Rusty X Flame angelfish

[yikai]

3 specimens arrived yesterday, and are the only 3 in Singapore at the moment.

2 were scheduled to arrive but one unexpectedly turned up unscheduled at another LFS. a super huge coincidence!

in total, 3 rusty flames arrived displaying all three possible traits that these hybrids can possibly share.

hybrid type 1) the hybrid shows more flame angel characteristic and is classified as a 'flame- rusty flame'

hybrid type 2) the hybrid shows more rusty angel characteristic and is classified as a 'rusty- rusty flame'

hybrid type 3) the hybrid shows equal amounts of rusty and flame angel characteristic, and resembles Centropyge shepardi from guam. these are classified as 'shepardi -rusty flame'

* all classification are not standard and just given by me and digiman to make differentiation easier.

after hunting this fish for almost 2 years and perhaps longer, the fish finally appeared. not because it is rare, but because they are always only shipped to U.S.A, japan and everywhere else except here. No LFS wanted to bring in because they don't care about the fish and probably don't know about it. and so we had to look for our own sources and finally managed to bring this in on our own with the help of some reefers.

Anyway to cut the long story short, the now very "rubbish and common hybrid everywhere else in the world except singapore" is now finally here.

reefers who want this fish, you can expect a steady stream of rusty x flame angelfish hybrid to trickle in from now on. note the word trickle. this fish is not going to appear in huge numbers like flame angels from hawaii.

here is my specimen, the shepardi - rusty x flame angelfish.

[Digiman]

Here is my "rusty" rusty flame. It's stripe patterns is very shepardi, but it is considered more rusty because of its more brownish coloration.

[Digiman]

Here is a "flame" rusty flame that i sold to coolguy. This rusty flame is more flame like as the stripes are longer with some extending to the lower half of the body. This specimen is the smallest out of the three and it has fewer but longer fine stripes and a gorgeous reddish orange.

[yikai]

yours is actually very nice and very different in shape also from mine.

yours is longer in body shape and is very "rusty" in shape.

mine is more round and heart shape and is very "flame" in shape.

both are nice.

they are breaking into our market now and can get to see more of them soon.

[yikai]

Here is a "flame" rusty flame that i sold to coolguy. This rusty flame is more flame like as the stripes are longer with some extending to the lower half of the body. This specimen is the smallest out of the three and it has very fine long stripes and a gorgeous reddish orange.

the photo does not do it justice.

althought the stripes are less interesting than the first two, the colour is very deep and bright, like mine as you can see from the first photo.

[Digiman]

yours is actually very nice and very different in shape also from mine.

yours is longer in body shape and is very "rusty" in shape.

mine is more round and heart shape and is very "flame" in shape.

both are nice.

they are breaking into our market now and can get to see more of them soon.

The fish is also quite round but not as round as yours and coolguy's. It appears long becos i took the pic at a weird angle and i lowered the water level until the fish is swimming w fins all closed.

It is still in my QT. Tonight i'll release it into my display and a video will soon be taken for an update here.

[Digiman]

the photo does not do it justice.

althought the stripes are less interesting than the first two, the colour is very deep and bright, like mine as you can see from the first photo.

Both pics of mine are badly taken. Both fishes look far better in person!

Mine i'll make a vid and it'll show the true color and beauty of the more "rusty" rusty flame.

[Digiman]

Here is a rusty flame shipped to HK as a shepardi hybrid.

This piece is 90% rusty w little flame blood. A very boring specimen to me.

[Digiman]

Anyway coolguy has updated me that his rusty flame is feeding on pellets already. V easy fish.

[FuEl]

Argh.. they all look the same to me..

[yikai]

the one from HK doesn't even look like a rusty flame to me.

everything about it is rusty.

it is an easy fish. mine is also feeding on pellets but i'm not releasing it first until it eats more and be more bold. it's also VERY aggressive! even more so than flame! only one day in my sump and it's bulling my fremblii butterfly which i added in earlier today to act as a dither fish.

hard to believe we are obsessing about something that's become so nonsense everywhere else except here. jake rolls his eyes everytime i tell him about my rusty angel hybrid lol!

[Digiman]

Argh.. they all look the same to me..

Haha jux like how all your clowns look the same to me...

[yikai]

Haha jux like how all your clowns look the same to me...

haha!

[Digiman]

I know it is so common elsewhere esp in other asian countries like Japan, HK and Thailand.

But sorry i jux cant contain my excitement and happiness for the fish! After craving for it for over 2 years and i suddenly get to see 3 specimens all in one day is too much joy for me. Even now i feel so happy when i think about it...

[yikai]

I know it is so common elsewhere esp in other asian countries like Japan, HK and Thailand.

But sorry i jux cant contain my excitement and happiness for the fish! After craving for it for over 2 years and i suddenly get to see 3 specimens all in one day is too much joy for me. Even now i feel so happy when i think about it...

it's still rare in thailand! NO rusty flame specimens have appeared there except for the one in the display tank.

me too!! i lie on my floor and look at it in my sump. i'm there like almost whole day lying chest down on the floor and smiling when i look at it.

only fish nerds like us who truly appreciate the fish and show so much interest in it will actually do something like this hahaha!

cannot count on any LFS to bring in things for us. if we want things like this we must source for ourselves in the future and make arrangements. otherwise we will never get it!

[Digiman]

And i'm so wrong to assume the standard of rusty flame has drop. Of the three specimens we received all three are v unique and distinct.

I do hope more rusty flames turn up for other reefers here who r interested to keep this fish. Rusty flames patterns are as different as fingerprints and is up to individual which one u prefer.

If u are sick of flame angel or rusty angel, try keeping a rusty flame hybrid next time!

[Digiman]

it's still rare in thailand! NO rusty flame specimens have appeared there except for the one in the display tank.

me too!! i lie on my floor and look at it in my sump. i'm there like almost whole day lying chest down on the floor and smiling when i look at it.

only fish nerds like us who truly appreciate the fish and show so much interest in it will actually do something like this hahaha!

cannot count on any LFS to bring in things for us. if we want things like this we must source for ourselves in the future and make arrangements. otherwise we will never get it!

I walk to my QT tank in the kitchen many times in the afternoon to check on the fish and everytime i see it i find it more and more beautiful.

Not many fishes have been able to excite me to such extent lately and rusty flame is definitely one who can!!

For those who think lemon and I are obsessed, yes we are!

Tell me a flame angel is redder and nicer yes i know, but a rusty flame is so much more interesting and has a greater story to tell and that is wat excites me after been in this hobby for well over 8 years!

[FuEl]

Wonder what will happen if the true sherpadi lands here. You & lemon will probably end up fighting.

[yikai]

its the story of the rusty flame.

THE STORY IS SO INTERESTING. but i'll refrain from posting here. time consuming and boring.

yes to those who like interesting fishes, keep a rusty flame. u can never get sick and tired of the fish. how can you? every specimen is different!

[yikai]

Wonder what will happen if the true sherpadi lands here. You & lemon will probably end up fighting.

no such thing as a true shepardi and a rusty flame lah.

like i've said. true shepardi only found in guam and japan. if it's coming from a cebu source, it's named wrongly.

and even if its a true shepardi, it will look exactly like a rusty flame hybrid.

that;s the story of the rusty flame and why it is so interesting.

because the real shepardi is thought to be a rusty - flame isolated in guam to form it's own population.

at the end of the day, "rusty flame" and "shepardi" are identical in appearance, but different only in the name.

[Terryz_]

Here is a rusty flame shipped to HK as a shepardi hybrid.

This piece is 90% rusty w little flame blood. A very boring specimen to me.

I kinda like this one... LOL...

[FuEl]

True sherpadi it is.. believe it and it will be!

[yikai]

True sherpadi it is.. believe it and it will be!

even if it is, which it isn't.

how could you tell?

but if i had a true shepardi, i will freak out coz true shepardi's are almost unobtainable now. only the fake rusty-flames.

but unless it comes form a guam or japan shipment, it is not. so pls, dun keep saying it's a TRUE shepardi! IT'S NOT!

[Digiman]

True sherpadi it is.. believe it and it will be!

There is no more true shepardi in the market now and in the near future there will not be any either.

However i'm happy with just my false shepardi or shepardi hybrid whichever u call it, cos even the true shepardi from Guam is as variable and look identical to the false shepardi from cebu.

So no big deal with a true shepardi if it comes. I wont fight with lemon, cos to me it's always FCFS, just like how he was earlier den me and waited so long for the shipment, he deserves the nicer specimen and i have no qualms letting him choose wat he likes first and i take the leftover.

[yikai]

There is no more true shepardi in the market now and in the near future there will not be any either.

However i'm happy with just my false shepardi or shepardi hybrid whichever u call it, cos even the true shepardi from Guam is as variable and look identical to the false shepardi from cebu.

So no big deal with a true shepardi if it comes. I wont fight with lemon, cos to me it's always FCFS, just like how he was earlier den me and waited so long for the shipment, he deserves the nicer specimen and i have no qualms letting him choose wat he likes first and i take the leftover.

yes but i let u have the orange dottyback coz i know u like it more than i do.

i don't really care for dottybacks as much as you. so u can have it.

and i bet it's very nice in ur tank with the rosae and tapeinosoma right? 3 v rare dottybacks togther.

pls takea vid of all 3! so i can write on reefbuilders