Regal Angel ?

[hanas]

I posted this question in the Regal Angel Primer with no response so I started a new thread....

Got a 3" regal last Wednesday that started eating fresh littleneck clams on Friday. Within a couple hours, the entire clam with the exception of the tough (foot?) part of it has been consumed. I've been feeding one in the morning that is immediately "attacked" by the Regal, then another one around 7 at night in which the Regal just nibbles on for an hour or two.

Should I just be feeding one clam per day, would that suffice until I can get it eating pellets, Mysis, etc?

Also, despite no symptoms of gill flukes or external parasites in general, should I treat with Prazi just as a precaution? I've never had any problems treating with Prazi, but since you must turn the skimmer off while using it I'm concerned about water quality issues while feeding the clams.

 

[scooter31707]

Is the Angel in a QT or the DT? He should be in a QT, especially with them coming in not eating. During my process I do the TTM and then a round of Prazi-Pro in the QT no matter if the fish are in excellent condition. Nothing wrong with being safe. Remember the nake eye cannot not see everything, plus some LFS and vendor may use Copper which masks other parasites, meaning once they are out of the copper, boom other parasites show up.

 

[Dmorty217]

You need a QT with live rock in it to make the regal feel comfortable and also have something to pick at. I would feed as much as the regal will eat in a day. Wouldn't treat with anything until the Regal is eating prepared foods well

 

[hanas]

It's all alone in a 90G observation/QT tank (my old SPS setup) complete with skimmer, UV, etc. Spoiled, or else it would be in my 30G QT.

I never put a fish directly into my display tank, well maybe when I was 16, on a budget and new to the hobby.

So I'll treat with Prazi, there no issue there.

So, for the rest of my original post, how many clams per day did you feed your regal? Is one enough or should I feed two?

 

[A.Astore]

I posted this question in the Regal Angel Primer with no response so I started a new thread....

Got a 3" regal last Wednesday that started eating fresh littleneck clams on Friday. Within a couple hours, the entire clam with the exception of the tough (foot?) part of it has been consumed. I've been feeding one in the morning that is immediately "attacked" by the Regal, then another one around 7 at night in which the Regal just nibbles on for an hour or two.

Should I just be feeding one clam per day, would that suffice until I can get it eating pellets, Mysis, etc?

Also, despite no symptoms of gill flukes or external parasites in general, should I treat with Prazi just as a precaution? I've never had any problems treating with Prazi, but since you must turn the skimmer off while using it I'm concerned about water quality issues while feeding the clams.

Where did you acquire your Regal? And where was it originally from?

 

[hanas]

Thanks Dmorty217, so I'll continue the 2x per day feeding of live clams, which is funny since I've tried live and frozen and it devours the live ones faster, so there is a definitely a preference there....not sure if anyone else noticed that.

I'm going to rubber-band Nori to a piece of rock tonight to see if it will start eating that as well. It's been eating extremely well since Friday, but still shy as expected.

This is my 2nd attempt with a Regal, the first one back in 2007 was successful until Hurricane Sandy when my generator failed and I lost almost everything.

 

[hanas]

A.Astore - LA, Vanuatu (Melanesia), blue/gray throat as my previous one was...which I actually prefer over the yellow-bellied despite my wife's protest, maybe since I'm left-handed.

 

[A.Astore]

Glad to hear you got one eating SOMETHING! We were looking at one on LA which was the same so hopefully I end up in the same boat as you with one that eats something from the start. Do you have anything in the tank with him as far as rock, or is it bare bottom, no rock?

 

[hanas]

A. Astore - Not to get too far away from original post, but it's in a bare bottom tank with live rock. My success with the first one and the start of this one (too early to call it a success) is a lot of hiding, a room with no action in it (my QT tank is in the basement and a lower light environment at first to make the fish comfortable). Stay away and keep your hands out as much as possible and never put them in QT or display with any fish that could come even remotely close to intimidating them until they are well established.

Live littleneck clams have worked both times to get them to eat, but neither ate the first or 2nd day, I think the last one starting eating 5 days after arrival, this one was 3.

 

[acebigalowe]

Congrats on your regal angel eating.. Period!

 

[horseplay]

Seems like you really lucky on this one. Took me a long battle to get mine to adapt. I don't treat with anything unless I see problems. But that's just me.

 

[ThRoewer]

I had to put my last YB regal in a pond planter basket because it didn't get along with my larger Sumatra regal. But even there in a tiny basket it's happily munching on clams I throw in there.

I feel not eating regals are the result of something gone wrong on the way from the ocean to the store/aquarist.

Regals have no specialized diet like some other known problem fish who only eat Acropora polyps, but are rather omnivores and opportunistic eaters, especially the juveniles and young adults. They simply eat what they find suitable.

I have seen my guys even eating hairy green and Halimeda algae.
Others report them eating pellets and flakes.
I've been told that in the ocean they will even eat bread out of your hand.

The same goes btw also for Zanclus (Moorish Idol).