Emperer Angel not eating

[dkritz]

I have a new, young, Emperer Angel in my 125g fowlr, and he has not been eating at all. I have tried feeding live brine (the first couple of days), then frozen brine, frozen Mysis, flakes, and pellets. I added some garlic extract to the food yesterday hoping that would entice him, but to no avail.

Until yesterday, he would eagerly follow individual pieces of shrimp, examine each one, and then not eat it. Now he is not even bothering to examine the food, and he is more lethargic. He spends time in front of the cleaner shrimp, but the shrimp rarely does anything.

My new Copperband Butterfly is thriving, so I am confident that the water is in good shape.

I'm open to any suggestions you may have!

 

[Irenicus]

Water params? How long has he been in the tank? Was he in QT before that?

 

[shaka]

I agree with Irenicus. There is a lot more info needed. Did you get from an LFS? How long did they have it? Was it eating before you bought it?

I've had 2 Emperors (a subadult and an adult). They both ate without any problems. I wonder if juveniles are a little slower adapting to captivity.

When all else fails, I've always had sucess with a fresh clam on the half shell.
I get the clams from a grocery store.

 

[dkritz]

I tried buying him from www.saltwaterfish.com (arriving on 11/29). When he arrived, he was laying on his side looking almost dead. I acclimated him for several hours and then introduced him to the main tank (I don't have a QT). He looked like a gonner, but in the morning he was up and swimming all around. At the time, he ate a tiny bit (not much at all), but I saw him pick off the rocks and the algae on the back of the tank.

salinity: 1.023
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 60
pH: 8.2

Today I purchased live black worms, which I was told are a big hit among Angelfish, but again he does not seem real interested.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I agree with Irenicus. There is a lot more info needed. Did you get from an LFS? How long did they have it? Was it eating before you bought it?

I've had 2 Emperors (a subadult and an adult). They both ate without any problems. I wonder if juveniles are a little slower adapting to captivity.

When all else fails, I've always had sucess with a fresh clam on the half shell.
I get the clams from a grocery store.

Juvis of almost all large Angels are easier to acclimate----they aren't "stuck" on a particular diet yet.

 

[dkritz]

Do you think there would be any benefit to a fresh water dip?

 

[shaka]

I don't think a freshwater dip will make him eat.

I've used freshwater dips to rid fish of possible parasites but I don't think it would help for internal ones.

 

[runintoluck]

As someone mentioned earlier, clams on a half shell tend to get angels going. If not, have you tried ON Marine Angel Formula. It got my bandit to eat, so it's worth a shot. Also, my emperor had no problem with feeding when I received him, but I did introduce him to qt first for acclimation. Do not be too alarmed yet if its not eating yet as it can take as long as weeks for these fish to feel completely at home. Be sure to monitor for diseases or unnatural behavior of any sort though.

 

[sandwi54]

i think you should set up a QT and put the emperor in it. Contrary to popular belief, QT is a much less stressful environment for fish than DT during the acclimation process. The fish has time to settle down and get used to captive life without having to worry about harassment from tankmates and competition for food. QT is also the best to train fish to eat what you want them to eat. The emperor may be feeling intimidated by the copperband.

Of course, you should QT all new fish to prevent potential disease from wiping out your entire tank. Also, a 125g is too small for an emperor angel. You need a tank twice that size once the angel hits 7-8", which won't take long.

Also keep in mind that some fish just don't acclimate to captive life and there's nothing you can do. Although, your emperor doesn't sound like one of those as he does look at the food. something is stressing him out and causing him not to eat.

 

[MrTuskfish]

i think you should set up a QT and put the emperor in it. Contrary to popular belief, QT is a much less stressful environment for fish than DT during the acclimation process. The fish has time to settle down and get used to captive life without having to worry about harassment from tankmates and competition for food. QT is also the best to train fish to eat what you want them to eat. The emperor may be feeling intimidated by the copperband.

Of course, you should QT all new fish to prevent potential disease from wiping out your entire tank. Also, a 125g is too small for an emperor angel. You need a tank twice that size once the angel hits 7-8", which won't take long.

Also keep in mind that some fish just don't acclimate to captive life and there's nothing you can do. Although, your emperor doesn't sound like one of those as he does look at the food. something is stressing him out and causing him not to eat.

+1 Every fish should always go into a QT for several reasons. No exceptions, no excuses. Almost every new thread that hits the disease section of this forum could have been avoided by using a QT religiously.