Pairing Flame Angels info please

[theMeat]

So, just 2 nights ago i put what looks like a male, and what looks like a female flame into my 10 gal qt. After a few hours of chasing things have settled. They'r eating and things appear mostly peaceful but they don' seem friendly yet.

Anyone have experience with this? How long should it take?

 

[b-ridge]

How do you know it's a male and a female?

 

[theMeat]

females are smaller with thinner black bars. Males have pointier rear fins with more blue on them

 

[b-ridge]

Nice. Next time I'm in a lfs and I see quite a few I'm gonna look and see if I can tell the difference. Hopefully I can find me a pair

 

[theMeat]

Male
http://archiv.korallenriff.de/gu_centro_mann_1.jpg

Female
http://archiv.korallenriff.de/gu_centro_weib_1.jpg

 

[piranhapat]

Sex: Sexual differences

The male is generally larger than female, and the blue streaks on the males dorsal and **** fins are more pronounced than on the female. Like all Centropyge , these fish are born as female. As they grow in a group, the larger and more dominant fish will become male and the others will remain female. If the male dies, the next dominant female in the hierarchy will turn to male. Putting a larger and smaller fish together is the best way to get a pair, possibly in about two months.

 

[theMeat]

Thanx, so about 2 mos. If in fact the smaller one is a female. From what i gather once they start to change to male, even a lil, that's it they'r male and can't change back to female.
Wonder if i took them out of the 10 gal qt, and put them in the 220 gal, if they'd still pair

 

[theMeat]

Nice. Next time I'm in a lfs and I see quite a few I'm gonna look and see if I can tell the difference. Hopefully I can find me a pair

When comparing to determine male/female make sure they both come from the same place. Flames differ from place to place so comparing them it'd be impossible.

 

[b-ridge]

Ralph over at AX signatures has quite a few in. Plus there on sale. I'm gonna see if I'm lucky enough to find or possibly spot a pair
Is the same thing true with potter angels? He has them also on sale so might as well since he has them also

 

[theMeat]

Not sure about the Potters but can tell you it's a much harder fish to keep alive for long. If it's not eating and showing all sorts of health, don't get it, Best to get a farm raised, if you can find it.

With the flames you want to get them quick. If they spend a couple of weeks in a tank alone they'r likely already changing to male

 

[piranhapat]

Potter's angelfish is an orange fish where the orange colour darkens to bluish-black on much of the lower side. In males, this dark area is much larger than in females. A fish that displays plenty of orange color is therefore normally a female. Another difference between males and females is that the males have more blue on their fins and more elongated bodies.

 

[piranhapat]

Potters are not much different from other dwarf angel. A lot of the time they don't ship well. But Qt the fish is a must. Once they eating they have a very good survival rate. A mature tank is ideal. It may help if your more experienced with angels.

 

[b-ridge]

Farm raised potters that's interesting?
@pat-when you was at Ralph's the other day did you notice any males/females with the flames?

 

[piranhapat]

Yes, he had 2 big males and had a few small females.

 

[piranhapat]

Interesting Facts and Information -
How do you identify the sex of a Flame Angelfish?
The males and females of many fish species have different colors or different shaped bodies. But there are also other fish species where there is no visible difference. Its sometimes tricky being an ichthyologist!

 

[b-ridge]

I better hurry up and grab a pair then
Think it's better to add together in a small tank like a 10 gallon at first or something bigger just in case there is some aggression?

 

[piranhapat]

I would go with at least 20gal

 

[piranhapat]

I remember paying $75 back in the day. You can have two and still have $15 left over.

 

[b-ridge]

$75 each? Wow
Maybe I'll get a deal if I buy 2.
Dang on Manhattan reefers. Always wanting more for less. There already on sale at $30 and he still asking for less. Cmon b-ridge. What do you think this is Black Friday sales already? Lol

 

[theMeat]

Yeah, for the first few days the smaller the better so there's no avoiding each other. !0 gal should be good. A couple of pvc pipes, good to go.
Have been in the hobby for decades and the only potters i got to survive more than a year was a farm raised/captive bred that was eating pellets when i got it. That was until my haitian star fish went over the hole he'd sleep in, and the rest is history. Flames are much hardier