The flame angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus) is probably the most identifiable member of the genus centropyge in the marine aquarium hobby now. This marine aquarium fish is admired principally because of its stunning beauty. It is a bright mixture between orange and red with blue accents toward the end of its anal and dorsal fins.

Also present are the tiger like black stripes that run down its main body. While most flame angelfish are similar in appearance, they generally differ with regards to the number of stripes present along with the overall color. Some may have more red or orange coloration than other marine aquarium fish.

Saltwater aquarium fish that have an unusually uniform red can be found in Hawaii. Unlike other variants, their black stripes are not thick but almost always narrow. Most angelfish come from Christmas and Marshall Islands however as Hawaiian variants are rarely seen in the saltwater aquarium hobby.

With proper acclimation and feeding, they can become a hardy fish to have. They are grazers that continually nip on live rock, algae, crustaceans and unfortunately on corals as well. Coral nipping behavior is never a sure thing but the general consensus is they generally do not stop once they start nipping.

A great many saltwater aquarium enthusiasts have kept them in full reef aquariums and have gotten away with it but there is always a risk. In large systems with plenty of live rock, removing the offending flame angel is a demanding task that typically requires the use of a trap or physical removal of the rock structure to capture it.

They are generally easy feeders that will try out anything from pellets to frozen foods. Once they have established themselves in the tank, they can become quite a bully. Never put more than one flame angelfish in the same tank unless you have a exceptionally large tank as there will be heightened aggression between the two.

For extra resources on the eye-catching Flame Angelfish plus other types of Centropyge dwarf angelfish, please go to the authors site that focuses with a wide range or saltwater aquarium fish in the hobby today.

Written by Rupert Williams using tags: beginner-stained-glass-patterns, marine aquarium hobby

The surgeonfish family are some of the most well-liked marine aquarium fish in the marine aquarium hobby. By and large considered a big fish, the smallest of them can attain a length of at least 7 inches in captivity. The largest of them can reach lengths of over 3 feet. They make their homes around most of the worlds tropical seas and are regularly found in a myriad of colors. They fall under the family Acanthuridae which translates into thorn tail, describing the blade that all surgeonfish have near their caudal fins.

Two members of the surgeonfish family make up some of the most popular marine aquarium fish in the hobby. They are a admired fish to depict on a variety of saltwater aquarium related products such as equipment, magazines and the like. They are known as the Blue Tang and the Yellow Tang.

Surgeonfish really do need larger than average tanks with a minimum size of 100 gallons . Larger species such as the Sohal Tang have need of tanks around the 200 gallon range to truly do well in the long term.

They mouths are specially designed for tearing algae from rock. In the wild, they spend most of the day grazing on algae in big shoals. These big shoals are not limited to one species but may have up to two species grazing together. The cheapest surgeonfish can be had for no more than $20 while true rarities such as the gem tang can cost upwards of two thousand dollars.

They are a reef safe species that do not eat corals. This makes them very attractive to hobbyists that like large fish that are reef safe. Some do well in our aquariums and some are harder to care for such as the Beautiful Achilles Tang.

But for the most part, surgeonfish can be trained to eat a wide variety of meaty, leafy and pellet foods. To ensure proper health, their diet in captivity needs to mimic their herbivorous diet in the wild.

Surgeonfish are famous for being susceptible to saltwater ich and lateral line erosion. Always quarantine newly purchased surgeonfish to ensure they do not spread any parasites into the main aquarium.

For supplementary pages about the Surgeonfish Family along with other kinds of Saltwater Aquarium Fish, kindly drop by the authors website. All manner of saltwater fishes ideal for the aquarium are focused upon.

Written by Brian Logan using tags: marine aquarium hobby

When it comes to popular marine fish, the Ocellarish Clownfish (Amphiprion Ocellaris) is the undisputed king. The Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion Percula) shares its throne, since they look entirely alike to most people. They are the marine aquarium hobby's greatest ambassadors. Many people might correlate their popularity with the release of the hit animated film, Finding Nemo. What they wouldn't know is the fact that these clown fish were just as popular before the film was released.

These clownfish are a staple offering in the hobby. They are heavily collected from their natural habitats in South East Asia, they are the most abundant ornamental marine fish at the moment. You'll find at least one ocellaris clownfish for sale in any saltwater pet store you visit. They are also heavily bred in captivity with tank-raised ocellaris priced a little higher than wild caught specimens.

Ocellaris clownfish are entirely orange with three white bands (outlined with black) around their heads, body and near their tail. Percula and ocellaris are almost indistinguishable to the untrained eye. Yet they are both slightly different physically. Ocellaris clowns have 11 dorsal spines while percula's have 10. Thankfully there's an easier method to tell them apart. Ocellaris clownfish have thinner black outlines.

One of the cheapest marine fish you can buy, for as little as $10 you can have an ocellaris clownfish. A few dollars more can buy a tank-raised specimen. Given a choice, you should always go for tank-bred clownfish as they're generally better suited to captive life.

Their common names include the false percula clown and the false clown anemonefish. They are called anemonefish because of the symbiotic relationship they have with anemones. The anemone cannot sting clownfish, it is speculated that clownfish produce a mucus that renders them invisible to the anemone. In the wild ocellaris clownfish are always found nestled within their host anemones, however, these anemones are not needed in the aquarium.

Ocellaris clownfish are generally peaceful fish that get along well with tank mates. However, they can be hostile towards other clownfish from within or outside their species. There are three routes you can take when looking for pair :-

* Acquire a mated pair from the LFS * Put a large one in with a small one and hope they pair up * Purchase two small ones and put them together, eventually one will dominate the other and become a female, pairing up in the process

I cannot give a guarantee that options 2 or 3 will work 100% of the time.

Reaching a maximum of 3 inches in length, they are considered a small fish. Ocellaris are site attached, which means they are usually around their territory (a small area) most of the time. Their territory is anything from a pile of rubble to an anemone. They have also been known to host other corals like elegance or mushroom corals. Because of this behavior they can be kept in aquariums no larger than 20 gallons.

Getting them to eat in captivity is easy because they seem to able to eat anything you offer. While they are omnivores in the wild, they consume both meaty and algae based food in the aquarium. They should be fed a wide variety of foods. Prime reef, Formula One and Formula two are some good dry foods to offer. Formula two has an added amount of algae mixed in with seafood while Prime reef is mostly meaty.

New Life Spectrum produces in my opinion the best pellet food on the market. Add in some frozen food like krill or mysis shrimp and you're set.

Overall, with their hardy nature, good looks and endearing nature, they are a great choice for hobbyists from all experience levels.

Roman Veaila is a hobbyist that has kept numerous reef aquariums. In his spare time he writes guides on saltwater fish. Visit his hubpage for a more detailed guide on the Ocellaris Clownfish as well as other popular Clownfish.

Written by Henry Logan using tags: black-ocellaris-clownfish-care, buy-ocellaris-online, clown-fish-care-guide, clown-fish-requirements, clownfish-aquarium-requirements, clownfish-for-sale, clownfish-for-sale-online-as-pets-to-keep, clownfish-pair-requirment, clownfish-requirements, false-percula-clownfish-care, marine aquarium hobby, nemo-fish-requirements, ocellaris-clownfish, ocellaris-clownfish-care, ocellaris-clownfish-care-guide, ocellarisclownfishcare, percula-clownfish-care, pet-clownfish-care, pet-clownfish-guide, pet-percula-clown

Holacanthus Ciliaris, the queen angelfish, is among the three most recognizable angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The other two being the French Angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru) and the emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus Imperator). As with the flame angelfish it is the most popular species in the genus Holacanthus. The queen angelfish is one of the largest angels in the family Pomacanthidae.

They are found in the wild throughout the Caribbean Sea, Brazil, up to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. It is very closely related to Holacanthus Bermudensis (Blue Angelfish) and they look completely alike to the untrained eye. Both of them have been known to interbreed in the wild. Their offspring have also been known as Holacanthus Townsendi. It should be noted that Holacanthus Townsendi is not recognized as a valid species within the genus. Thankfully, telling the two apart is an easy enough task, queen angels have a blue crown on their heads, that crown is missing on blue angels.

Like all large angelfish, the juvenile form of the queen angelfish is colored very differently from adults. Juveniles have blue and yellow vertical streaks on their bodies. These bars will slowly disappear as they grow. Adults are a beautiful iridescent blue and yellow throughout their bodies.

In the wild, juvenile queens take on an interesting role. Like the cleaner wrasse, they act as "cleaners". Cleaners pick off any parasites present on other larger fish.

Not a cheap fish, adult queen angels (show quality) can fetch upwards of $200 while juveniles specimens can be had for $80-$90.

Larger angels such as the queen have a reputation for being bullies in captivity. While it is mainly peaceful with other species of fish, they are usually hostile towards conspecifics. It is very hostile towards other queen angelfish. Or for that matter, towards blue angels. One queen angelfish per tank is the general rule.

This angelfish reaches lengths of up to 18 inches in the wild. One and a half feet!. However, they rarely achieve such lengths with a maximum size of 12 to 13 inches in captivity.

An aquarium no smaller than 150 gallons should be used to house a queen angelfish. As with all larger marine fish, a bigger tank is a better tank. Ensure your rock scape in the aquarium allows for ample swimming space. Do not bo fooled into buying smaller juveniles for a 50 gallon aquarium. They quickly outgrow such small confines, leaving you with the headache of finding a larger tank or selling it.

The queen angelfish is not reef safe, it can eat corals or at least nip on them until they eventually perish. Some hobbyists have managed to keep them in reef aquariums but generally they are more suited to large fish only marine aquariums.

They feed on tunicates,sponges, corals, algae and plankton in the wild. Housing them in a reef aquarium where they are surrounded by corals is not a good idea. They can make short work of your expensive corals. Variety is key, offer both meaty and algae based foods. A pretty good to offer is Formula Two, containing a blend of seafood and an extra amount of algae. It is available in pellet, flake or frozen cube form.

Ocean Nutrition produces By far the best foods for any large angel, Angel Formula. Specifically designed for large angelfish, they contain foods they normally eat in the wild like algae, seafood and marine sponges. Angel Formula only comes in frozen cubes i believe.

Make sure you buy the plain, unflavoured/unspiced version if you're buying nori from the supermarket. Try to get raw nori if possible. You'll need a clip to attach the nori, once thats done simply stick the clip to the side of the tank.

Written by Gabriela Desouyez using tags: angelfish-requirements, holacanthus-ciliaris-care, marine aquarium hobby, pet-urns-stores-in-queens, queen-angel-fish-for-sale-for-32-00, queen-angelfish-care, queen-angelfish-coral-safe, queen-angelfish-for-cheap, queen-angelfish-reef-safe, stained-glass-horse-patterns, stainedglassmarinepatterns

The royal gramma (Gramma Loreto), along with the percula clownfish (percula and ocellaris), flame angel (Centropyge Loriculus), yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) and the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus) make up the five most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium hobby. It is commonly called the fairy basslet as well.

The royal gramma is brilliantly colored. Its front half is a rich blueish-purple while the rest of its body is a bright yellow mixed in with some orange. It has a thin dark stripe that runs from its snout through its eyes.There is also a single black spot at the front of its dorsal fin.

They are commonly fond throughout the Caribbean Sea. They retail for as little as $15 dollars and are disease resistant and hardy. A winning combination. Always available, cheap, beautiful and easily kept in a home aquarium. It shares very similar colors with the bicolor dottyback Pseudochromis Bicolor). Fortunately, they are easily distinguishable. Only the royal gramma has a black streak running through its eyes.

The royal gramma is a good candidate for just about any aquarium. They are peaceful provided they have a small territory of their own. I have personally kept the royal gramma with clownfish, dwarf angels, large angels, gobies, damsels and dottybacks and have found that it does well with all of them. Again, only if they have their own territory. If any fish attempts to enter its domain however, there will be trouble.

In the wild, royal grammas have reached lengths nearing 4 inches. Such lengths are usually not common in captivity, expect your specimen to reach a maximum of 3 inches. Royal grammas have been successfully kept in aquariums as small as 10 gallons. Minimum tank size should be at least 20 gallons since they will eventually attain a length of 3 inches.

Royal grammas are carnivores in the wild, eating copepods and plankton. Your corals are safe with them as they are reef safe. Offer them a variety of meaty foods. Frozen foods such as Krill, Mysis shrimp and Prime Reef (A good blend of raw seafood) are all great choices. They normally begin eating very quickly after introduction.

Royal grammas have been bred in captivity They are a nest building fish, utilizing macroalgae as for their spawning site (usually a cave). The male tries to lure the female into its newly built spawning site by quivering and flaring its fins. Assuming the female is receptive, they will begin mating in the males cave. Their larvae accept rotifers and eventually baby brine shrimp without hesitation.

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: finding-nemo-royal-gramma, marine aquarium hobby, royal-gramma-and-clownfish, royal-gramma-and-dwarf-angel, royal-gramma-fish-seizure-like-death

The french angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru) is among the three most popular angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The Emperor Angelfish and the Queen Angelfish make up the other two.

It is closely related to the Gray Angelfish (Pomacanthus Arcuatus) and to the untrained eye they are very similar in appearance. Telling them apart is easy as adult French Angelfish have flecks off yellow on their scales while Gray angelfish do not. They are completely alike as juveniles, except for one minor detail. Juvenile Queen angelfish have tail fins that are rounded while juvenile gray angelfish tail fins that are straighter.This trait is present on adult french and gray angels as well.

The juvenile form of the french is also one of the most beautiful among its cousins. A full jet black with bright yellow vertical bars. Juveniles take on the roles of cleanerfish in the wild, actively picking off parasites off larger fish.

They commonly sighted by divers around the Caribbean Sea. Other popular angelfishes from that area include the queen, blue and gray angelfishes.

This is an expensive fish, small specimens usually retail for $80-$90 USD with large adults (Show quality)costing $200 and upwards.

Like its larger cousins, the French Angelfish can be aggressive towards other members of the pomacanthidae (Marine angelfish) family. Expect a lot of fighting/torn fins if you put two french angelfish together in a marine aquarium.

Despite this, french angelfish are normally friendly towards their keepers. It is normally peaceful with other species of fish. Clownfish, small wrasses and dottybacks are pretty much left alone.

At 16 inches the French angelfish is a whopper! If you plan on keeping one long-term you should house one in a marine aquarium no less than 150 gallons. Of course it always helps to aim higher, something like a 300 gallon is perfect.

Many hobbyists are tricked into getting a small juvenile only to have it outgrow their aquariums in a year.

So don't be fooled by their small sizes, juveniles grow very quickly. French angelfish are usually kept in large community aquariums with very "open" rock scapes. This is to ensure they get adequate swimming room. Hobbyists with a reef aquarium generally avoid keeping the french angelfish, we find out why in the next section.

Like all larger angelfish, the French Angelfish is not reef safe. You may come across some reef tanks with french angels but they're more suited to fish-only aquariums.

In the wild, they feed on sponges, corals, algae and polyps. Most people avoid keeping them in their reef aquariums as they can make short work of their prized corals. A source of algae like nori/seaweed should be offered along with meaty foods like krill and mysis shrimp.

Offer them a good pellet from a reputable brand like New Life Spectrum as well. A pretty good and balanced food to offer would be formula two, it contains seafood and extra algae for herbivorous fishes. Available in, flake, pellet or frozen cube form.

The best food for a french angelfish is Angel Formula by Ocean Nutrition. Designed to cater to the specific needs of large angelfish, it contains a mix of algae, fresh seafood, vitamins and most importantly, marine sponges. Unfortunately, Angel Formula is only available in frozen cubes.

A bit more about seaweed and nori. You can choose to either purchase branded seaweed sheets from companies catering to herbivorous fish or you can run down to your local supermarket and get some there. Prices vary with market nori, they're either expensive or cheap depending on the brand.

Make sure you buy the plain, unflavoured/unspiced version. If available, raw nori is an excellent offering. Get a clip for your nori and stick it on the side of the aquarium glass.

Written by Gabriela Desouyez using tags: adult-french-angelfish, angelfish-requirements, french-angelfish-care, marine aquarium hobby, pet-french-angelfish, urns-for-pets-in-france

The french angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru) is among the three most popular angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby. The Emperor Angelfish and the Queen Angelfish make up the other two.

Its closets relative is the gray angel, as such, they look completely alike to the untrained eye. Differentiating between the to is easy, adult french angels have yellow/gold flecks on their bodies while gray angels do not. As Juveniles they are completely alike except for one very minute difference. Juvenile Queen angelfish have tail fins that are rounded while juvenile gray angelfish tail fins that are straighter.This trait is also seen on adult french and gray angels.

The juvenile form of the french is also one of the most beautiful among its cousins. A full jet black with bright yellow vertical bars. Like other juveniles in the genus they are cleaners in the wild, actively picking off parasites off other larger fish.

They commonly sighted by divers around the Caribbean Sea. Other angelfish from that area include the gray, blue and queen angelfish.

Not a cheap fish, small juveniles go for $80 to $90 USD while larger adults can cost upwards of $200.

Like its larger cousins, the French Angelfish can be aggressive towards other members of the pomacanthidae (Marine angelfish) family. Expect a lot of fighting/torn fins if you put two french angelfish together in a marine aquarium.

Despite this, french angelfish are normally friendly towards their keepers. It is generally peaceful with species outside its own family. Dottybacks, clownfish and smaller wrasses are generally left alone.

At 16 inches the French angelfish is a whopper! If you plan on keeping one long-term you should house one in a marine aquarium no less than 150 gallons. It always helps to aim higher of course, a 300 gallon aquarium is a great choice.

Some hobbyists are tricked into buying a small juvenile french angel only to have it outgrow their small aquariums in a matter of months.

Juveniles grow very quickly, do not be fooled by their small sizes. French angels are commonly kept in large community aquariums with a very "open" rock scape. This is to ensure they have ample swimming space. Hobbyists with a reef aquarium generally avoid keeping the french angelfish, we find out why in the next section.

The french angelfish is not reef safe, like all its brethren. You may come across some reef tanks with french angels but they're more suited to fish-only aquariums.

In the wild, they feed on sponges, corals, algae and polyps. Most people avoid keeping them in their reef aquariums as they can make short work of their prized corals. A source of algae like nori/seaweed should be offered along with meaty foods like krill and mysis shrimp.

Try to get them on a good pellet like those from New Life Spectrum as well. A pretty good and balanced food to offer would be formula two, it contains seafood and extra algae for herbivorous fishes. Available in, flake, pellet or frozen cube form.

The best food for a french angelfish is Angel Formula by Ocean Nutrition. Designed to cater to the specific needs of large angelfish, it contains a mix of algae, fresh seafood, vitamins and most importantly, marine sponges. Unfortunately, Angel Formula is only available in frozen cubes.

more about nori and seaweed. You can go to your local supermarket to get some or you can choose to purchase them from companies catering to herbivorous fish. Prices vary with market nori, they're either expensive or cheap depending on the brand.

Make sure you buy the plain, unflavoured/unspiced version. If available, raw nori is a great offering. Get a clip for your nori and stick it on the side of the aquarium glass.

Written by Gabriela Desouyez using tags: 300-gallon-french-angelfish, can-you-put-gray-angel-and-french-angel-together, difference-between-juvenile-gray-and-french-angelfish, french-angelfish-care, french-angelfish-for-sale, french-angelfish-juvenile-aquarium, french-angelfish-reef-safe, french-angle-juvenile-for-sale, frenchangelfishforsale, juvenile-french-angelfish-for-sale, marine aquarium hobby, queen-angelfish-and-emperor-fighting

The Blue Tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus) enjoys the distinction of being one of the five most recognizable maine fishes along with the percula clownfish (Percula, Ocellaris), flame angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus), yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) and the royal gramma (Gramma Loreto). It remains the sole species under the genus Paracanthurus. Beautifully colored with an iridescent blue throughout its body with thick black markings that begin from the eyes and stretch all the way to its yellow tail.

The movie Finding Nemo featured a blue tang as one of its main characters. It is also known as the Palette Surgeonfish, Royal Blue Tang, Hippo Tang and the Regal Tang. Both the blue and yellow tangs combine to become the two most popular surgeonfishes in the hobby. The blue tang is a very affordable fish due probably because they are commonly found and heavily collected from the wild. Juveniles retail for around $25 while adults can fetch up to $80 per specimen. As with all surgeonfish, the blue tang is susceptible to ich and lateral line erosion so pick so keep a look out for any sign of the two.

Towards other species of fish the blue tang is quite peaceful. Which is why (besides its beauty) it enjoys such popularity in the marine aquarium hobby. They are hostile towards blue tangs and to a lesser extent, other surgeonfish so do not add more than one blue tang per aquarium.

In they wild they are a shoaling fish. If more than one is present in a large tank, such behavior can be witnessed. When housing more than one blue tang, they should always be introduced at the same time. Aggression is normally seen when putting a new blue tang in with an established one.

Their maximum attainable length is 12 inches. As such they should be housed only in larger tanks upwards of 100 gallons. Due to heavy collection many, specimens no bigger than an inch are common. At that size they will grow very very fast so don't be fooled into putting them in a 30 gallon tank..

Ample swimming space are needed by blue tangs so the scape should reflect this. They need at least a few caves/niches as they bed down in these areas every night.

Like most of its surgeonfish cousins, blue tangs are herbivores in the wild. They form large shoals and will graze on algae for most of the day. In captivity a vast percentage of their diet should be made up of algae based foods. Unlike marine angelfish, they are completely reef safe and do not bother corals, making them hugely popular fish for large marine reef aquariums.

Seaweed/Nori sheets are commonly offered. You can either buy seaweed produced and packaged specifically for marine fishes (Julian sprungs sea veggies) or you can go to your local supermarket and buy some nori sheets there. Always buy plain, unflavoured nori. They sometimes come with spices so you want to avoid those. Clip the sheet with a commercial nori clip or a device of your own doing and attach it to the side of the tank.

Blue tangs will normally consume anything offered in captivity despite the fact that they are mainly vegetarians in the wild. Meaty foods should make up a small percent of their daily diet.

Formula one and formula two food mixes are a good choice as well as krill, mysis shrimp and a high quality pellet. A highly reputable food for all marine fishes are those that are produced by New Life Spectrum.

Once in a while you'll see pet stores feeding lettuce to their tangs. Both romaine and iceberg lettuce don't offer much nutritionally so you want to avoid lettuce altogether.

Written by Roman Veaila using tags: marine aquarium hobby, palette-tang-for-sale, the-niche-for-blue-tang-surgeonfish