Emperors of R2R (pomacanthus imperator)

[Wen]

Let’s start an Emperor thread!!!

Share a profile of your pomacanthus imperator.

Photos and your experiences:
How long have you had it? What are its favorite coral snacks? Any corals it ignores? Fun stories? Did you Qt?
Concerns? Did you name it?

I am hoping this thread will help us learn more about this awesome fish and give them the best care we can.

 

[Wen]

Meet General Tso, introduced to my mixed reef 1 wk ago. It went through Qt and then 30 day observation before the dt.
He eats everything! (Pellets, nori, LRS, clams-No corals yet.)
General Tso has the unique ability to swim extremely close to fiercely guarded clownfish eggs and nems as if invisible.
He likes hanging with a larger CBB, allows the cleaner shrimp to inspect, and I love how he moves around almost like a leaf blowing.

 

[ca1ore]

Not a great picture, but here's my adult (approx. 6"). Eats zooanthids and pest anemones but nothing else. Cranky and grunts all day.

 

[Wen]

Not a great picture, but here's my adult (approx. 6"). Eats zooanthids and pest anemones but nothing else. Cranky and grunts all day.

View attachment 1465158

He is gorgeous! How large was it when you could hear the grunting? Mine is 2” and no sounds yet.

 

[lagatbezan]

Mine has been with me for over 7 years and is about 14” and starting to grow streamers. Can hear him grunt all the way on the other side of the house. Have him in a FOWLR.

 

[ca1ore]

He is gorgeous! How large was it when you could hear the grunting? Mine is 2” and no sounds yet.

I bought him at about 4” already with adult colors. Grunted right from the start. Sounds just like rocks falling .... which freaked me out at first.

 

[4FordFamily]

Mine doesn't have a name, but he's been with me about 18 months. Purchased at about 4.5 inches or so, is probably 5.5 now. Previous tank boss, shares the tank with LOTS of other angels including:

Scribbled (5.5")
Queen (8.5") (not pictured, was treating for popeye)
Passer (7.5"+)
Goldflake (5")
French Juvenile (5")
Blue Face Angel (4.5")
and 4 Flame Angels, and a Coral Beauty angel.

I had a blueline that did not make it through QT, will try again though.

Anyway, a horrible video above.

Stories? Well, like others have said, mine is extremely vocal. People don't believe that it's my Emperor angel grunting and making all of the noise that he does. He "talks" to the other angels, trying to assert his dominance (which he no longer has). Since the Queen, Scribbled, Passer, and Goldflake were added, he is now submissive to the Queen, Passer, and the old French, surprisingly as he becomes increasingly aggressive/large). He is a neat fish, with a lot of personality. I almost feel bad that he's been trumped, but it doesn't seem to bother him much.

My ~9" Dussumeiri tang intimidates him, too -- though he's harmless.

 

[4FordFamily]

I bought him at about 4” already with adult colors. Grunted right from the start. Sounds just like rocks falling .... which freaked me out at first.

I agree, I don't know if mine did it before 4.5" but it's definitely done it since I've had mine. I've never heard a juvenile grunt. That could be more temperament related than anything (juvenile versus adult) -- that's my suspicion.

 

[ca1ore]

Could also be for the same reason that juvies have a different color pattern - they don’t want to be viewed as a threat or in competition with the adults.

 

[4FordFamily]

Could also be for the same reason that juvies have a different color pattern - they don’t want to be viewed as a threat or in competition with the adults.

Agree, that's a component of what I was trying to say, but in a far less eloquent way haha!

Sad, but true related fact:

This one started off with a juvenile friend. Unfortunately, he bullied it to death over the course of a week before I could rehome and move it. This is documented, but it's also documented that this is the best way to create a pair. This did NOT work for me. I won't try it again, I still feel horribly about it. This Emperor saw it as a threat.

HOWEVER: This is when I had fewer angels. This same emperor also bullied and killed a majestic angel (3.75" or so). This is another fish I did not add again. Unfortunately, I think part of this was that they had a very large tank which at the time was few on fish -- easy to target and defend a territory. I feel I'd have better success now but will not try either again with this Emperor. I've been tempted to add a larger adult orange tail emperor, but I don't see it ending well. Eventually I see one of the two of them dying, even with the heavy stock level and other large angels. I will likely never know.

 

[Wen]

Mine has been with me for over 7 years and is about 14” and starting to grow streamers. Can hear him grunt all the way on the other side of the house. Have him in a FOWLR.

View attachment 1465232

Now that’s a big boy or girl!
How much/what are you feeding daily for an Emperor this size?

 

[Wen]

Mine doesn't have a name, but he's been with me about 18 months. Purchased at about 4.5 inches or so, is probably 5.5 now. Previous tank boss, shares the tank with LOTS of other angels including:

Scribbled (5.5")
Queen (8.5") (not pictured, was treating for popeye)
Passer (7.5"+)
Goldflake (5")
French Juvenile (5")
Blue Face Angel (4.5")
and 4 Flame Angels, and a Coral Beauty angel.

I had a blueline that did not make it through QT, will try again though.

Anyway, a horrible video above.

Stories? Well, like others have said, mine is extremely vocal. People don't believe that it's my Emperor angel grunting and making all of the noise that he does. He "talks" to the other angels, trying to assert his dominance (which he no longer has). Since the Queen, Scribbled, Passer, and Goldflake were added, he is now submissive to the Queen, Passer, and the old French, surprisingly as he becomes increasingly aggressive/large). He is a neat fish, with a lot of personality. I almost feel bad that he's been trumped, but it doesn't seem to bother him much.

My ~9" Dussumeiri tang intimidates him, too -- though he's harmless.

Neat to see your 4 flames hanging together. Beautiful collection of fish you have!

 

[Shufflepig]

This is Peter the Great. Have had him 1 1/2 years. Started transitioning to adult 6 months ago. Loves zoas and acans. Can’t put either in the tank. Doesn’t touch sps or Euphyllia. Doesn’t bother my few softies either. Definite boss of the tank even over a powder blue and a majestic angel. Did well through qt with prazipro pro and chloroquine phosphate. Favorite fish in the tank. Love watching him transition.

 

[4FordFamily]

Neat to see your 4 flames hanging together. Beautiful collection of fish you have!

Thanks. There were more, originally -- but uronema. I treated them for it the day they arrived but it was pretty bad. The plan was to have 6-8 of them. I was worried 4 would fight. After the dominant one established he was boss, everyone gets along well. The remaining flames (which were ALL male when they arrived -- I ordered them Large without realizing the sex bias) have begun to transition more female with rounder fins. It's been interesting to watch!

 

[Wen]

Anyone have gorgonians or trachys in with emperors?

 

[lagatbezan]

Now that’s a big boy or girl!
How much/what are you feeding daily for an Emperor this size?

His diet is clams, jumbo new life spectrum pellets, freeze dried krill, reef frenzy chunky, flake food and Nori. On occasion broccoli and banana as well.
get gets fed 2-3x a day.

 

[cancun]

I have had a few Emperors over the years. Right now I have about a 3 inch Juvi. I have had him for a few months. He loves Acans so I traded my large colonies in to my LFS. So far good with Euphyllias and SPS. I had one Emperor adult that loved to eat my bubble tip nems, but left corals alone. Hopefully this one won't get a taste for my nems.

 

[Jpconer]

Here's my guy(?) hanging out w/ some buds near one end of my fowlr. Nearly 9 inches and have had home for a few years now..was about 5" adult when added to the tank.

 

[ca1ore]

Thanks. There were more, originally -- but uronema. I treated them for it the day they arrived but it was pretty bad. The plan was to have 6-8 of them. I was worried 4 would fight. After the dominant one established he was boss, everyone gets along well. The remaining flames (which were ALL male when they arrived -- I ordered them Large without realizing the sex bias) have begun to transition more female with rounder fins. It's been interesting to watch!

Oh man, uronema is just a plague. I’ve had it in QT a couple of times but thankfully never in the display.

That’s very interesting about the flames. I have a pair in my 450, and recently ordered three more. Hard to tell for sure, but two of the three look like males. Assuming I get them through QT, will dump them in and see what happens.

 

[ca1ore]

Meant to post this before. Emperor isn’t the dominant fish in my tank. That position Was held by a large dusky wrasse that recently died of old age. New ‘boss’ hasn’t been established yet. Emperor holds its own though. Anybody that isn’t willing to get it’s snout in there gets squeezed out.