ReefdUp July 7, 2023 Share July 7, 2023 Thanks to @johnnybv at Blue Ribbon Koi and @Capital Aquarium, I finally achieved one of my dreams: a pair of Genicanthus angels! Ever since I saw a mated pair of Watanabe angels in Ohio in 2008, I fell in love with them. Shortly after, I purchased a "mated" pair, but it turned out that the male was not mated with that female, and so the female beat him up to death. Strike one. I decided to then order three Watanabe angels, and they came in sooooo itty-bitty. But, they were phenomenal. Unfortunately, I had a family emergency and had to go out of town. My reefkeeper friend tank-sat, but when I came back, there was food everywhere in the tank - and the fish were dead. Strike two. Then, for *years* I could only find one at a time. I had Japanese swallowtails, Zebra angelfish, etc. But, no pairs. Strike... lots. I came across a Lamarck's at @Capital Aquarium that I had to get, as my love for these fish hadn't dwindled. Once again, I couldn't find anymore, despite these being the most common of the Genicathus angels. So, she grew big and bold in the tank. Then... it happened. @johnnybv at Blue Ribbon was able to order some in. He helped me pick out two of the best ones, and I walked out of the store figuring I would be on my last strike before my husband killed me. I decided to just add one smaller female initially in case anything went wrong. The other went into my grow-out tank. I held my breath... The large female completely changed her attitude immediately. She became more protective and friendly... the yellow spot on her head grew... the stripes on her back smoothed out straight, and her pectoral fins turned from white to completely black. In less than a month, *she* was a *he!* (see photos above and below to tell the differences). The two are phenomenal. The male regularly rolls onto his side hoping to mate (see below), but I think the female is still immature. I'm debating if/when to add the second female... I finally got my dream and don't want to disrupt anything! Thanks to two of our AMAZING sponsors!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime July 7, 2023 Share July 7, 2023 I love that! Congratulations on finally achieving your saltwater holy grail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta July 8, 2023 Share July 8, 2023 Congratulations! I don't think I'd even heard of them before this post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefdUp July 8, 2023 Author Share July 8, 2023 1 hour ago, DaJMasta said: Congratulations! I don't think I'd even heard of them before this post Thank you! Genicathus angels?! They're the only... like 99%... reef safe angels (there is always the possibility, but it's pretty much unheard of). The Lamarck's are probably the most dull of the genus, but they're still phemonenal when adults. The others get *pricey*. I've never had Bellus angels, as they're typically in the $300++ range each. Highly recommend learning more about them, as they're just awesome. 15 years, and they're still my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefdUp July 8, 2023 Author Share July 8, 2023 8 hours ago, YHSublime said: I love that! Congratulations on finally achieving your saltwater holy grail! Thank you! It really has been quite the adventure getting to this point. I like your take on it and will update my title... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheresTheReef July 8, 2023 Share July 8, 2023 Very nice. I have a female Bellus and I really enjoy her. I would love to have a pair, but I only have a 120g and introducing another one, as you've mentioned, would be risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowsingle July 29, 2023 Share July 29, 2023 Congrats and thanks for sharing Darren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcrazyjoker81 August 1, 2023 Share August 1, 2023 That is amazing! I have a pair of Japanese Swallowtails and got them both in at the same time and size. One has made the shift to male getting much larger and streamers. Can't wait until he gets the bars and color change. I lucked out and things have been smooth sailing for the past 8 months with them both. It is a species of angel that is hard to ignore being basically completely reef safe. I too in the past have been through a few sets trying to pair them as its not easy. The thing that has worked for me twice (once bellus and now swallowtail) is just getting them both really small and praying they are both female and nothing has shifted yet. I definitely wouldn't risk adding another as it could force a change of the current female into male, which is something anthias and wrasses seem to do a lot when the numbers of them change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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