My imperator is starting to change!

[Ophidia]

I've had it for about a year now, and it was approximately 2" then. Now it's about 4 1/2 inches and the change is starting!

Good luck to it... :)
Chris

[myreef]

Congrats! That is cool...do you have any before pics? Make sure you get some of the change and after the change. You are getting to see what most people never will, except in pictures!

[Fishywannabe]

It took mine about a year or so before it was finished. It was very cool in how the circles straighted out to form lines, as well as the yellow markings faded into view on his head. I haven't had the pleasure of setting up my reef as of yet (still purchasing equipment, a little here, a little there) but my Imperator is the neatest thing in my aquarium hobby I have seen to date.

Enjoy

[Ophidia]

There is a bad before pic up on my website
http://ophidia.homestead.com
This site is not up-to-date otherwise since al of the corals died after my xenia crashed (another story), but the pic of the imperator is from about 6 months ago before it started to change.
Fishywannabe, did your get the brilliant wild color, or is it more drab? Did you change your care during the color change, i.e. more feedings, different foods, more water changes, etc?

Chris

[Fishywannabe]

Can't say that I really changed anything. My Imperator did become much more 'assertive' (ie aggressive) soon after changing. He was housed in a 110 gal tank with a very small clown trigger (less than 2 inchs max) and a flame angel. The Imperator and flame got along nicely. The flame stayed in the rocks while the Imperator cruised in the open. The clown trigger was always a bit timid. The Imperator killed the trigger after the trigger had been in the tank for about a year. Ran him into a rock and he got a really bad scrape across his eye. I put the trigger in a hospital tank to treat for the eye injury, but it didn't seem to help. He lost sight in that eye and had trouble eating from then on. He lived another 6 months or so. After that, I was never able to put anything else with the Imperator, so be forewarned. He would immediately attack any fish that was attempted even through the plastic bag while floating.

That being said, the Imperator was one of my favorite fish of all time. He was constantly curious and would eat from my hand. Heck, he even let me pet him. If I was cleaning the glass, he would come to my hand and almost cat-like, would 'purr' against my hands. Unfortunately I lost that fish some time ago. I had had him for approximately 7 years I think. The pump failed on the wet-dry filter I was using while on vacation. My neighbor was supposed to be checking on things while I was gone. Needless to say, he wasn't very thorough. He was still alive when I returned but looked awful. I did a water test and the ammonia and nitrite was off the scale. He died a day or two later. Weird part is the flame angel recovered nicely and I still have him. He's over 10 years old.

I fed mostly formula 2, angel formula, krill, some formula 1, broccoli, romaine lettuce, marine pellets, and spinich. He got some grocery store shrimp sometimes too when trying to feed my trigger. I don't remember doing anything special other than the regular water changes and food.

Enjoy your new friend.