I ordered a Red Sea Regal from my LFS and he should be coming in tomorrow. I have a 180 FOWLR that he will be going into with a Flagfin and a Juvenile Emperor. He'll be the largest in the tank at 4"-5". Should I just pick him up and skip him going in a LFS tank to minimize stress, or let him him acclimate there and hope to get him eating before I take him home?
Regal Angel Primer
- Thread starter DJPB
- Start date
I bought mine straught out of the bag. -but if you're planning on putting him into a FOWL I would check he is eating first. In a reef he will find plenty of algae, sponges, corals and so on. A FOWL is a different story. If you keep aggressive feeders in there, he might have a hard time. Angels are shy and slow eaters.
It took mine over two weeks before accepting anything apart from life pods. And I only keep six other fish in the big tank. And even now he is usually last to come out and feed.
It took mine over two weeks before accepting anything apart from life pods. And I only keep six other fish in the big tank. And even now he is usually last to come out and feed.
Rebel
Premium Member
I just got a grey-belly IO Regal Friday. I have been prepping and planning for a few months, including reading <most of> this thread. I got him from my LFS who ordered him, and I got him fresh off the plane in the bag. Unfortunately he is a bit bigger than I had hoped at 4.5", but I am cautiously optimistic:
He came in with flukes--treating with Prazi in a 20 gal QT with a few chunks of LR and some clay pots. I started treatment Saturday am and he has seemed to liven up since then.
Eating wise, he has been timid (big shock, no?). I tried a clam--littlenecks, I think--first. He came to it and tore a bit once, swam around for ten minutes or so, and then came back and tore another tiny bit. I left it in there for two hours, and it certainly wasn't gone or mangled, but it did have a few nips out of it. I took this as a good sign. I also tried PE mysis soaked in garlic (probably won't do this any more for I think it is rather mythical) and some Vita-chem. He noses everything like he is interested, but seems non-commital. I have also tried NLS pellets. Again, seems interested but not wolfing anything. Most times he nidges things once they have sunk to the QT bottom. HOWEVER, I have seen him eat a few mysis, including once from the water column, and he has eaten a few pellets and continues to dabble in clam. Nothing voracious, but is consuming some things. He tore a tiny bit at some nori and seemed a bit more interested when I banded some feather caulerpa to a rock today. I'll see tomorrow if he took to it more (oh yeah, he is in QT waiting for the DT in the library at Columbine High School--not ideal to not have 24/7 access, but the tank is eleven years established).
MY QUESTION:
Many people in the thread suggest that regals do well when introduced into the display because other fish "teach" them or "model" for them how to eat from the water column. I do not think mine is ready for the DT yet, seeing as there is a small yellow tang and a small kole tang--both smaller than the regal (in a 225). They both are generally peaceful, but they are excitable at feeding time.
Should I purchase/borrow/rent a small fish to add to the QT to help teach the regal to eat? Something peaceful and not an aggressive eater, but one that will readily eat--a blue/green chromis or something? My LFS would certainly allow me to do this, keep him in QT, then return him when I am finished, as long as it is not some $50+ fish.
Is this even feasible or worth a shot? Or would it cause more stress for the regal? Someone back in the 200-300's seemed to suggest including "dither" fish like this as a training tool. Is a 20 gal too small already?
He came in with flukes--treating with Prazi in a 20 gal QT with a few chunks of LR and some clay pots. I started treatment Saturday am and he has seemed to liven up since then.
Eating wise, he has been timid (big shock, no?). I tried a clam--littlenecks, I think--first. He came to it and tore a bit once, swam around for ten minutes or so, and then came back and tore another tiny bit. I left it in there for two hours, and it certainly wasn't gone or mangled, but it did have a few nips out of it. I took this as a good sign. I also tried PE mysis soaked in garlic (probably won't do this any more for I think it is rather mythical) and some Vita-chem. He noses everything like he is interested, but seems non-commital. I have also tried NLS pellets. Again, seems interested but not wolfing anything. Most times he nidges things once they have sunk to the QT bottom. HOWEVER, I have seen him eat a few mysis, including once from the water column, and he has eaten a few pellets and continues to dabble in clam. Nothing voracious, but is consuming some things. He tore a tiny bit at some nori and seemed a bit more interested when I banded some feather caulerpa to a rock today. I'll see tomorrow if he took to it more (oh yeah, he is in QT waiting for the DT in the library at Columbine High School--not ideal to not have 24/7 access, but the tank is eleven years established).
MY QUESTION:
Many people in the thread suggest that regals do well when introduced into the display because other fish "teach" them or "model" for them how to eat from the water column. I do not think mine is ready for the DT yet, seeing as there is a small yellow tang and a small kole tang--both smaller than the regal (in a 225). They both are generally peaceful, but they are excitable at feeding time.
Should I purchase/borrow/rent a small fish to add to the QT to help teach the regal to eat? Something peaceful and not an aggressive eater, but one that will readily eat--a blue/green chromis or something? My LFS would certainly allow me to do this, keep him in QT, then return him when I am finished, as long as it is not some $50+ fish.
Is this even feasible or worth a shot? Or would it cause more stress for the regal? Someone back in the 200-300's seemed to suggest including "dither" fish like this as a training tool. Is a 20 gal too small already?
maxxII
Super Housemonkey!
I used dither fish to assist inacclimating my Regals. I used a 58 gallon tank to acclimate both of mine. The first had a Tomini tang and a Royal grama as "teachers", the second had a Tomini of about the same size and substantially smaller Purple tang(think quarter with fins to the Regal's 3.5 inch overall length).
Having said that, I think that a 20gallon QT is too small to add additional fish to. IME, Regal's take a long time to get Acclimated and comfortable in captivity. Having territory issues from being stuffed into a smaller tank with other fish isnt going to help your efforts. I would either continue what your doing or buy a bigger tank for QT(something like a 40 breeder at least)
Nick
Having said that, I think that a 20gallon QT is too small to add additional fish to. IME, Regal's take a long time to get Acclimated and comfortable in captivity. Having territory issues from being stuffed into a smaller tank with other fish isnt going to help your efforts. I would either continue what your doing or buy a bigger tank for QT(something like a 40 breeder at least)
Nick
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The first days my regal would only graze different algae from my LR. Ans still most of his diet is algae from the rocks. So I think it was a good choice to put him into the DT right away. There is a small emperor in it as well. And the regal follows him around and after a while kopied his feeding manners. Meaning: wolving down anything that flows in the tank lol
I picked up my Regal yesterday from the LFS. He is fat and healthy looking, but much larger than I was expecting. I was expecting one between 4" - 5", but he ended up being at least 6". He's about twice the size of my other 2 angels. On the plus side, I didn't have to worry about him being picked on by the others.
I ended up introducing him directly to the aquarium to reduce stress. He has been hiding in the caves mostly so far, but he seems to be coming out more already. My Flagfin has even been keeping him company. Still not much interest in food yet, but it's only been a day. The LFS had talked to the distributor and they had said he was eating mysis there, but I take that with a grain of salt. I'll try and get a picture of him later, but I only have my crappy camera phone.
I ended up introducing him directly to the aquarium to reduce stress. He has been hiding in the caves mostly so far, but he seems to be coming out more already. My Flagfin has even been keeping him company. Still not much interest in food yet, but it's only been a day. The LFS had talked to the distributor and they had said he was eating mysis there, but I take that with a grain of salt. I'll try and get a picture of him later, but I only have my crappy camera phone.
Rebel
Premium Member
Thanks for the feedback. Today, he still looks very healthy--swimming well, active, engaging (this fish has personality!). I have started putting in caulerpa from the fuge and he seems to go at it excitedly. And today I thawed a frozen clam (shelled/bagged from the grocer) and banded it to a rock. I use tongs to place it on the bottom. He attacked it before I could get it to the bottom--he's not afraid of the tongs at all and seems to realize they mean food and gets excited. The only issue is that I used a knofe to cut it up a bit so he could rip it up easier, and instead he ripped it up in no time. The problem is once he has ripped large chunks off the rock (or even a clam on the shell) he tries to rip at the pieces on the bottom and they are not attached so he doesn't get too much. But hey--he's eating. Just messy. I am going to get a few more clams on the shell and let him go at them, and then start the transition to more mysis etc.
Just found this thread, I have been in love with these fish since the moment i first saw them. Finally after upgrading my tank i decided to pick up a very healthy, friendly and flake food eater.
The fish went in 1 week after a very shy yellow tang, the 2 paired up and everytime the Regal came out of the rocks to feed, the yellow would follow. The fish was happy as hell for the 2 weeks after i got it! My wife fell in love, i staired for hours as i finally found my "dream fish"(previously a powder blue from years ago).
Came home from work last week from work, started the feeding and no Regal, my heart sank and i paniced, looked over the floor, in the sump and nothing. Finally after 3 min i noticed the poor bugger on its side with a rock half pinning it. I scrambled and started throwing rocks out of the way to get the slow breathing fish but 3 hours later it was dead.
My wife has now banned me from buying fish for the next while as she was too upset about losing the Regal
The fish went in 1 week after a very shy yellow tang, the 2 paired up and everytime the Regal came out of the rocks to feed, the yellow would follow. The fish was happy as hell for the 2 weeks after i got it! My wife fell in love, i staired for hours as i finally found my "dream fish"(previously a powder blue from years ago).
Came home from work last week from work, started the feeding and no Regal, my heart sank and i paniced, looked over the floor, in the sump and nothing. Finally after 3 min i noticed the poor bugger on its side with a rock half pinning it. I scrambled and started throwing rocks out of the way to get the slow breathing fish but 3 hours later it was dead.
My wife has now banned me from buying fish for the next while as she was too upset about losing the Regal
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Finsky
New member
Regal Angel replacement
Regal Angel replacement
As my Regal Angel I had for over two years ate my large mushroom soft coral and any zooanthus I had, I am replacing him with a pair of Bellus Angels so I can have a tank with reef safe inhabitants.
I want to be able to keep all the kinds of mushrooms, zooanthus polyps, and LPS corals and a Regal Angel is a polyps, mushroom, and LPS eater.
Regal Angel replacement
As my Regal Angel I had for over two years ate my large mushroom soft coral and any zooanthus I had, I am replacing him with a pair of Bellus Angels so I can have a tank with reef safe inhabitants.
I want to be able to keep all the kinds of mushrooms, zooanthus polyps, and LPS corals and a Regal Angel is a polyps, mushroom, and LPS eater.
LukFox
Active member
Nope, but prazi is a pretty safe treatment and is even reef safe except for killing some worms like feather dusters. Very easy to do.
LukFox
Active member
It can weaken the appetite sometimes, but it isn't an issue for fish in decent condition. It's interesting they say it will kill flukes as I haven't seen anyone use it for that. I've found a study that said it is hard to kill flukes at normal copper levels, though, and a help question where Seachem recommends a different product for flukes even though the fish was already in cupramine.
agreeive?fish
New member
here is a link to my video of my grey belly i have had since a week before christmas video was taken today
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1981519
disclaimer iam not good with a camera
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1981519
disclaimer iam not good with a camera
