Angelfish question

[KarenR]

Yesterday I saw a jet black angel about 2 inches in length at the LFS. It was listed as a "black" angelfish. I tried to find the same fish on the internet and what I found is not the same fish. At saltwater.com the black angelfish actually has white vertical stripes. Does anyone know of a jet black angelfish and if so does it stay that color, adult size, minimum tank size?

Thanks for any help you can give me on this issue.

[captexas]

Try this link and see if it's the same fish you saw at the LFS - http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=434

Angel fish will vary some in coloration fish to fish and many actually change a great deal as they grow from juveniles into adults.

[KarenR]

That would be the one! Thanks for the quick response. I wish it were reef safe...but it doesn't appear to be so I think I will pass.

[alton]

For some reason when you want to buy an angel everyone assumes you will have to keep them in a live rock only tank with no corals when that is the farthest from the truth. Many pigmy angels can be kept with corals. Large angels can be kept with a lot of corals except brains, zoo's, and candy canes. I have kept large angels with frogspawn, kenyen trees, mushrooms, ricordia, xenia, slimers, and montipora. I once sold a purple tang to Texas Tropical who in turn sold it to Sean Elliot and he ate $200 worth of coral before they could get him out of the tank. Nothing is 100% Reef Safe . "Just my ten cents"

[KarenR]

I've kept both Centropyge argi and coral beauty in a reef in the past with no problem but the link in this thread specifically states that this particular black angel has a tendency to eat zoos, soft coral polyps and clam mantles which rules him out as far as I'm concerned. Rather not take the chance, it's just not worth it.

[alton]

Zoo's are like drugs to angels, they do weird things after they eat them.

[captexas]

Yeah, fish within a species will behave different so you really take your chances with just about any fish you buy as to what they will do. Some people will have a fish with no problems and another person with the same fish will have all kinds of problems. Because of that I think many places that sell livestock make general disclaimers like what you read on the websites to warn people just in case.