Regal Angel Primer
- Thread starter DJPB
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JohnSiesta
Member
Just got my RS Regal Angel. It's nice and fat. Te LFS had him three weeks (on hold for me) so I put him straight into the display tank. He immediately began to swim around and enjoyed a thorough cleaning from the cleaner shrimps. He has since been hiding in the caves. I was assured that he eating frozen brine at the LFS. I haven't seen him eat yet. I've also added live brine that he'll hopefully see. I am going to try the mussell/clam blend tonight.
doody
New member
JohnSiesta, Just because he was eating at the LFS does'nt mean he'll eat for you. Yes, you have a greater chance of success because he was eating, but the transfer could stress these guys out. Did you actually "SEE" him eat at the LFS? If you did'nt "SEE" it eat at the LFS, it's a good chance the LFS lied to you. Or it could be that the LFS definition of eat is: it nipped at brine once.
JohnSiesta
Member
Doody,
Thanks for the Note. I didn't see the fish eat as he was in Toronto and I'm in Halifax. I do know that they had him for three weeks so I assume he must have eaten. I watched a Regal in a local LFS last Fall for 10 days while the LFS assured me that he was eating. I wasn't going to buy him until I saw him eat. He died on the 11th day at the LFS from starvation. Needless to say, I'm nervous about getting this guy to eat.
John
Thanks for the Note. I didn't see the fish eat as he was in Toronto and I'm in Halifax. I do know that they had him for three weeks so I assume he must have eaten. I watched a Regal in a local LFS last Fall for 10 days while the LFS assured me that he was eating. I wasn't going to buy him until I saw him eat. He died on the 11th day at the LFS from starvation. Needless to say, I'm nervous about getting this guy to eat.
John
doody
New member
Moonpod's right. It would be a little thin by now. Try the mussell/clam. Lots of people have success with that. If it takes to the mussell/clam, you can stuff other foods in the shell to get the fish to eat them. Just to let you know it's normal for these guys to go into hideing after a transfer. Got any aggressive fish in there with him that might keep him in his hole?
Got a pic? What LFS did you get him from?
Got a pic? What LFS did you get him from?
sonofgaladriel
Shiny!
Week 2 with my Red Sea Regal. From day one he has been 'nipping' at the rocks and some sponge I have growing on the undersides of some rocks. As of today though, he has not eaten any prepared foods that I have seen. I tried the fresh clam the first week. The juvenile imperator tore it up, but the Regal didn't touch it. I've since tried a mixed gumbo of squid/octopus/cod/shrimp/mussles/crab/garlic and he hasn't taken to that either. He is still fat and deficating, so he must be getting something. Oh, I always have plenty of nori in the tank 24/7 as well, but I haven't seen him nip at it since the first few days. But of course I don't get to watch him for but a few hours each day.
He swims out in the open 90% of the time. My male Watanabe has recently started 'showing' up to him but no real aggression.
What else should I try? Should I be worried at this point?
Thanks
He swims out in the open 90% of the time. My male Watanabe has recently started 'showing' up to him but no real aggression.
What else should I try? Should I be worried at this point?
Thanks
luvtolean
New member
Maybe try two clams so if the imperator is pigging out, the Regal still has one to goto in peace?
I had a Regal years ago and it took a few tries, but it finally started eating live clams on a half shell from the store...and then prepared foods.
Maybe if you can, QT the imperator so the Regal can start eating in peace?
I'm hoping in the not so distant future to try a Regal again. It's one of my all-time favorite fish.
I had a Regal years ago and it took a few tries, but it finally started eating live clams on a half shell from the store...and then prepared foods.
Maybe if you can, QT the imperator so the Regal can start eating in peace?
I'm hoping in the not so distant future to try a Regal again. It's one of my all-time favorite fish.
The Regal can get many weeks of starvation and still look good. I was taking care for a friend of mine regal (we thoug if he se my regal eating it will eat too) and the regal last for tree months whit out taking any food. Maybe some acidental pick in some rock but starving any way. So with Regls is realy important to see them eat, i thing the survival oportunities for an eating regal are more than 60% mora tan a regal we don't see taking any food, i think stuffs like patogens, infections, Etc, seem to be lest importan than the feeding issue, in Regal angels.
JohnSiesta
Member
Don't have a picture yet (he's staying in two caves). I got him from Reefraft in Toronto. They received 4 Regals in January, sold 2, then mine and still have one.
I only have one semi-aggressive fish, a dwarf multi-color angel. I missed the whole Superbowl until I caught him sunday night and moved him to the refugium so that the tank ould be peaceful for the Regal.
I only have one semi-aggressive fish, a dwarf multi-color angel. I missed the whole Superbowl until I caught him sunday night and moved him to the refugium so that the tank ould be peaceful for the Regal.
Steve Atkins
New member
Possibly not. If it is still eating food from under your reef then it may not find any reason to try food that it does not know. As the food supply under the reef runs out and it starts to get hungry it should begin to take more motice of other food supplies and this is when it will start to learn from the other fish.
At least this is pretty much how it went for my fish.
At the moment, that fact that it is still interested in food is the critical factor since, as long as it wants to eat, you will have a chance of getting it to eat your food.
Steve
Steve Atkins
New member
The lad, 7.5 months down the track. I think he has grown about 1cm since I got him. The road to tank domination is obviously not a smooth one, as I noticed, while taking this picture, that he has a few new battle scars.
The large black blur just above the regal is the tank 2IC. This used to be one of two cute little Javanese damsels a few years ago. I have seen a lot written to the effect that all damsels are just small packets of aggression, so it has turned out a good thing that this is largely a load of bollocks. Of the 7 damsels in my tank, only one would meet this description and it is not either of these big black fellows (actually I think one might be a girl as I have seen them get a bit amorous from time to time). They are no more assertive than any other fish their size and I am rather hoping the Regal will use them as a model for reasonable behaviour in a community tank.
Steve
The large black blur just above the regal is the tank 2IC. This used to be one of two cute little Javanese damsels a few years ago. I have seen a lot written to the effect that all damsels are just small packets of aggression, so it has turned out a good thing that this is largely a load of bollocks. Of the 7 damsels in my tank, only one would meet this description and it is not either of these big black fellows (actually I think one might be a girl as I have seen them get a bit amorous from time to time). They are no more assertive than any other fish their size and I am rather hoping the Regal will use them as a model for reasonable behaviour in a community tank.
Steve
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delafe
New member
Steve:
You are very fortunate that your damsels are not mean bullies. It took a great deal of effort to take out two damsels from my tank that came close to killing my regal when I first added him to the tank. They had killed smaller fish in the past, but I had assumed (wrongly) that if the fish added was larger they would leave it alone.
-Alfred
You are very fortunate that your damsels are not mean bullies. It took a great deal of effort to take out two damsels from my tank that came close to killing my regal when I first added him to the tank. They had killed smaller fish in the past, but I had assumed (wrongly) that if the fish added was larger they would leave it alone.
-Alfred
Steve Atkins
New member
The aggressive damsel in my tank chases everything up to, but not including, the Blue Tang and the larger of the two Javanese damsels, if they happen to get too close to it's cave. It also gets beside itself with frustration/rage if I dare to re-arrange the sand near it's cave and will spend several frustrated hours getting it right again (funny to watch but I feel a bit mean doing it).
When I put in the Regal, I also put in a Yellow Tang and three Yellowtailed blue damsels plus stuck 3 mirrors up around the tank. The combination of the new fish and all the reflections caused the damsel to get so wild it attacked every other fish in the tank (the plan to divert attention from the Regal certainly worked in this respect). I actually got a bit worried as it was obviously loosing many of it's fights and it's fins became more and more ragged. Luckily he/she carmed down after a day or so.
I look after another tank, about 25% bigger than mine and it contains a Flame Damsel that will often bite me.
Perhaps my tank is an exception with only one really aggressive fish out of 7 damsels and 4 chromus, but I do not know why that would be so. I have to admit, I rather like damsels.
Steve
When I put in the Regal, I also put in a Yellow Tang and three Yellowtailed blue damsels plus stuck 3 mirrors up around the tank. The combination of the new fish and all the reflections caused the damsel to get so wild it attacked every other fish in the tank (the plan to divert attention from the Regal certainly worked in this respect). I actually got a bit worried as it was obviously loosing many of it's fights and it's fins became more and more ragged. Luckily he/she carmed down after a day or so.
I look after another tank, about 25% bigger than mine and it contains a Flame Damsel that will often bite me.
Perhaps my tank is an exception with only one really aggressive fish out of 7 damsels and 4 chromus, but I do not know why that would be so. I have to admit, I rather like damsels.
Steve
sonofgaladriel
Shiny!
Thanks for all the replies guys. As of today I have not seen him eat any prepared foods and I've tried just about everything.
The good news is that he continues to constantly pick at the rocks and sponge AND I have seen him munching on my yellow colonieal polyps AND he is definately deficating! I'm glad to see him munch on these yellow polyps as I consider them a weed and was about to Joe's Juice them before the grew into my SPS colonies! There are enough of them to feed him for some time. I hope he eats them all and then gets hungry enough for some of my food.
He is such a beautiful fish. Fortunately, he continues to swim out in the open all day. He no longer hides when I stick my hand in the tank to feed or adjust corals. I think he has settled in and feels comfortable in the tank.
The good news is that he continues to constantly pick at the rocks and sponge AND I have seen him munching on my yellow colonieal polyps AND he is definately deficating! I'm glad to see him munch on these yellow polyps as I consider them a weed and was about to Joe's Juice them before the grew into my SPS colonies! There are enough of them to feed him for some time. I hope he eats them all and then gets hungry enough for some of my food.
He is such a beautiful fish. Fortunately, he continues to swim out in the open all day. He no longer hides when I stick my hand in the tank to feed or adjust corals. I think he has settled in and feels comfortable in the tank.
Psionicdragon
New member
how do you convert a regal eating fresh clams to prepared food??
Regal One: RIP, died after adding a PBT. PBT was living happily in an established system AND QT'd for almost 4 weeks, yet still came down decided to get sick. Never picked at corals, ate formula 2 flake, spectrum pellets and red sea weed selects with gusto.
Regal Two: Took about 3 1/2 weeks before he decided to eat prepared foods with gusto. Found zoanthids delicious but never picked on other corals. Now living happily in a friend's 240.
Now,
Regals 3 and 4:
Small juvis straight off the Red Sea shipment. Getting along well together and began eating formula 2 flake food with gusto after just a few HOURS in the system. Pride and joy specimens which have completely ignored corals.
Definitely a cool reef aquarium phenomena. I'll try to get some video if possible.
Regal Two: Took about 3 1/2 weeks before he decided to eat prepared foods with gusto. Found zoanthids delicious but never picked on other corals. Now living happily in a friend's 240.
Now,
Regals 3 and 4:
Small juvis straight off the Red Sea shipment. Getting along well together and began eating formula 2 flake food with gusto after just a few HOURS in the system. Pride and joy specimens which have completely ignored corals.
Definitely a cool reef aquarium phenomena. I'll try to get some video if possible.
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