QT feeding questions

[Rebel]

I just got a regal angel in yesterday and have him in QT. He looks healthy and fat (though a bit larger than I was hoping for). Grey belly. I am starting to try foods with him to see what/if he will eat.

I have not been able to find any Selcon locally, but I have Vita-Chem. When I am trying to get a finicky fish to begin to eat, are these good to use? Or do they alter the smell/taste of food in a way that may turn off the fish from trying a food? Or is it an enhancer that may help attract him to the food? Should I wait until he is eating, then begin soaking his foods? Does this apply to nori too? (gotta love stacking five questions in a row)

On another note (and I think I already know the answer to this), my QT is only a 20gal. Since the regal isn't eating quite yet, the food I put in there settles to the bottom. How often do you guys siphon/water change your QT tanks while keeping a fish? Should I be changing some water every day or so? I threw in a couple hermits just 'cuz. Not sure that's a good idea or not, but thought it couldn't hurt.

Cheers.

 

[aquaph8]

The Vita-Chem is fine. Have you tried any live foods? Like baby brine? Garlic is more of an attractent if thats what your looking for. Get yourself one of those stick on ammonia alerts and keep an eye on it. I would go ahead and siphon any uneaten food off the bottom and do 5 gallon water changes as needed. Hermits wont hurt unless you have to use meds. While you have her in the QT you might consider treating with Prazipro. Hope this helps. Goodluck

 

[64Ivy]

Regarding starter foods, try freshly thawed bivalves such as clams, oysters, and mussels on the half-shell and live California Blackworms.

http://www.aquaticfoods.com/Blackworms.html

 

[Rebel]

Thanks guys. Clams are on the menu for today. No reliable source for live brine close enough to home since it snowed 12+ inches last night. And I am running Prazipro right now. Pretty sure by behaviors (yawning and twitching the head) that he has flukes.

For now I put a large piece of LR in the QT. It is a piece from my LR sump that had some sponge growing on it. Doubt it is the kind the regal will eat, but the LR will feel more natural to her. I have never run copper in the tank so unless I need to I think the LR can go back in the sump after I'm done.

Thanks again for the help

 

[jenny1979]

I got mine to eat pretty quick by putting him direktly into the DT and he watched the other fish eat and after about two days started eating as well. He loves live mysis shrimps

 

[Rebel]

I have hope--he noses up to food floating in the water column, and he picks at food that has settled to the bottom. Not really eating any of it quite yet, but seems interested. I hear you about putting him in the display to learn, etc. But I want to keep him through at least one and likely two rounds of Prazipro before putting him in the display.

I put in a clam I split open. He nibbled at it a few times and ate a modest portion (really only a half dozen bites over an hour). Then I put in some nori and he nibbled a bit at it too. Like I said, I am taking these as good signs seeing as he only entered the QT on Friday night and is likely shedding flukes via prazipro.

It is hard, however, to try to get out the uneaten food and do a 5-gallon water change every day. This tank, mind you, is in the library of Columbine High School, not my living room. A bit difficult to keep a constant eye on.

 

[aquaph8]

Yeah that would make it a little rough. Sounds like he may be coming around though. Stay the course and you'll be glad you did cause Regals are really cool fish. Best of luck to ya. Be sure to throw some pics up for us when he goes in.

 

[Texastravis]

Drop the vitamin crap and go all new life spectrum pellets. I use Finicky formula for new fish and then when they go in the DT they go on my staple Thera-A formula.

To get tangs to "start" eating I always use Nori. This works for a lot of Angels as well so you could try it.

 

[Rebel]

Here is what he looks like today.

 

[Rebel]

A follow-up question:
He's been eating clam on the shell a bit more today, and nibbled more nori--so I left them in there for three hours while I was teaching. The water deteriorated a bit, so I changed out about 8 gallons or more (closer to nine).

Since I am dosing Prazipro, I re-added enough Prazipro to treat nine gallons. That is what I should have done, correct? And when the dosing says 5-7 days, then rest and repeat, am I messing with the regimen? Do I need to reconfigure the schedule? Or am I actually being too aggressive because a more potent dose goes in every time I change water (roughly a five-gallon change every other day)?