Emperor Angelfish Care Guide – Emperor Angelfish are beautiful and exotic marine ornamental fish . This fish is also often called “Angel batman” probably because of its resemblance to the action figure. Having the scientific name pomacanthus imperator , this emperor angelfish is native to tropical waters near Hawaii. Certainly because of its beauty, this fish is often a permanent resident of marine aquariums .
Let’s discuss how to keep this emperor angelfish!
Appearance
Interestingly, the appearance of the emperor angelfish can change from time to time. They are classified into three stages: juvenile emperor angelfish, sub adult angelfish and adult angelfish. In general , this beautiful fish will display bright yellow, dark blue, white, black and a little indigo. Of course, it all depends on their stage of life.
Juvenile: The colors tend to be cool and have vertical stripes and wavy patterns on their bodies and faces . The base color is dark blue or black with light blue and white stripes. Juvenile emperor angelfish will also have spots on the dorsal to the anal fin.
Sub adult: As they get a little older, you can see a yellow hue starting to develop on their tail fin. This yellow color will slowly propagate to their bodies to slowly turn them into adult forms. The bands that had been curving around their bodies would also slowly change and form lines all over their bodies.
Adult: An adult Pomacanthus imperator will have yellow and blue stripes all over its body with a fully yellow caudal fin. He will also have a predominantly white face with dark blue or black bands over his eyes and other dark blue markings. In terms of size, Pomacanthus imperator can measure up to 38 cm in the wild. However, like most fish, in the aquarium they only grow about 30 cm.
The emperor angelfish can live for more than 20 years in the ocean, but with proper maintenance in an aquarium, it can last around 15-18 years.
Emperor Angelfish Care
This Emperor Angelfish is a type of ornamental fish whose maintenance is difficult and easy. The level of maintenance difficulty is in the medium category. Characteristically, this fish includes semi-aggressive and territorial. He likes to intimidate small fish, as well as similar fish and other angels. In addition, although it looks very suitable with reef tanks, it should be noted that emperor angelfish like to nibble on corals. If left unchecked, it can damage the reef structure in the aquarium.
In the ocean, these fish usually swim in groups, consisting of one male and several females. If there are other males, usually they will fight each other. If it’s your first time putting it in your tank, you might see a timid emperor angelfish. But once familiar with their environment, these fish will start to be active and can act aggressively.
Read Also = Galaxy Rasbora Care, Tank Mates, Size, Breeding Complete Guide
Emperor Angelfish Breeding
One of the reasons why the Emperor Angelfish is not an easy fish to keep, it is because he is a picky eater. Basically, the emeperor angelfish is an omnivorous fish, meaning it can eat anything. When he first inhabits an aquarium, he usually doesn’t want to eat. But over time, these fish will start to eat whatever you give them. Make sure you give them a good, balanced diet. consisting of vegetables and meats.
Some foods that you can give such as:
- Alga
- Pellet
- Lobster
- Squid
- Shell
- Spinach
- Hydroid
- Krill
- Mysis
How many times have emperor angelfish been fed?
At first, you can feed him up to 5 times a day, with the aim of getting used to eating in the new home . But slowly you can reduce it to 3 times a day.
Remember, feed little by little. If there is leftover feed, don’t forget to clean it so it doesn’t pollute the water.
Emperor Angelfish Aquarium Condition
We recommend that if you want to buy this fish, try to buy a juvenile. Because this will give them enough time to acclimate to aquarium life, and acclimate to the food you give them. Apart from changing different colors during the maturation phase, they also change their habitat. As long as the fish are juveniles to juveniles, they can be found on rocks near reefs. As they mature they will move closer to the reef. When it reaches full maturity, the emperor angelfish will begin to move closer to the reef.
Of course, knowing the phases of his life in the wild will give you an idea of the right aquarium setup for him. To be sure, you need to include a lot of rocks in the aquarium. Another feature that this species needs is sufficient sunlight . To keep fish healthy, place the aquarium in a well-lit area. Providing good light will not only help reduce the chances of disease, but will also increase the brightness of the colors. Well, if it is difficult to get sunlight, then you must provide an aquarium light with a high light intensity.
You can turn on the lights from morning to evening, such as the sunrise to sunset schedule. If you have a reef tank , you should think twice about adding this fish. His habit of nibbling at the reef, will certainly damage your reef tank . Although in its natural habitat it is always next to the reef, but don’t confuse it, you keep it in an aquarium where the potential for reef growth is slow! In essence, the Emperor Angelfish is suitable to be kept in the FO (Fish Only) or FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) aquarium type .
Although it looks strong, the emperor angelfish is not the type of fish that is strong against changes in water parameters. So, you must have a good enough filtration system. The ideal aquarium size for Emperor Angelfish is about 180 cm x 45 cm x 50 cm. Or a capacity of 473 liters. If you want to keep a pair, then you need to provide an aquarium with a capacity of 680 liters.
Parameter Air Emperor Angelfish
Aquarium temperatures are best kept at 22-28 degrees Celsius, as they are more used to warmer water. The pH level is at 8.1-8.4, and the specific gravity is at 1.023-1.025.
Perfect Companion for Emperor Angelfish
You should only keep one emperor angelfish per aquarium. But if you keep a pair, give it more space as described earlier. And again, don’t mix males with males, they will intimidate each other. If you want to keep a pair, buy a male and a female, or a female with a female. Beware of small fish, because they can be considered food by this angelfish. In addition, the Emperor Angelfish is also not suitable for fish that resemble the color or shape.
Some aquarium companions that are suitable for pomacanthus imperator such as:
- Butterfly fish
- Clownfish
- Damsels
- Lionfish
- grouper
- Puffer fish
- Tangs
How to keep the emperor angelfish is indeed classified as medium. That’s because of its life support specifications, picky food, and its compatibility with other tank mates. So, this seawater ornamental fish is somewhat less suitable for beginners who are just playing marine aquariums. Although it will look beautiful side by side with reefs, it is not recommended, because these angelfish can damage your reef tank . In terms of price, emperor angelfish is also not a cheap fish, so you need to take good care of it. Maybe that’s just a glimpse of how to keep the emperor angelfish (angel batman). Please consider first before starting to maintain it!