Regal angels

[b-ridge]

I truly love this fish but I am so undecided on purchasing one since I have corals in my tank. I've read these fish can be hit or miss as far as picking on corals. I would like some feedback from those who own this fish or from previous experiences of owning this fish. What corals did they pick on if any? What did you feed? Any knowledge will/would help. Thanks

 

[duke62]

Ask big sink and MikeNY I believe they have one in their tanks

 

[marrone]

Regal Angels are know to eat Zoas, so if you have any in your tank there is a good chance that it will eat them. Angels will graze so there is a good chance that it will pick on some corals, maybe not now but in the future. So you either need to live with that or be able to get the Angel out if needed. If you have a SPS type tank you're probably better off than a tank that has a lot of Zoas and softies.

 

[b-ridge]

I don't have a bunch of zoas but I definitely have some. They don't seem to grow for me anyway. I have a couple softies. Mostly lps. Frogspawns, hammers,torches. Some Kenya trees. A clam. Few acans. Duncan's.
Decisions decisions. I like my zoas but I love this fish.

 

[marrone]

People have actually used Regal Angel to remove Zoas that they don't want. It may pick at the clam, but it seem most Angels do that. It really comes down to if you can live with the fish possibly picking at a coral or two, if you can then go for it. If you're going to get one try and get one from the Red Sea, as they seem to do the best.

 

[b-ridge]

Lol. I can live with it picking at a coral or two but not ALL my corals. Researching the most difficult thing is getting this fish to eat.
I also prefer one from the Red Sea. Haven't seen any in awhile. They say to get smaller ones cause they are easier to train to eat as the larger ones are pretty much set in there ways

 

[marrone]

I wouldn't worry about them eating all of your corals, but it may just pick on a few. Yes, the smaller ones seem to start to eat and do better than the larger ones. It would be good to have a QT ready where you can give it a lot of time by itself, so that it can settle in and start to eat. Just wait until you find one that you like, as picking a good one can make a world of difference with this fish. I would even look and see if a member is selling one that they've had from quite a while.

 

[b-ridge]

I was reading somewhere that this wasn't a good fish to qt. I will have to go back and read the reasons why.
I've been in contact with 1 member about selling his. He is thinking about it.
If I bought one from a member and it was eating that doesn't necessarily mean it will eat for me though right? Chances would be greater though

 

[marrone]

Maybe you read that they weren't a good fish to treat with medication but there really shouldn't be an issues with placing one in a QT, as long as it has places to hide and nothing in the tank with it that may cause it problems.

There is always the chance that the fish may stop eating but if the member has had it for a long time, and it's been eating and doing well, then there is a good chance that it will continue, but nothing is guaranteed. Remember, different size tank and conditions and tankmates can play a role.

 

[b-ridge]

Yes I just went back and read the article. It said they will not do well in a sterile medicated tank. And they recommended fresh clam on a half shell or spirulina flakes to get them to eat. Hmmmm

 

[marrone]

In the past people would use mussles on the half shell to get them to start to eat but nowadays there are so many good and difference foods out there you have a wide range of things to choose from to get the fish to start eating. Remember it's good that the fish is eating but you need to make sure what it's eating is enough to keep it alive, as many fish will eat but not what they need to live long term.

 

[b-ridge]

So what are the more healthier foods that you would suggest? Not just for the regal but most fish in general like tangs and wrasses also?

 

[marrone]

Different fish different food. Angel & Tangs, which need a lot of greens, I like to feed Spirulina flakes, Nori sheets and I'm big into the Spectrum foods, all my fish eat the Thera pellets like crazy, and I feed Formular I & II. My Triggers, Eels and Groupers, Hogfish/Wrasse I also fed Spectrum Thera, but the larger size pellets. I also get things like shrimp, clams meat and small fish from the fish market. People feed Mysis and some will soak it Vitamins and things to enhance it nutritional valves. There are plenty of different foods out there nowadays, just do a little search, and a lot of them are the reason why people have been able to keep some fish that have been very hard to keep in the past.

 

[b-ridge]

Yes I like the new era line. Was thinking about looking into the Larry's brand. Been reading good things about it. Aw well as checking out the various threads on different forums about making up your own food

 

[marrone]

It's very easy to make your own food, especially for big fish like Triggers, Eels and Groupers, but there are a number of people who also make it, chopped it up really fine, and then use it to feed their reef tank. I'm not familiar with Larry's brand, but I'm guessing that it's probably similar to Rod's food, which a lot of people use and like. If you're close to a good fish market you can get a lot of good foods to fed to your fish and corals.

 

[b-ridge]

I don't have any triggers yet. Thinking about getting a pair of blue throats or red a tail trigger. There supposed to be reef safe.
Unfortunately I'm upstate in New York. No good fish markets up here at all but plenty of good spots to go fishing at.
Maybe it's the rods brand I am thinking of. Just saw a post the other day by pop corals about some Larry's line that they sell.

 

[marrone]

There are a number of people making, and selling, their own made food nowadays, a lot of which you can make on your own. If you access to a fish market, and a food processor, you can easily make similar food, and a lot cheaper too. If you have good sources, where you can legally take from the wild, that would also be good, just watch out for parasites and diseases.

 

[b-ridge]

So what would be a good blend of fish food?
Shrimp, clams,nori with a mixture of selcon amd garlic for amino and vitamins.
But isn't it good to rotate food every week. Creates a diversity

 

[marrone]

Those would be good, as would pieces of fish, fish blood, and roe, fish and crab eggs, and then flake food to bind everything together. If you do a search you'll find a lot of different formulas online.

 

[b-ridge]

Fish blood and roe? Where could I get fish and crab eggs? I can get flake food from anywhere