Regal Angel Primer

[ThRoewer]

I decided to move my first two Sumatra regals to the 100 gallon tank a bit ealier than planned. The 80 mm (3.1") went Friday and the 95 mm (3.75") today.
Both get along well, but I may have overdone the rockwork - I only see glimpses of them among all the overhangs and coral branches.
They seem to like it though.

 

[rmcgookey]

Day 6 on my regal from NYA and finally started eating but only omega flakes! He's been picking off rock since day 2. Hoping that now he eats out of the column he can start eating frozen soon. He hasn't touched pe mysis, frozen clam, live brine, nls finicky eater pellets, reef frenzy, multiple nori, or rods yet. The only fish in the tank that bullies him is a baby purple tang less than half his size. Regal is about 4 inches.

 

[alton]

A little story on the Regal Minh received from me, after adding it to my existing two in my 300 and it did not work out (even the smaller one would chase it) I sold it to good friend who added it to his new tank where it lived more in the overflow than in the tank due to harassment . So after hearing the story I bought a thin regal back and placed it in a QT tank with liverock and calerpa. In talking with Minh one day he said he was looking for another which I replied I had one but I needed to keep it for a few weeks because of the issue. Well it ate like a pig, so after a few weeks it made the fish gumball rally to CC. Sorry the attached picture is crappy but the only one I have with all three from April last year. The larger one is Redsea from LFS and Quality Marine, the smaller one was a Juvenile Redsea mis-bar from Michael @ NY Aquatics. And all three of there colors matched at the time. This fish is proof that regals sometimes are pretty tough, as this little guy is and has been around the world and back. The last picture was in QT.

 

[Dmorty217]

DD just listed a 4.75" True Red Sea Regal: http://www.liveaquaria.com/DiversDen/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=299916

I would say it looks precisely like the ones that come from the Maldives...

The problem with them not coming out of Yemen anymore is that some " Non Red Sea" Regals are being sent as Red Sea Regals due to "new" countries exporting fish that don't have a care in the world except making money

 

[Dmorty217]

Purchasing power does not necessarily translate into knowledge and especially not into geographic knowledge.

This individual touches 75% or more of the fish that go to the hobby when it comes to online orders... Also has way more experience in transhipped fish than you or I. I assure you he knows what he is talking about, but we can continue to argue about this if you would like.

 

[ThRoewer]

The problem with them not coming out of Yemen anymore is that some " Non Red Sea" Regals are being sent as Red Sea Regals due to "new" countries exporting fish that don't have a care in the world except making money

When I had my "True Red Sea" regal from DD with the two smaller ones from Sumatra, I wasn't able to see the slightest difference in color.

From what I have seen so far, the Indian Ocean regals look all the same, regardless if they come from the Maldives or Sumatra. They have an orange-yellow chest, but the body background color is less pronounced orange-yellow. Also their black/blue & white stripes are wider.

Red Sea regals have a fairly uniform orange-yellow background color and their black/blue & white stripes are significantly narrower, giving them an overall more orange-yellow appearance.

I would say my "True Red Sea" regal and this last one listed by DD are Indian Ocean regals.

This individual touches 75% or more of the fish that go to the hobby when it comes to online orders... Also has way more experience in transhipped fish than you or I. I assure you he knows what he is talking about, but we can continue to argue about this if you would like.

Who would that be?

As for Oman - it is too far away from the Red Sea for them to actually collect Red Sea fish there. All they can catch in their own waters are Indian Ocean and maybe some Persian Gulf fish. On top of that - to my knowledge - the Sultan of Oman doesn't allow fish collecting for the hobby in his waters. People tried to get a few Amphiprion omanensis as broodstock but only got refusals. The few omanensis that made it into the trade were either caught in adjacent waters (UAE or Yemen before the civil war) or on a scientific collection permit.

So whatever Oman exports on Red Sea fish must be collected somewhere else.

 

[alton]

I am not sure why we are arguing of where a fish comes from? Quality Marine/ LA DD will list Redsea or Africa as an origin. When I ordered my last Redsea fish from Michael @ NY Aquatics I asked where the fish came from and was told Eritrea. Which would make sense since we are war with most the other countries or exporting fish from that country is forbidden. If you want to argue the LED versus MH thread is some where else.

 

[Giovanni]

I am not sure why we are arguing of where a fish comes from? .....If you want to argue the LED versus MH thread is some where else.

+!

 

[Dmorty217]

When I had my "True Red Sea" regal from DD with the two smaller ones from Sumatra, I wasn't able to see the slightest difference in color.

From what I have seen so far, the Indian Ocean regals look all the same, regardless if they come from the Maldives or Sumatra. They have an orange-yellow chest, but the body background color is less pronounced orange-yellow. Also their black/blue & white stripes are wider.

Red Sea regals have a fairly uniform orange-yellow background color and their black/blue & white stripes are significantly narrower, giving them an overall more orange-yellow appearance.

I would say my "True Red Sea" regal and this last one listed by DD are Indian Ocean regals.



Who would that be?

As for Oman - it is too far away from the Red Sea for them to actually collect Red Sea fish there. All they can catch in their own waters are Indian Ocean and maybe some Persian Gulf fish. On top of that - to my knowledge - the Sultan of Oman doesn't allow fish collecting for the hobby in his waters. People tried to get a few Amphiprion omanensis as broodstock but only got refusals. The few omanensis that made it into the trade were either caught in adjacent waters (UAE or Yemen before the civil war) or on a scientific collection permit.

So whatever Oman exports on Red Sea fish must be collected somewhere else.

I'm not going to name drop... If you heard it you would know it

 

[Giovanni]

I have had a blue Jaw trigger in my DT. He does not pick on other fish but very competitive for food. I put a little nori out from time to time and my regal always seems interested but never goes after it till there is little left. I removed the trigger today and my regal instantly started fighting for the nori even out competing my yellow and desjardini tangs.

 

[ThRoewer]

After I put my first two Sumatra regals into the 100 gallon tank they became much more reclusive. I guess too many hiding places just tempt them to hide.
They currently also don't go as aggressively after food as they did in the 42 gallon QT or the 20 gallon HT. Part of that may of course also be that there is so much to pick off the rocks.
All other fish in this tank are rather small, but also faster and less hesitant feeders - I guess the regals still need to adapt to this competition and get more used to the tank.

The good news is that they are very often together.

 

[alton]

Probably still getting use to there new surroundings. It is great they still they along after moving them. I had two annularris that were best buddies in the store, great in QT, but when added to my 300 one went ballistic and chased the other till both were removed and sold.

 

[ThRoewer]

They actually hang out a lot together.
I gave the little one a 2 day head start before adding the bigger one. That always worked for me.

It is not that they are really shy - when out in the front they don't show much fear. It's more that there are too many places to hang out that are out of sight. The rockwork of that tank was designed for fish who like lots of caves and crevices and cover of coral branches - I guess, in the end I overdid it a bit.
It also led to somewhat a shortage of places for larger corals.

Though the fish seem to love it, and even the usually very reclusive Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius) are always to be seen crawling within the branches.

The bigger regal worries me a bit - he always tries to get the shrimp to clean him but those seem to well fed to be interested. I'm not sure if he has more success with the Stenopus cyanoscelis pair that set up shop underneath the gigantea.
Maybe I need to get a pair of small skunk cleaner shrimp - though they can become a real pest once fully grown... the 2 I have in my 18" cube definitely are. They even chase the fish away during feedings.

 

[rmcgookey]

Day 6 on my regal from NYA and finally started eating but only omega flakes! He's been picking off rock since day 2. Hoping that now he eats out of the column he can start eating frozen soon. He hasn't touched pe mysis, frozen clam, live brine, nls finicky eater pellets, reef frenzy, multiple nori, or rods yet. The only fish in the tank that bullies him is a baby purple tang less than half his size. Regal is about 4 inches.

1 week in and the regal will eat Omega One Veggie Flakes but that's about it. Will take in a live brine or mysis but very sparingly. Hoping that now that he's eating out of the column I can get him onto more nutritious frozen blends. Thank god I tried the flake! Last thing I thought of trying but it worked well to get him eating.

 

[ThRoewer]

I wish my fish would take flake foods, but all I get when trying to feed flakes is the stink-eye from everyone in the tank. Only exception are the shrimp and hermits, but they eat everything.

 

[OrionN]

My fish will take about 15 Mysis then stop every day. He eye some of the flake and take a few of the flakes. I need to put in some Nori and see if he take the Nori. I have to fee him twice a day, in the AM and when I get home. I guess I should not complain. 15 mysis is not too bad twice a day.

 

[Giovanni]

My fish will take about 15 Mysis then stop every day. He eye some of the flake and take a few of the flakes. I need to put in some Nori and see if he take the Nori. I have to fee him twice a day, in the AM and when I get home. I guess I should not complain. 15 mysis is not too bad twice a day.

Mine will not eat that much in one setting. I feed three times a day. Flake, pellets, mysis. Occasional nori brine or other frozen mix for a total 4 x day.

 

[ThRoewer]

My regals usually eat as much as they can get every time I feed - the two Sumatra that got moved are the exception for now.

Both of my Philippine regals are in "shark tanks" with wild eaters (banggai cardinals, percula clowns Grammas, super greedy cleaner shrimp and crazy bluestripe pipfish) and due to that competition they are the fastest eater of all my regals. They even go so far to steal food out of the giganteas - a scary sight.

My last little Sumatra regal has to fight off two cyanotaenia dottybacks and has become a quite aggressive eater as well - and he is always begging for more.
My 3rd Sumatra regal is alone in a HT but eats well too.

None of them even looks at dry food (flakes & pellets)

 

[ThRoewer]

Two videos of my Sumatra regal pair in the 100 gallon tank:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NfCU6BPqOjg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fixb4JBsjA0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

(Sorry for the bad video quality, reflections and background TV sound)

BTW: Blue Zoo just has a very nice Indian Ocean Regal in their WYSIWYG section.

 

[alton]

Very nice, thanks for posting