide use, but the high mortality of Bi-color & some others strongly suggest it is being used. That or some other drug that has long term consequences for the fish.

Matthew
 
I can buy a specimen from fiji that is eating frozen mini mysis should i get it or wait it out a little longer?
 
PirateFX--that's exactly what I was getting at and I should have been more clear.

Craken--it's the roll of the dice. As they say, if it's eating then half the battle is won. When it comes to collection method, correctly decompressed is beyond our control.
 
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