Imperator Angelfish

[wjfrank07]

I have had a beautiful Imperator Angelfish in my 75 gal tank for two years now. I got her as a very small juvenal from my LFS. Now she is changing into her adult stage. Most of her yellow lines are in, but not all connected together yet.

She has always eaten well for me: Mysis, San Fran Bay Butterfly and Angel Formula, Lifeline, Cyclop-EEZE pellets, New Life Spectrum pellets, SuperSoft pellets, dried seaweed, even flake food. I even soak the pellets in Zoe and Zoecon - I did this because I also have a purple tang from my LFS who had complete lateral line erosion when I got her (thankfully its almost completely gone). I always try to give her a very diverse diet.

Recently, as the angel has gotten larger, she will not eat the frozen foods that I have given her. She still loves the pellets, but just ignores the mysis and BF/Angel formula completely now. I'm concerned that she may not be getting the necessary nutrition she needs without the frozen food. I have seen people feed large angels krill, which I have tried, but she isn't interested in that. I really think that it would be a good food for her, and have considered only feeding her the krill until she starts eating it.

Do you think the krill is a plan? Should I be trying anything else?

 

[LisaD]

I'm surprised she won't take those foods any more. is there any chance she is stressed/sick? You might try soaking some of those foods in Selcon or garlic, sometimes that helps.

If she really is just changing her foods preference, research pellets and offer a mix of the best nutrition-formulated ones. You can get some of the good frozen food brands in pellet and flake form, like Ocean Nutrition.

While my emperor angel likes frozen, she also takes flake food (like Prime Reef) but not pellets.

You can also try taking pieces of krill or frozen shrimp (like you buy in the grocery) and soaking with completely thawed cubes. if you use gel cubes, try thawing in the microwave until they liquefy.

You didn't say if you offered nori or other algae.

I think you can try krill, but you need to get more vegetable or sponge matter into your fish.

 

[wjfrank07]

I have tried some frozen gel cubes with sponges, and she won't try it. I do offer algae every two days about. I have given her romaine lettuce. Do you have any other specific vegetables that you are thinking about?

I will give the garlic a try.

I don't think she is stressed or sick. Sometimes she pushes around the purple tang, but the angel is definitely the aggressor.

 

[ccampbell57]

Your issue is the size of your tank. A 75 is fine for a large angel when they are juvies. They need more room to swim. You need to upgrade for more space or your fish will slowly deteriorate.

 

[wjfrank07]

How soon do you think I need to upgrade? I was planning on like a stand 125 gal once we move to our next house (within a year or so). Do I need to upgrade before that? The angel is about 8 inches long now.

 

[flameangel88]

I think 8" is way too big for your 75g and 125g may still not be big enough for your emp. You may have to find a bigger home for your emp right away before any permanent damage is done.