The Regal Angel Thread

[MrMongoose]

Brought mine home today....got a call from my buddy at the LFS he knew I was wanting one. Its a Fat Red Sea version...about 4-4.5 inches long...

[malegolf]

Cool is he eating yet, take you time with him, they're GREAT. Good luck, keep us posted...

[MrMongoose]

I haven't tired to feed him yet, he has been in the tank for about 8 hours. For the most part he stays behind the rock but I have seen him out front and picking at the rock. I'm going to try and feed him tomarrow w/ frozen misis and garlic. I"ll keep you posted and get some pictures after he is not so shy.

[malegolf]

Mine now comes out to the front of the tank when I get ready to feed him, much better than when I got him. He is out swimming around about 50% of the time now........

[MrMongoose]

Day #2....Still extreemly shy but swims freely in the tank when he 'thinks' he is the only one around. Picks on the rockwork numorus times. Did not eat seaweed from the clip or mysis w/ garlic today.

Tomarrow I will trying pinching seaweed in between a couple peices of rock to see if he will take it from that approach. All in all I think its pretty good progess for one day, nothing spectacular but I'm happy.

malegolf: How many days was it before yours would let you watch him swim around?

[mmmmsushi]

Do you have any Dither fish in your tank? I have some Chromis that I'm using specifically as dither fish and all the inhabitants seem to spend all their time in the water column rather than hiding. My Regal spent part of the first day swimming around near a cave, but after that she was nosing around everywhere looking for food.

[MrMongoose]

No I do not...my only other fish include (2) Neon Gobys and (1) 2inch yellow tang.....He took one look at the Regal and decided he didn't want a peice. HAHA.

[mmmmsushi]

lol.. The Regal can be a little timid. There may not be enough going on in the tank for her to feel comfortable in the open.

You don't have to get dither fish but it may be helpful if your tank can sustain it.

I have 5 cromis', 5 neon gobies, two tangs, two clowns, a blenny, and a Butterfly in addition to the two Angels in my tank. I'm sure somone will comment on the stocking level of this tank, but it's busy and there's little to no agressivness except for the occasional clown chasing the other around. There's also a ton of water flow which keeps the fish out and active (approx 30x turnover)

[MrMongoose]

Day #3

The Regal is now out almost 100% of the time but still has not to my knowledge had anything of mine to eat. He swims around the liverock and coral and constintly picks at the rock. Also he WILL let me be in the same room with him and let me walk around alittle...if I get too close he goes to his safe spot.

Today I tried feeding both Red and Green Alge rubberbanded to a rock along with mysis/garlic. I picked up some Squid from the LFS, and have an last resort plan of buying a rock of zoos in a few days if he still does not eat.

All in all the progress I'm seeing looks very promising and my guess would be that tomarrow or Saturday would be the magic day. (Still too shy for pictures) sorry

[nbd13]

try a clam on the half shell or mussel on a half shell.
that will get him to eat!

Nick

[MrMongoose]

Thanks nick I will give it a try...

Do you think its just the inital getting them to eat in captivity that is hard?

[nbd13]

yeah i woudl say so,

when i pick one out for my tank i will only get it if its eatting with vigor at the LFS! i mean attacking the food!

Nick

[Purple Haze]

Anyone have a pair in their tank?

Any hobbyist had sucess breeding them?

[mmmmsushi]

Angels are increadibly difficule to breed. They need a very tall water column to complete the fertilization of the eggs. I believe the only tanks capable of that are several feet tall.

I'm sure someone else has more information on that.

A pair would be very cool.

[Rendos]

I have had mine for about 4 months now. He was a great find...the pet shop I got him from had him for several months before I bought him. The owner said no one was interested in him, and gave me a pretty good price just to get it out of his store. It ate everything offered. I took him home, acclimated him, and then introduced him to the tank. It never acted stressed at all...it almost immediately began swimming around and checking out the tank. He has been the perfect inhabitant up to now. He eats everything offered, but I make my own food and feed that most of the time. He is in with oscellaris clowns, a pink square anthias, a regal tang, 2 orange shoulder tangs, and a sixline wrasse. They all get along wonderfully. The tank is a 200 gallon measuring 72"X30"X21".

[moonpod]

Originally posted by Purple Haze
Anyone have a pair in their tank?

Any hobbyist had sucess breeding them?

The only large angel that I've heard of being successfully bred are the the P. Maculosus. Apparently in Taiwan or something they are breeding them in large ponds. It's hit and miss though apparently and you hear different things about the hardiness.

[MrMongoose]

pikey: Thats a cool pictures and he must love that 200G...well maybe not compared to the ocean but he can't hate it thats for sure.

This fish is going to be my reasoning for setting up a 120G SPS

[copps]

Originally posted by Purple Haze
Anyone have a pair in their tank?

Any hobbyist had sucess breeding them?

Not only does this guy have a pair in his 350 gallon (33" deep), but they are spawning regularly and he has video of it... Unfortunately raising the young is obviously a different story...

This guy is doing something right, as he also has a pair of flames and bicolors, and even purple tangs that have spawned... Instances like these show it's only a matter of time before more large angels are offered captive bred.

Check out his sight with the videos here (regal spawning link)

Copps

[zfunk007]

Well this thread has definetly brought me hope of keeping a Regal again. I am lucky enough to work at my LFS and have access to all the wholesalers in Miami (as well as wholesale prices hehe) so i can basically go down there and take my pick. I picked out a Regal this past Aug. and introduced him into my 210. I enticed him to eat by putting clips of food through out the tank, and he seemed to be eating macroalgae and sponge formula. Unforunatly we all know what happend then. The hurricanes hit here in Florida and i lost all my tanks. Well 5 months later i have them up and running again and im just about ready to get another Regal. Thanks for all the great info in this thread guys! I'll be sure and post pics once i get him.

[MrMongoose]

Day #4
Still did not eat, tried to feed seaweed, squid and clam on the half shell. However the fish is still fat as a pig so I'm not too worried yet.

[MrMongoose]

Morning Day #5

Cut and oyster in 1/2 and attached it to an alge clip in the tank when I got up today....about 30 minutes later the regal was out and picking at it, not attacking it but picking at it, I think this is the first of many good things to come hopefully.

I put this food in before the lights kicked on so I think he feels more comforatable w/ the lights off for right now. On my way to Marsh to get a clam and another oyster. My plan is to keep him healthy w/ these foods and slowly try to get him to take to other things.
- Nathan

[Scuba Dog]

Whats the minimal tank size for a reagal to do well in? The largest tank I have at the moment is a 75..with a large water capacity two sumps and a hang on the back fuge with a 57 gallon clam tank plumbed into the display...water quality is super...Just wondering if a 75 is to small swiming area for 2 tangs and a regal...or if the regal would do ok in the clam tank, its 35 x 30 x 13.....and the only way I can get a regal is by specal order or order one online so its a risk no matter what....

[malegolf]

Good maybe he will start eating soon, mine won't eat any dried food, I think I will get a clam and oyster to see if he will eat that also. I just got power back on and still don't have high speed internet just dial up, we had 1 1/2" of ice. Man what a mess.

[MrMongoose]

malegolf: Yeah I was worrying alittle w/ the weather also, we only got about 1/2 inch up in Lafayette but I was sweating bullets.
I'm going to crack open another fresh clam or oyster tomarrow marning and hope for similar results.

As for the tank size for a regal I would say that it depends on how large the fish is....I'm only planning on having a maximum of two fish total in my tank and being an SPS system the water quality and flow/lighting is similar to what a regal will experiance in the ocean.

P.S. My regal was actually ripping off small peices and thrashing them back and forth in the water today

[Scuba Dog]

If I purchase a regal it will have to be a site unseen online purchase, and I would want a juvie....a tank upgrade is in the works within the next year and a half to two years...and how do a tangs respond to regals or a juvi imperator?