Matthew, one of the things I've realized with hotus is that when they were in the trade for years not enough influence was put on their requirements for cool water I don't think... when most reefers think cool water we think 77 or around there, but these guys really need COOL water at or below 74. Most even hardcore reefers didn't provide this, and even if they did, they received the fish after weeks of transport from Easter through Hawaii, then sometimes through LA and on... all the while in systems way too warm for them... this sped the metabolism of an already stressed journey... so the question is whether this species is difficult as a species or difficult as a result of being kept in warmer water?
The C. abei that Charles has at the Waikiki Aquarium almost suffered the same fate, kept in warm water along the way... his photo in the new angelfish book is not long after he received it in rough shape... when the temp was dropped it turned around and started feeding, and when I saw it last month it looked great and was being kept too at 74...