What do you feed your dwarf angels? (Potter's)

[GPCRalph]

Hello,

I have had this little Potter's angel for about a week and a half. She is shy and hides if I come near the tank so it is difficult to get her to eat well. When I feed frozen food (prime reef), most of it drifts by and she'll take a bite or two of something small. I throw in pellets (designed for angels but can't remember name) and she usually is not interested. Should I get some nori and put it on a clip? Will dwarf angels eat nori? Now she does eat live brine but I feel like they are not really too nutritous? Let me know if you have any tips or suggestions.

Rafael

[black_majik]

Normally they will feed off the rock so a immediate feeding strait out of the water column is hard for them to get used to. Angel formulas are pretty good in general for pygmy's. Just check for rock work picking and she should slowly work her way up to direct feeding.

[MegsB]

dwarf angels will eat nori, my coral beauty loves it. also live baby brine if fed freshly hatched (so young enough it still has its food sack) and dosed in selcon is nutritious.

[ACBlinky]

Dwarf angels LOVE dried seaweed - nori, dulce, wakame, etc. are all great for them, especially if they're soaked in vitamins and selcon (HUFAs). It could take her a few days (or weeks) to figure out that the clip is holding food, not something threatening. Try putting it near a hole in the rock, so she doesn't have to come so far out into the open - if it's near her cave, she can dart out and eat, and hide again quickly if she feels the need.

Potter's are difficult angels to acclimate IME - they have trouble adjusting to taking food from the water, and don't recognize unfamiliar foods, so forget about flakes and pellets for now. Let her pick from the rockwork - feed the tank a bit more (including phyto and rotifers) to try and pump up the algae and pod population if you can (without throwing the tank's equilibrium off). This will give her something to snack on while she gets used to tank life. You can also buy live pods at some LFSs or online, and you might want to try feeding her a fresh mussel - my angels used to go nuts for mussels in the shell. Just crack it open, and drop it onto the sand. Many difficult feeders will take mussels when they refuse everything else, so it's worth a shot.

[GPCRalph]

Thanks for your responses. Yes, she is snooping around the aquarium and picking off the rocks which is good. She is starting to become more bold but is definitely one of the shy-ist angels I have kept. I will try to give her some nori this weekend.
Thanks again,

Rafael

[Fischer's Angel]

Potter's Angels are - in my experience - touchy. Some adjust relatively quickly (2-3 weeks) to at least sample various foods, while some never adjust at all.
Keep in mind I catch my Potter's by net,decompress very slowly and transport quickly, as I live in Hawaii, so the usual rigors of the pet trade don't even come into play.
Your best bet is to put them into a WELL ESTABLISHED tank with lots of algae growth and microfauna. Given proper conditions MOST Potter's learn to eat at least SOME of the usual aquarium fare, including Nori, although their color does seem to fade somewhat over time.
Good luck to you !!

[GPCRalph]

Hey Fischer's Angel,

Thanks for your reply and experience. It took a couple of weeks but this one finally adjusted well and has been eating regularly from the frozen food offered. This is a neat little fish. Still a bit shy but definitely comes out more now to explore.

Thanks again,

Rafael

[lastdrummist]

I got a potter's recently and it acclimated in a hurry. Eating brine, mysis, krill, and formula 2 in a week, but I consider myself lucky. I haven't tried nori yet, but I have some I'm going to try when I get back.

I do soak all my food in garlic though, which I love now. Gets all my fish scarfing, regardless of what I'm feeding.

[teog]

I feed mine frozen prime reef, formula 2, and herbivore and carnivore lifeline foods. In addition she eats OSI spirilina. She's not a big fan of nori though. Good luck as many are very touchy to get acclimated.