Midnight Angel

[intekhab]

Well, today I made an impulse purchase. I always wanted a Flame Angel in my tank, but when I saw this strikingly beautiful fish, I couldn't resist.

He's right now in my 37 G tank but will be moved to my 200G (if he learns to co-exist with coral). Otherwise, he will not be moved to that tank but stay in the 37 G.

Come to notice, very few people in Reefcentral own this fish. All I've learned about it are....

- Also known as Black Nox Angelfish
- Comes from the Pacific Ocean
- Grows up to 4 inches
- Minimum tank size 30 gallon
- Semi-aggressive (not good company with Flame or Coral Beauty?
- Need a lot of hiding places among Liverock and nipping habit is very similar to Flame or Coral Beauty (may or may not nip)


Any other info?

[hcs3]

intekhab

seems you have a good foundation for care on this animal.

i'd be leary on adding it to a reef, but that is just me. i won't add any angels to my reef. if you add it to yours, be sure your willing to tear apart the tank to get him out if the need arises. if your not willing to do that, i wouldn't add it.

like most centropyge angels it will need to graze from the LR. provide additional prepared foods to compliment it's diet. feed a large variety, including algae, sponge, and meaty foods. this will ensure good health and great color.

i wouldn't mix the fish with any othre dwarf angels. better to be safe than sorry.

FYI, it's name is Centropyge nox

BTW, aren't they beautiful for only being black?

HTH

henry

[intekhab]

Quite frankly, I think this is the most beautify for being velvety black:) He looks 10 times better than he looked when I first saw him in LFS. (But I'm concern about his eating habit). He's not eating as much as I would expect him to. He's in a holding tank (which is also a reef tank) but I will be moving him to my 200G soon. Right now he's living with a Scopas and he's not being very friendly :(

[DukeDog]

How about a pic?
Jeff

[cal3v]

I hear these fish have porblems sometimes because they are mostly, if not always imported from the Philippines. That now mentioned, take really good care for it and I hope for the best.

[intekhab]

Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera, so I can't take a snap of mine but here's a pic from online :(

In reality, it looks more prettier (IMHO)

http://www.peteducation.com/images/articles/pw66492blacknox_angel.jpg

[cal3v]

I have seen one in person a few months ago. Awesome, solid black fish. Way darker than the pic. Like a 1.25" for $10.

[intekhab]

I bought mine for 27.99 . But to me, I would have bought it for 60-70 over Flame Angel. You have to see one in a Reef environment to realize their true beauty. Don't take me wrong, Flame Angel is pretty cool and if I can ever add one with him, I would (but hearing some compatibility issues:( )

Regardless, I might keep both in different tanks.

Mine is doing good so far, but he's very shy. I'm hopping he'll be comfortable as time goes.

Regards

Intekhab

[intekhab]

He's doing great. Leaving all the corals alone. He came across this plate coral and one time I saw him to poke at the polyps. I am observing him constantly. Other than that, he's doing just fine and looking prettier.

I notice a yellowish dot righ next to his gill. is this a sign of stress? He seems to be happy (eating)

[cal3v]

I think that pic you posted jsut answered your question about the yellow dot near the gill. The pic looks like that angel has a yellow spot too. Could be an indicatior of good health, like the blue edging to a lemonpeel. Just a thought.

[intekhab]

Yeah, you're right. I didn't notice it clearly.

When I got my angel, I didn't see the yellow spot and now it is viewable easily. I guess he's happy :D

[Aquarius]

Congratulations on the new fish. I wish you luck in keeping him. I purchased one about 3 months ago and added him to a 70 gallon f/o but he never ate a thing. He finally gave in almost a month and a half later. It was a beautiul fish but never really active. As long as you get him to eat i think you'll be fine.

[intekhab]

Hey Aquarius thanks. Mine is very active and eating ok. I hope it stays that way. Sorry about your loss though :(

Unfortunately, my liverock doesn't have a lot of corraline algae, so he's having to search for food a lot when I'm not feeding.

[Totlxtc]

Here is my thread from a couple months ago. (http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=51288&highlight=midnight+angel)

I just love my Angel! :D To answer your question about the yellowing, your the only other person to respond saying you've seen it. Mine gets yellow patches around the gill plates ranging from pale yellow to bright yellow. It only happens when my fish is super stressed. I've had mine for almost 4 months and it's still alittle shy if people get close to the tank but out and about patrolling its territory.

I recieved an email from another reefer who kept a Midnight and Flame Angel together for years with no problems, so it can be done. I hope to try it someday.

[intekhab]

Hi,
Thanks for sharing!:thumbsup:

Hmm, my Angel seems happy all the time, as he's browsing around everywhere, but has that yellowish dot. Although no different than a full blown reef other than intense lighting, he's residing at the moment in a Staging Reef. He'll be moving to my 200G SPS (if he pass his test ). I guess he's stressed a little because there is a Scopas Tang in the tank which mostly leave him alone, but time to time swim towards him (then he quickly hide in his cave). Quite frankly, since you mention that the Yellow dot indicate stress, I am thinking of this. Otherwise, he's the most active and happy fish I've seen so far. Also, he was shy at first but now careless if I'm around. Interestingly, when I go close to the tank, he come closer to the front looking at me for food. I am telling the truth.:)

[Totlxtc]

I'm assuming that the yellowing is a sign of stress. Mine was solid black in the LFS, then had the yellowing in the bag, then solid black after 24 hours in the tank. Only times i notice a slight yellowing is when something major happened to the tank. I had a powerhead fall off blowing half the sandbed across the tank. My angel got the yellow spots while i was moving rocks and sand around fixing the tank. Then it was solid black again once i was done playing in the tank. So far mine has been all black for the last 2 months.

[Mushroom Boy]

Hi.

I've had mine for almost 4 months now. What an amazingly beautiful addition is all I can say. It's by far the most striking fish in the tank. Mine has turned into a full blown pig. Whenever I feed, or come near the tank for that matter, the angel is right there, waiting for a handout. It's become very active and is constantly darting in and out of the various caves and crevices. I will tell you this and take it for what it's worth. I have seen it pick at corals. I have not, however, seen any ill effects from this behavior. It's not continuous and most of the time the fish is content grazing on the rocks. It takes all foods I offer it and appears to be in great health. Overall, I am really happy to have this fish in my tank and would get another one in a heartbeat.