Multiple Large Angels in 375G FOWLR

Dinkins Aquatic Gardens · Oct 6, 2021

Hey everybody! I'm considering a 96"x30"x30" FOWLR setup with as many large angels as I can safely keep together long term. Looking at the different genera and an wondering if I can keep the following together (I'd like one from each genus and two from each if at all possible):

Yellowtail, scribbled or false personifer (could I do more than one from this genus?)

Queen, King, Rock Beauty (could I have more than one from this genus)

Emperor. Any chance I could keep an Asfur, Yellowface, or Goldtail with the Emperor?

Regal Angel.

blaxsun · Oct 6, 2021

You have to get the emperor.

KevinC · Oct 6, 2021

no regal!?

Dinkins Aquatic Gardens · Oct 6, 2021

KevinC said:
no regal!?

Good point! Added!

DCR · Oct 6, 2021

King (Passer) is super aggressive IME. I would avoid them. The Queen, Emperor, Asfur and Blueface are aggressive but can be kept together IME. The Scribbled, Rock Beauty and Regal are generally less aggressive, more difficult to feed and may suffer with the others. I would get them well established before adding the others if you include them. No experience with the others.

I have generally found that keeping 5-6+ angels is easier (provided you have a large enough tank) than 2-3 because the aggression gets spread out and no one gets singled out.

LaloJ · Oct 7, 2021

That's a pretty big tank, IMO, you shouldn't have a problem storing 5 or 6 big angels, but you'll need luck and a few tricks. Get the finest and pickiest angels to eat first, Chaetodontoplus, Apolemichthys and Pygoplites enter here. Quarantine and adapt them before everyone else. If you have no problem paying for an personifer angelfish, I would trade A.Xanthurus for Goldflake, just my opinion. Also, without a doubt, let the last thing add the emperor and Chrysurus, I would also stay away from Holacanthus passer, they are beautiful but very aggressive, you can try with this fish for sure, but with caution, and you must have a plan B if any of the angels just don't work at all.

Zionas · Oct 7, 2021

First of all, congrats on the tank! I’d be looking for a nice selection of captive bred angels in there, I’m partial to the “medium” angels over the super big and aggressive ones. I’d have a pair of ones like the Majestic, Blue Line, Goldflake, Scribbled, Red Sea Regal, or even better, a pair of Maze Angels (they’re hybrids between Blue Lines and other Chaetodontoplus angels of the Melanosoma “complex”). Maybe even a pair of Kingii.

Majestic, Scribbled, Goldflake, Maze are available captive bred from Bali Aquarich and Biota (who get their stock from Bali Aquarich). Blue Line (C. Septentrionalis) are available captive bred from Taiwanese breeders not very well-known in the West, but LiveAquaria might have them.

As for the rest I’d probably get Asfur, Christmas Island or Maldives Emperor, and a False Personifer (C. Meredithi) if you can find a healthy one.

What about dwarfs? I’d have a nice harem or maybe two pairs of dwarfs too. Biota does Coral Beauties, Lemonpeels (from Bali Aquarich), Lemonpeel x Half Black Hybirds (from Bali Aquarich). Not sure who does then but Flame Angels have been captive bred too. IMO even better, get your hands on the more rare deepwater varieties of dwarfs like the captive bred Colin’s, Venusta and Multibar.

Not a big fan of the Queen and King (Passer) Angels. Clarions are too expensive and Cortez get big and aren’t good looking. French look great but get too large for the vast majority of tanks. Not an overly big fan of the Koran or Annularis or Africanus.

I’m partial to (in no order):

1. Blue Line (Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis)
2. Majestic (Pomacanthus navarchus)
3. Red Sea Regal (Pygoplites Diacanthus)
4. Goldflake (Apolemichthys xanthopunctata)
5. Blue Line x “Melanosoma” complex (“Maze” Angels)

Dinkins Aquatic Gardens · Oct 7, 2021

Thanks for the feedback, based on y'all's comments and further research, what do y'all think of this:

Emperor and Blueface from Pomacanthus, Queen from Holacanthus, Flagfin from Apolemichthys, False Personifer and Scribbled from Chaetodontoplus, and of course Regal.