Japanese Swallowtail Angel

[i cant think]

The place I’m considering buying it from calls it a Japanese Swallowtail. Don’t think it’s a Masked Swallowtail Angel which seems to be G. Semifasciatus. Here’s a pic.

Ah, yes now that is the same species as I have haha. I hate common names because there’s 4 genicanthus species that get called swallowtail but 2 are the more common swallowtails in the hobby. G. melanospilos and G. Semifasciatus, I find both these to be the most reef safe and the rarer they get the more reef safe they will be because they get found deeper and coral growth down there is limited. Both because of little light and cold water (I find G. semifasciatus is the rarest Angel that will do alright in reef water temperatures). I would get a female UNLESS you want this pattern:

I’m tempted on getting another female genicanthus (Maybe not another melanospilos) to put with him and hope he gains the nice zebra look again, not to be confused with the zebra swallowtail angelfish.

 

[JGT]

Ah, yes now that is the same species as I have haha. I hate common names because there’s 4 genicanthus species that get called swallowtail but 2 are the more common swallowtails in the hobby. G. melanospilos and G. Semifasciatus, I find both these to be the most reef safe and the rarer they get the more reef safe they will be because they get found deeper and coral growth down there is limited. Both because of little light and cold water (I find G. semifasciatus is the rarest Angel that will do alright in reef water temperatures). I would get a female UNLESS you want this pattern:

I’m tempted on getting another female genicanthus (Maybe not another melanospilos) to put with him and hope he gains the nice zebra look again, not to be confused with the zebra swallowtail angelfish.

So I know they are sexually dimorphic but do they revert to females if no males are present? It sounds like yours lost his male pattern and by adding a female your hoping he regains his male pattern.

 

[i cant think]

So I know they are sexually dimorphic but do they revert to females if no males are present? It sounds like yours lost his male pattern and by adding a female your hoping he regains his male pattern.

From what I’ve been told yes and from what I’ve seen yes. I bought him as this in September last year:

His streamers have grown though! Just his pattern is more squiggled at the top so I don’t think he’s a full female but also not a dominant male. I think he’s more a sub male and not a female.

 

[JGT]

From what I’ve been told yes and from what I’ve seen yes. I bought him as this in September last year:

His streamers have grown though! Just his pattern is more squiggled at the top so I don’t think he’s a full female but also not a dominant male. I think he’s more a sub male and not a female.

Got it, thanks.

 

[i cant think]

Yep, that's definitely G. melanospilos. The naming of the 2 swallowtails are all over the place.

G. semifasciatus collection seems to have dried up in the last few years. They're truly a rare find these days.

G. Semifasciatus was going to be the Angel I went for but collection is so small if at all existent at the moment so I went with the step down, G. melanospilos.