Anyone has success with bicolor angel?

Navyblue · 01/10/2007, 10:33 PM

In the past. I had 2 attempts in keeping a bicolor angel and both didn't make it out of quarantine even though I managed to get them to take prepared food.

I came across this just now.

http://www.centropyge.net/bicolor.html

And it says:

Quote:

Comments - Very difficult to keep alive. There must be something in the collection process for as common as this fish is I personally have never been able to get one past initial acclimation.

I thought it was interesting that I wasn't alone. I wonder if anyone had success with them?

emerald chondro · 01/10/2007, 10:34 PM

Ive kept two..both about 2 months..until they started picking at the Sps..then they had to go

Navyblue · 01/10/2007, 10:38 PM

Well, at least you can keep your alive.

Thanks for giving me the hope

, I might try another again.

Navyblue · 01/11/2007, 11:07 AM

Anyone else?

gary faulkner · 01/11/2007, 02:08 PM

I have had mine for about 6 weeks now.
Eats like a pig.
I am slowly adding different corals to his tank to see if he is interested in anything.
So far I have added zoos and zenia.
Hope to add some SPS today.
If he eats any corals I will just keep him in my FOWLR.

HTH

Shnabbles · 01/11/2007, 02:14 PM

I had mine for over a year almost 2 before i noticed how often he was picking at my LPS... so he was outta there to.... damn shame to cause he was super healthy

Navyblue · 01/12/2007, 04:55 AM

Hmmm... May be I have to rethink about keeping one...

corals b 4 bills · 01/12/2007, 07:28 AM

I kept one until it stressed out my clam so much by picking at it's mantle that it eventually died.

Navyblue · 01/12/2007, 07:45 AM

3 bad and 1 neutral comments. The statistic doesn't look all that good isn't it?

Fishyfins · 01/12/2007, 12:45 PM

ive had very good results, i work for my LFS, we never loose any when in stock, even if they sit for months. ive had one for 3 years, and ive never heard of anyone loosing them quickly unless their tank crashed and everything died, or they didnt acclimatise it properly. must be an american problem

Navyblue · 01/13/2007, 03:16 PM

Well, despite the coral nipping feedback, I just got one for myself.

Wish me luck.

gary faulkner · 01/13/2007, 03:53 PM

Navyblue
Good luck with the Bicolor.

What kind of tank mates are you going to put him with?

What type corals?

Going to QT?

Inquiring minds want to know. hehe : >)

Peter Eichler · 01/13/2007, 04:00 PM

For as long as I can remember they've been regarded as a difficult fish to keep. They also are more likely to pick at corals than most other Centropyge angels. Just not sure why someone would want one in their reef tank when there are many easier and less destructive choices, but goodluck with him!

Navyblue · 01/13/2007, 04:21 PM

Interesting to note that the Wikipedia entry says that this is a hard fish too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicolor_angelfish

Currently I have an ocellaris clown pair, 4 stripes damsel, tangaroa shrimp goby. My tank is a 120G softies tank with lots of mushrooms. He is in QT right now along with a purple tang and a strawberry dottyback.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1005119

This guys is fat and is very active, hopefully he made through the QT and behaves in my display.

Peter Eichler · 01/13/2007, 04:25 PM

Ok, I gotta ask... You had two fish that didn't make it through quarantine, two fish that you should have researched a little before getting them the first two times. Yet you went out and bought a 3rd one and are just now discovering that they're not an easy fish to keep in captivity?

McCrary · 01/13/2007, 04:30 PM

The reason that they don't often make it through quarantine is the method in which they are handled during collection. The fact that the fish is difficult to keep has very little to do with the keeper as they are very hardy when captured correctly.

Navyblue · 01/13/2007, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter Eichler
Ok, I gotta ask... You had two fish that didn't make it through quarantine, two fish that you should have researched a little before getting them the first two times. Yet you went out and bought a 3rd one and are just now discovering that they're not an easy fish to keep in captivity?

I did researched their need and I did provide the best that I could within my knowledge. I took the plunge again after hearing there were success story which reinforced my believe that the fishes I tried were doomed from the start.

Quoted from WWM:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fi...pyge/index.htm

Quote:

Centropyge bicolor (Bloch 1787), the Blue-and-Gold, Pacific Rock Beauty, Bicolor or Oriole Dwarf Angel (3), is highly variable in it's survivability in captivity. Some shipments are 100% live on arrival, others can be just the opposite within days. Better specimens come from other than the Philippines or Indonesia. To 6" if they live. This near full-size adult off Heron Island, GBR, Australia. Pix by Hiroyuki Tanaka and RMF.

Most of the fishes here come from Indonesia (which is just next door

), which doesn't seem to have the best reputation.

If all fishes are meant to live after purchase I don't see the need for QT.

gary faulkner · 01/13/2007, 08:37 PM

Navyblue
Hang in there man.
Not everyone is so negative.
If people like you didn't take a few chances, where would the hobby be?

Best of Luck.

Navyblue · 01/14/2007, 01:57 AM

Thanks Gary and TurboSnail.

Peter Eichler · 01/14/2007, 03:14 AM

Navy, I was not at all blaming you for the fish deaths. I do however wish people would just let go of trying to keep certain species. The bicolor is certainly borderline and is in no way as bad as say, a Moorish Idol. However I don't understand why someone would have 2 fish die inexplicably and then go get a 3rd if they knew there were problems surrounding it. There are so many beautiful fish out there, why not try something with a better track record?

tsmonrad · 01/14/2007, 05:59 AM

I am new. have a 29g biocube. cycled for 15 days with live rock and sand. After testing the water, my LFS reccomended a bicolor as first fish....poor guy lasted 3 days. Was this a bad recomendation to use a bicolor as a first inhabitant?

colettem · 01/14/2007, 06:33 AM

tsmonrad- definitely not a good first fish. In general it is not worth listening to anything the staff in a lfs tells you - some will be experts but usually they are in a minority. Most of the staff do not know what they are talking about. Certainly where I live most of them are kids doing a Saturday job. Best place to ask is a bulletin board like RC - you usually get a variety of opinions but mostly fairly sound.

tsmonrad · 01/14/2007, 06:36 AM

thanks for the advice- this is supposed to be a specialy store in Naples Florida. what do you suggest to introduce livestock to a new set up?

Navyblue · 01/14/2007, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter Eichler
Navy, I was not at all blaming you for the fish deaths. I do however wish people would just let go of trying to keep certain species. The bicolor is certainly borderline and is in no way as bad as say, a Moorish Idol. However I don't understand why someone would have 2 fish die inexplicably and then go get a 3rd if they knew there were problems surrounding it. There are so many beautiful fish out there, why not try something with a better track record?

No worries, I see where your point is.

Just that IMO, bicolor angel doesn't seems to be as bad. I have seen many reef tanks with them living for extended period. And I was surprised to read the centropyge.net describing circumstances identical to mine, which leads me to wonder if my experience is the typical or the exception.

I also agree with Gary that some calculated risk are worth taking, or else we won't even see SPS in our tanks which is an impossible 20 year ago.

01/11/2007, 02:08 PM	#5
gary faulkner Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,468	I have had mine for about 6 weeks now. Eats like a pig. I am slowly adding different corals to his tank to see if he is interested in anything. So far I have added zoos and zenia. Hope to add some SPS today. If he eats any corals I will just keep him in my FOWLR. HTH __________________ Gary Current Tank Info: 300G SPS

01/12/2007, 07:28 AM	#8
corals b 4 bills Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Francisco Bay Area (Belmont). Posts: 2,381	I kept one until it stressed out my clam so much by picking at it's mantle that it eventually died. __________________ Reefkeeper - (ref-ke-per) n: Individual obsessed with placing disturbing amounts of electricity and seawater in close proximity for the purpose of maintaining live coral reef organisms. Current Tank Info: 29 gallon Bio Cube, HQI 150 watt Nanotuner~Vortech MP10W ES~Arctica Chiller~AC II~Tunze Osmolator ATO~ Tunze 9002 skimmer W/In Tank Cup~ Korallin Reactor W/PH Monitor~ Korallin Denitrator~APC Back-up~Phosban/Carbon Reactor.

01/13/2007, 03:53 PM	#12
gary faulkner Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,468	Navyblue Good luck with the Bicolor. What kind of tank mates are you going to put him with? What type corals? Going to QT? Inquiring minds want to know. hehe : >) __________________ Gary Current Tank Info: 300G SPS

01/13/2007, 04:00 PM	#13
Peter Eichler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 6,081	For as long as I can remember they've been regarded as a difficult fish to keep. They also are more likely to pick at corals than most other Centropyge angels. Just not sure why someone would want one in their reef tank when there are many easier and less destructive choices, but goodluck with him! __________________ April 2015 TOTM

01/13/2007, 04:25 PM	#15
Peter Eichler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 6,081	Ok, I gotta ask... You had two fish that didn't make it through quarantine, two fish that you should have researched a little before getting them the first two times. Yet you went out and bought a 3rd one and are just now discovering that they're not an easy fish to keep in captivity? __________________ April 2015 TOTM

01/10/2007, 10:34 PM	#2
emerald chondro Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 311	Ive kept two..both about 2 months..until they started picking at the Sps..then they had to go

01/10/2007, 10:38 PM	#3
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Well, at least you can keep your alive. Thanks for giving me the hope , I might try another again.

01/11/2007, 11:07 AM	#4
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Anyone else?

01/11/2007, 02:14 PM	#6
Shnabbles Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Clayton, DE Posts: 1,316	I had mine for over a year almost 2 before i noticed how often he was picking at my LPS... so he was outta there to.... damn shame to cause he was super healthy

01/12/2007, 04:55 AM	#7
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Hmmm... May be I have to rethink about keeping one...

01/12/2007, 07:45 AM	#9
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	3 bad and 1 neutral comments. The statistic doesn't look all that good isn't it?

01/12/2007, 12:45 PM	#10
Fishyfins Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Hull, UK Posts: 28	ive had very good results, i work for my LFS, we never loose any when in stock, even if they sit for months. ive had one for 3 years, and ive never heard of anyone loosing them quickly unless their tank crashed and everything died, or they didnt acclimatise it properly. must be an american problem

01/13/2007, 03:16 PM	#11
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Well, despite the coral nipping feedback, I just got one for myself. Wish me luck.

01/13/2007, 04:21 PM	#14
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Interesting to note that the Wikipedia entry says that this is a hard fish too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicolor_angelfish Currently I have an ocellaris clown pair, 4 stripes damsel, tangaroa shrimp goby. My tank is a 120G softies tank with lots of mushrooms. He is in QT right now along with a purple tang and a strawberry dottyback. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1005119 This guys is fat and is very active, hopefully he made through the QT and behaves in my display.

01/13/2007, 04:30 PM	#16
McCrary Can't Stop Time Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,079	The reason that they don't often make it through quarantine is the method in which they are handled during collection. The fact that the fish is difficult to keep has very little to do with the keeper as they are very hardy when captured correctly. __________________ Matt Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC), Rudens

01/13/2007, 08:37 PM	#18
gary faulkner Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,468	Navyblue Hang in there man. Not everyone is so negative. If people like you didn't take a few chances, where would the hobby be? Best of Luck. __________________ Gary Current Tank Info: 300G SPS

01/14/2007, 01:57 AM	#19
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Thanks Gary and TurboSnail.

01/14/2007, 03:14 AM	#20
Peter Eichler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 6,081	Navy, I was not at all blaming you for the fish deaths. I do however wish people would just let go of trying to keep certain species. The bicolor is certainly borderline and is in no way as bad as say, a Moorish Idol. However I don't understand why someone would have 2 fish die inexplicably and then go get a 3rd if they knew there were problems surrounding it. There are so many beautiful fish out there, why not try something with a better track record? __________________ April 2015 TOTM

01/14/2007, 05:59 AM	#21
tsmonrad Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 60	bicolor I am new. have a 29g biocube. cycled for 15 days with live rock and sand. After testing the water, my LFS reccomended a bicolor as first fish....poor guy lasted 3 days. Was this a bad recomendation to use a bicolor as a first inhabitant?

01/14/2007, 06:33 AM	#22
colettem Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: UK Posts: 191	tsmonrad- definitely not a good first fish. In general it is not worth listening to anything the staff in a lfs tells you - some will be experts but usually they are in a minority. Most of the staff do not know what they are talking about. Certainly where I live most of them are kids doing a Saturday job. Best place to ask is a bulletin board like RC - you usually get a variety of opinions but mostly fairly sound.

01/14/2007, 06:36 AM	#23
tsmonrad Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 60	thanks for the advice- this is supposed to be a specialy store in Naples Florida. what do you suggest to introduce livestock to a new set up?