Paracentropyge

[dnsfpl]

care to share your experience in keeping Paracentropyge?

planning to keep multifasciata & venusta in my 4 footer

thanks in advance

[yikai]

As i've explained to you in PM.

I'll elaborate more here so others can read and share with the rest.

Paracentropyge is a genus of angelfish with 3 known species. P. multifasciata (multibar), P. venusta (venustus angel) and P. boylei (the famous peppermint).

They are very secretive angels that prefer rather deeper water and tend to hide alot. the peppermint angel inhabits extremely deep water that require only the most skillful and life-risking divers to collect.

the other 2 are easily collected in mid depth-shallower waters.

all three are found living amongst caves and under ledges where they swim upside down. swimming style is unique and unlike Centropyge. They tend to flutter and stop occasionally, and extend their ventral fins.

Ventral fins have 2 short filaments at the tips, which gives an extended look.

Main problem with them is adapting to our tanks. feeding is an issue and at times, even feeding is no use. they still die in the end either from stress or cyanide poisoning.

smaller specimens adapt much better. 1-2 inch.

as with the golden angel and colini angel, the multibar and venusta are one of the hardest "dwarf angels".

making the above 4 angels, the fantastically difficult 4.

wish you luck in something that i've tried, succeeded, failed, and now have lost interest.

[Digiman]

care to share your experience in keeping Paracentropyge?

planning to keep multifasciata & venusta in my 4 footer

thanks in advance

My experience with paracentropyge:

Multibar tried at least three times all failed! None feeding.

Venustus tried at least six times and all failed! One or two feeding but still die.

Reasons of death for all of them are most probably cyanide poisoning. Becos these are v crytic angelfishes and they are caught using cyanide.

[yikai]

oh yeah forgot to share my experience.

multibar - tried 5 times. all feeding but none made it. still die. max length was 4 weeks. (1 inch specimen kept before, lasted 2 months then MIA suddenly)

venustus - tried 5 times. 3 not feeding, all die. 1 inch baby juvenile feeding very well, kept for 2 months, then MIA (same time as my multibar). kept an adult 5th and last one, a yellow head variant. feeding vey very well on mysis but sold it away due to aggression. fate unknown.

see? how difficult?

i give up on this genus completely liao. i wish u more luck!

[yikai]

according to john coppolino, world famous angelfish nut and influential american reefer, he says that no angelfish is difficult. getting them to adapt is difficult"

it's true. because overcoming the adaption stage is the hardest. and many of your paracentropyge angels will be lost in this stage. but once u overcome it, it's just as easy as any other fish. feeding wise, food choice, etc.

it feeds well, eats well, but mostly die coz cannot adapt to our tanks.

so just try ur best. u've succeeded in golden angel. i don't see why u can't for these. but prepare yourself for initial losses.

[Digiman]

The most difficult lies in getting a healthy specimen, and it's really v v difficult cos all the multibars and venustus are cyanide caught.

Which means they will all look v healthy at the LFS and only when u buy it back it'll slowly break down in one two weeks or sometimes months den suddenly die.

U need a lot of luck! Like how u got a golden angel that survive.

[yikai]

The most difficult lies in getting a healthy specimen, and it's really v v difficult cos all the multibars and venustus are cyanide caught.

Which means they will all look v healthy at the LFS and only when u buy it back it'll slowly break down in one two weeks or sometimes months den suddenly die.

U need a lot of luck! Like how u got a golden angel that survive.

are they all cyanide caught?

i think not all bah but a great majority are.

[dnsfpl]

thanks a million for sharing your experiences

my golden also KO months later despite feeding on pellets

this time will try in my 4 footer, with CUC and peaceful fish

hopefully i will get luckier

luck plays the biggest role in keeping these fishes

thanks again

[Digiman]

are they all cyanide caught?

i think not all bah but a great majority are.

For these crytic fishes, most if not all cyanide caught. Philippines and indo divers are still using cyanide to catch their fishes. It cant be stopped, someone (cant remember the name) tried to teach them catching fishes without using chemicals but in the end they still revert to using chemicals, especially in catching the more cryptic fishes, becos it's cheap and effective. Most fishes can take the cyanide poisoning quite well and will survive, but multibars, venustus and golden are v sensitive and they normally wont survive the cyanide poisoning.

They receive huge orders of fishes each time and to supply to the whole world enough and at a cheap price, they will continue to use cyanide. Cos the day when they stop using the price will sure increase as the supply wont be able to meet the demand. No one will want to see the price of the indo fishes increase to that of caribbean fishes.

[dnsfpl]

anybody tried buying meaty corals for them to nip?

will this increase the success rate?

thanks

[yikai]

you can get those bleaching or dying brain or blastos for them.

dying LPS coral will exhibit some kind of smell that angels and butterflies are very attracted to.

it should tide them over but it will not sustain them for long.

u still need to train them to take food.

[dnsfpl]

noted bro

will start hunting them

thanks

[straydum]

bro do keep a log on these angels! i'm sure many reefers are as interested as you are in these fishes

[dnsfpl]

surely i will

wish me luck

cheers

[dnsfpl]

possible to keep them around 29-31 degree?

if so i will sell my chiller

thanks

[TayHongSiang]

possible to keep them around 29-31 degree?

if so i will sell my chiller

thanks

dun push your luck too far...

[Terryz_]

Not a good idea... Most Paracentropyge are deep water so to say, so the temp should be below 28...

[dnsfpl]

alamak so if chiller go i have to replan liao

and my cleaner shrimp have to go too

[dnsfpl]

weeks ago put my chiller for sale no response

today suddenly got 4 pple interested

is it due to recent big fluctuation of weather temperature?