Japanese Swallowtail Availability

[64Ivy]

With the success of you guys actually locating a previously unattainable Whitecap Goby (two, in fact), upon the request of a hobbyist, I thought I'd throw out my own request for a pair of Genicanthus semifasciatus...or two females...or, well, anything really. I realize the availability of these fish has always been spotty but it has REALLY been a long time since the last sighting in these parts. Does anyone have any leads, short of my having to travel to Japan? Thanks in advance.

[LemonLemon]

this is not an extremely rare or unobtainable fish. it's just very uncommon, and it seems to be getting more uncommon lately.

I'm from Singapore and females are rather common here. appearing very frequenty. it's the males that are rare and the last time i've seen them was a year ago.

[LemonLemon]

lamarck and melanospilos are the most common in my country. females can appear in shipments with numbers up to 15 or 20. males often accompany them.

bellus are slightly rarer, but still very easily obtainable.

semifasciatus and watanabei are the rarer ones. only females seem to be readily available. occasionally imported via phillipine shipments in numbers up to 8. but the males just never make it here... the last time i saw a male semifasciatus was last year. thinking of getting 2 females and let 1 morph...

caudovitattus are just unseen here. never seen one period.

[blface]

One of the sponsors Reef Hot Spot has females in stock now.

[xxtriggermanxx]

i just got two females from my local........ok i got them at petco! but for 84 bucks for both i couldn't pass them up

[Iwishihadgills]

Very cool fish.


reef hot spot has them

[64Ivy]

Just went to Hotspot and ordered two of 'em! Thanks to everyone for the tip. Next question: What are the chances of one of them going male for me? Anyone have any experiences with this?

[LemonLemon]

will take a few months... but do note the transformation may not be complete, or if completed, may not be as spectacular as one from the wild.

i've also seen beautiful wild terminal male watanabeis that revert to female, despite being kept with multiple females. only seen this once though.

[jmaneyapanda]

will take a few months... but do note the transformation may not be complete, or if completed, may not be as spectacular as one from the wild.

i've also seen beautiful wild terminal male watanabeis that revert to female, despite being kept with multiple females. only seen this once though.

IMO and IME, the female Genicanthus are FAR more nasty and aggressive than the males. I wouldnt necessarily count on one of the females "turning", just as males may not always exhibit male coloration.

[29reef]

Agreed, the geni is not an anthias. They do sometimes turn male but it's not always the case. With your size aquarium I see no reasion why they won't mature. You've got better chances then most. It really depends on how big they come in at and if they were both collected at the same time. Hope it all works out. Keep us updated!

[BlueFaceAngel]

I actually just picked up a Japanese Swallow tail Female / male pair from my Local fish store in charlotte. Paid 50 for each. They actually have them pretty regularly

[64Ivy]

Okay, yet another question then: Should I continue my quest to find a male or just let it be? The two females will be in QT for a bit and could be there as long as it takes...up to a point, of course.

And jmaneyapanda, by 'nasty and aggresive', do you mean toward each other or their tankmates?

[jmaneyapanda]

Towards each other. I had a trio of caudovitattus and a trio of bellus, and the females were terrors on each other. They left the males alone, and the males were not aggressive to the females (although they did keep them in line), but the females would kick the hell out of each other. I would watch for that.

[stunreefer]

Towards each other. I had a trio of caudovitattus and a trio of bellus, and the females were terrors on each other. They left the males alone, and the males were not aggressive to the females (although they did keep them in line), but the females would kick the hell out of each other. I would watch for that.
Cat fight - always gunnin' for the stud :smokin:

[jmaneyapanda]

Cat fight - always gunnin' for the stud :smokin:

Story of my life.

[64Ivy]

Looks like the quest is not over then. The two females are due in next Tuesday. Since my QT is only a 20g, it seems like it'll become little more than an 'octagon' for them. So maybe I'll just sell one off , keep the other, then continue my search for a male while she cools her heels. How's that sound?

[Crustman]

They are on sale for $30 at our pet store.

[jmaneyapanda]

They are on sale for $30 at our pet store.
That is just absurd. Shipping from Japan is more than that. Are you sure theyre semifasciatus?

[Sheol]

Yeah, that price sounds pretty fishy (pardon the pun) to me, as well. You cannot even get C.argi angels for that at any LFS.

MMatthew

[Phyxius]

I have two females in my 210g and they both came from the same store at the same time. They are 90% of the time in harmony but the larger one will chase the smaller in a all out full tank chase once in awhile. If it starts to get worse I most likely will remove the smaller one. A store here gets them in fairly frequently but its one of the few that gets them in fat and healthy from what I have seen. The other stores are usually smaller and cost more when they do get them less frequently. Its a nice looking fish and why I opted for two :) But in the 5 mths I have had them neither has started to " Change"

[AuroraDrvr]

They are on sale for $30 at our pet store.
Which store had them? :)

[xxtriggermanxx]

I'm thinking people (myself included) are mistaking this fish for a japanese swallowtail
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/detailed_image.cfm?pCatId=341

[Crustman]

Here is the store flyer and I saw the fish. They are normally 59
http://www.bbpetstop.com/SuperSpecials.shtml

[Crustman]

C argi were $20 on sale last month. They had about 4.
I thought about getting one but I have a Coral Beauty.

[Crustman]

Do Swallowtail angels do great in reef tanks? They feed on plankton, right? They don't have as much color as other angels so why are they in high demand?

[gasman059]

yup the confusion is the species for sure, while a jap genicanthus is quite cheap and accesible, a pair of this guys g.semifasciatus is a different story.

here's a pic of my former male(* much harder than the female to obtain)
- ( unfortunately he did not make it thru QT)still looking for another pair- soon enuff they will appear.
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n320/gasman059/semifasciatus004.jpg[/IMG]
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n320/gasman059/semifasciatus002.jpg[/IMG]

[AuroraDrvr]

Do Swallowtail angels do great in reef tanks? They feed on plankton, right? They don't have as much color as other angels so why are they in high demand?
Genicanthus are planktivores, so they're fine with corals, though I've heard reports of some that have picked at corals, but then again I've also heard of Lyretail anthias picking.... :crazy1:

The Japanese Swallowtail (Genicanthus semifasciatus) at B&B for $30, is actually a standard Swallowtail (Genicanthus melanospilos). For some reason, they have it labeled as a Japanese Swallowtail. Still a cool fish, but not as in demand as the real Japanese Swallowtails.

Swallowtail Male & Female
http://www.aquaportail.com/aquabdd/photos/genicanthus-melanospilos.jpg

Japanese Swallowtail Male & Female
http://www.yuzo-page.com/marinefisharchives/fish/images/genicanthus_semifasciatus%20_pair.jpg

[Crustman]

Thanks Todd, I did not know the difference. I can see why the semifasciatus is the better one. More color.

[64Ivy]

For the record, I've decided to go with a tank divider and keep both of the females for awhile. So, coming full circle now, anyone have a lead on the availability of a G.semifasciatus male? :)

[jmaneyapanda]

For the record, I've decided to go with a tank divider and keep both of the females for awhile. So, coming full circle now, anyone have a lead on the availability of a G.semifasciatus male? :)

I hope I didnt dissuade you from trying to keep two females. It is possible, and isnt impossible. I just wanted to inform to watch those danged ladies. Theyre bruisers.

[64Ivy]

I hope I didnt dissuade you from trying to keep two females. It is possible, and isnt impossible. I just wanted to inform to watch those danged ladies. Theyre bruisers.

I have a wife and two sisters-in-law. I know. :worried:

[jmaneyapanda]

I have a wife and two sisters-in-law. I know. :worried:

my condolences.:lmao:

[38bill]

The Genicanthus melanospilos (aka Black Spot Angelfish) is very commonly sold as the Japanese Swallow Tail. The Black Spot is a nice fish and resonably priced. I have a female BS as well as a female Belus and they get along just fine.

[64Ivy]

Update: Both females arrived today as scheduled. Both are alive in spite of our recent spell of sweltering heat AND, best of all, both are genuine semi's!!! I am still in the process of acclimating and if all goes well, I'll try to get a couple pictures sometime tomorrow. Again, let me know if anyone spots a lonely male [semi] out there. :)

[rachenbrazil]

Atlantis have males and females...

http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/fish.html?page=8

[64Ivy]

Yep, saw that. Unfortunately. both the males and females have been out of stock for quite some time. Must cost a fortune to remove sold livestock from websites, huh? :) But I DO sincerely appreciate your looking out for me though.

Anyway, as promised, here is a photo of both females in QT. The one on the left is about 3 1/2" while the one on the right is closer to 3". BOTH ate some PE Mysis this morning at my very first attempt at feeding. Also, there does not seem to be any signs of injury or disease showing up on them just yet. I realize it's still sort of early in the process [1 day] but in this hobby, I never pass up the chance to say something positive.

http://www.moyesreef.com/uploads/G.-semifaciatus-Angels-7-10.jpg


Excuse the clutter. Not that it'll ever get any better, but excuse it anyway. Thanks.

[38bill]

That male they have is sure a good looking fish.

[Iwishihadgills]

Beautiful. Are you gonna remove the egg crate after they get use to each other?

[64Ivy]

Are you gonna remove the egg crate after they get use to each other?

Maybe. I mean, if it takes more than several months to locate a male, I might try removing the divider but as long as it's not a problem for any of us, I'd just as soon leave things as they are.

[64Ivy]

Anyway, as promised, here is a photo of both females in QT... there does not seem to be any signs of injury or disease showing up on them just yet. I realize it's still sort of early in the process [1 day] but in this hobby, I never pass up the chance to say something positive.

So, of course, this morning I wake up to THIS:

http://www.moyesreef.com/uploads/G.-semi-lesion.jpg

Any thoughts and/or suggested treatments? Thanks in advance.

[AuroraDrvr]

Someone correct me if I am wrong here, but usually these issues are caused by bacterial infections that set in, after pinning has been performed.

I'd recommend treating with Maracyn II or BiFuran. I've used both and have had better success with BiFuran. Either one is a long shot, and not likely to be effective soon enough, considering the advanced stage the fish is in. Also, I'd recommend removing your other specimen to a seperate tank.

[29reef]

+1 looks like the fish has been "poped". This hobby can be difficult when it comes to some wild livestock. Hopefully it makes a full recovery.

[29reef]

Any updates?

[64Ivy]

I lost one a couple days ago and have already returned her to RH as per their instructions. The other one still looks pretty clean and continues to eat well. Nevertheless, I am treating her with Maracyn II along with 5 minute Formalin dips daily for a week.

[64Ivy]

For the record, the remaining female continues to do very well. I have discontinued the Formalin dips but continue to do the Maracyn treatments, now once every other day.