Emperor Angelfish (pomacanthus imperator)

Here is something i have always wanted to do! this post! Of course this is all my opinion and experince.

Emperor Angelfish (Pomocanthus emperator)

Reef Safe:
This fish is not reef safe. When juvenile (<2”) they are harmless, hiding 90% of the time. They only come out to eat generally. Once they grow to >2” and they begin to transform they become slightly more aggressive. They will nibble on coral from leathers to some sps and definitely clams.

Attitude:
These fish appear to not be aggressive towards smaller or similarly sized fish. They are however territorial and chase intruders away with haste. Generally they will “share” food but will approach it aggressively and sometimes chase away other fish from the piece they are after.

Diet / Feeding:
It should be fed a varied diet of greens (nori) and meaty foods. It will also eat live sponges. Some prepared frozen foods contain sponge, which they love. Feeding heavily will not deter any unwanted snacking of corals or clams.

Care:
Emperor angels are hardy and easy to feed. A >200 gal tank is required when they get of larger size. Their maximum size can reach greater than 1’.

Origin:
Maldives, Indonesia, Fiji, Sri Lanka

Personal Observations:
These fish are absolutely the most gorgeous fish, both when a juvenile and adult. Their transition is very interesting to see and happens quite quickly. They are very territorial fish. What cave is theirs IS theirs. My particular specimen actually grunts or barks at other fish and when threatened. It sounds like a low tone beat or a rock hitting the glass. They love to eat clams and coral. Some articles note that their colours will not be as vibrant as in nature once their transformation is complete. If this is true I can’t imagine them as an adult in the wild.

The Transition:

1 month less than 1"


2 months 1.5"


3 months 1.75"


5 months 2.5"


7 months 3.25"


1 year ~4.5"


1 yr 2 months ~5"


1 yr 6 months ~6"

 

Nice pics Bunner!

 

wait thats an emperor as a juvenile??? wow i thought that was a koran angelfish

 

alot of angels have similar coloring as juveniles, if im right the blue faced angel looks identical to that as well.when in juvenile form

 

Thanks, some of the pics arent so hot. I am also going to add the newest one from this month once i find it.

very close, the difference i believe is the empreror angels have concentric circles is stead of vertical paralell lines.

 

Excellent write up. Would you mind elaborating on your food preparations? i.e. frozen, dried, brand names, specialties, how you prepare, soaking, etc. An Emperator is on the stocking list for the newly 150. Any and all specifics are appreciated. Thanks!

 

I curretly use any mysis i can buy at a reasonable price, (insert store brand here), PE mysis, hikari angel mix, cycolops and newlife pellets (I graduated the size from 1-3mm). The nori is just anything going from the grocery store 10 times cheaper and its essentially the same stuff.

No soaking required. When it was tiny i tried to target feed it but it just got more scared. I found that it loved to eat the cyclops and when it got the chance, the 1mm newlife pellets as well as my orange sponge.

Sponges come cheap so i think its a great way to include some of its natural diet.

 

Great info, thanks!

On another note: Where are you purchasing "cheap" sponges from?

 

Awesome pics of the transformation. I totally agree that Emperors are ok when young, but once they start getting the adult coloration, they become a nightmare. At least if you have a mixed reef. In a 100% SPS reef they are ok, if you have huge colonies. If your tank is young, and mostly frags and mini colonies, the fish will prune way too much, any lps, such as chalices and acans, they will eat them up. I watched, my emperor take bites out an inch from a couple of Tyree watermelons and that was enough for me. A side note, don't fool yourself thinking that if you feed it heavily, that it will not pick on corals, because I did, and the fish would still graze all day, taking nips on everything.

 

excellent point .... i also tried this!:-[
Im going to add this to the feeding!