The Regal Angel Thread - Page 2

64Ivy · #26 01/30/2006, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by GSchiemer
That's kinda funny. They told me that the specific gravity of the fish system was reduced to 1.014 because a new batch of fish had recently arrived. Either you or the store has a faulty instrument. I'm betting it's the store.

I'd try additional foods, such as the clam, in order to bulk the fish up. While it was eating at the store, it wasn't eating heartily and it's uncertain whether it can get enough food from the water column to sustain itself. These fish are not used to feeding from the water column; they feed primarily from the substrate in the wild and actually need time to "learn" how to feed from the water column.

Greg

Yeah, I started testing all vendors water several years ago when I got a fish that nearly died from being brought up to 1.025 from 1.015 too quickly! Not only didn't that store mention it but actually denied it until I threatened to come down and test it for them. Later, they blamed it on employee error.

Anyway, I'll go out and get a few clams and such tomorrow. May have to order the Seaweed Selects and definitly the Gracillaria (which I stopped using some time ago due to talk of a flatworm problem). Hopefully, that's all sorted out now. Anybody know?

moonpod · #27 01/30/2006, 12:46 AM

The gracilleria that reefnutrition sells supposedly should be pretty clean. Kinda pricey though.

Try something live as well as a "treat" to get 'em going. The red shrimp feed from oceanrider is something the fish dig. Don't get your gracilleria from there though. It's kinda thick and "different" and for whatever reason my fish anyway don't eat it as well as other gracilleria offereings.

Maybe those white shrimp that liveaquaria and a few other sites sell as well.

Patience is usually IMO the best way to go. Frankly, the fish is a good one and is gonna eat or it won't. You can definitely optimize the situation, but sometimes the they just won't eat.

Steve Atkins · #28 01/30/2006, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by delafe
Any ideas on how I can get it used to people in front of the tank?

-Alfred

Time......

Steve

Da Bumsta · #29 01/30/2006, 04:19 AM

HELP!!! I think my Regal is dying. Got him from a LFS and he was eating spectrum in the store, had him a week and he wont eat anything at all. Tried Mysis, Seaweed, Frozen Angel formula soaked in garlic and without garlic, and of course pellets. It still wont eat, just sits in the corner of the aquarium. Hides when I get neat him. Where do I go from here?

HOZERTHEBONEFISH · #30 01/30/2006, 06:29 AM

Da Bum

Need more details. Please post your tank parameters for a start. What kind of tankmates?

sonofgaladriel · #31 01/30/2006, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by delafe
What is the fish to the right of the regal? Beautiful!

-Alfred

That's my male Watanabe angel. He is a beauty. Great reef fish!

nctangman · #32 01/30/2006, 06:10 PM

sonofgaladriel,

Nice pic of your fish, but the red brain coral caught my eye first.

nctangman · #33 01/30/2006, 06:10 PM

sonofgaladriel,

Nice pic of your fish, but the red brain coral caught my eye first. I really like it.

irmee4 · #34 01/30/2006, 06:25 PM

i had to get rid of my regal angel as it starting terrorizing all of my corals in my tank after being a perfect citizen for about a year.

GSchiemer · #35 01/30/2006, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by irmee4
i had to get rid of my regal angel as it starting terrorizing all of my corals in my tank after being a perfect citizen for about a year.

That's very unusual behavior and could be the result of being underfed, but a statement like this doesn't tell us anything because you didn't state what type of regal angel and EXACTLY what corals were "terrorized." Even when angelfish do pick at corals, it's typically limited to one or two species. Also, a 30 gallon tank is too small for a regal angel, assuming your "bio" is correct.

sonofgaladriel · #36 01/30/2006, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nctangman
sonofgaladriel,

Nice pic of your fish, but the red brain coral caught my eye first. I really like it.

Thanks! When fully expanded, its about 12" in diameter. Great color, red with pink highlights.

nctangman · #37 01/30/2006, 08:18 PM

Sonofgaladriel,

Where did you purchase it from?

I would like to get one for my tank; will compliment my nice bright yellow leather I have.

sonofgaladriel · #38 01/30/2006, 08:23 PM

Sorry, but it came from one of my fellow local hobbyists who in turn got it from one of our LFS. He purchased it a few years ago and unfortunately, we have not seen one like it since. The LFS has tried to get more in due to local interest by has been unsuccessful.

omnity · #39 01/31/2006, 10:39 PM

I have never posted to this thread, but have read it often, and all the way through. I have a red sea regal that has been with me for about five months; he is about four inches long and eating wonderfully (combination of many kinds of food). Tonight I noticed what appears to be almost dust on his eyes. The specks are too small to even really have a color and definitely too small to show up in a pic. I'm afraid itâ€™s some kind of fluke. I can't make out any on the body, but they easily could blend in with the scales. The only potential change in behavior is that he has, possibly, been spending a little more time at the cleaner shrimp station then usual (though this might be me looking too hard...) Has anyone had an experience similar to this and if so have you treated successfully (thinking fresh water dip, but would like to avoid having to catch him if possible)? All levels test perfect (nitrates, trites, salinity, ph, calcium, etc). Sorry this is so long, just trying to get all info out at once. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
-Eric

Da Bumsta · #40 02/01/2006, 02:55 AM

Hey Hozer, sorry it took so long. I have a 55g nitrated low all levels almost perfect in fact. tankmates. Bi-color that was in LFS with regal, clown, sailfin, foxface, niger trigger. Dont know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated..

kalare · #41 02/01/2006, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Da Bumsta
Hey Hozer, sorry it took so long. I have a 55g nitrated low all levels almost perfect in fact. tankmates. Bi-color that was in LFS with regal, clown, sailfin, foxface, niger trigger. Dont know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated..

First, WAY too many fish. The sailfin get's at leats 1.5 feet long, and the trigger gets at least a foot. The bicolor is going to be aggressive to any new angels, the sailfin as well and the trigger as well. Get that regal out to someone with a PEACEFUL tank.

Second, ammonia and nitrite and preferably nitrate should all be zero, not low, zero. Nitrate is tolerable to some fish, but I wouldn't bet that it's a good thing when trying to keep a regal.

Not to be rude, but as I stated earlier in this thread, I think people should research more before buying this fish, as more than 90 percent of them still die. This thread, as another has stated, gives people a false sense of how easy to take care of the regal angel is. So many success stories, so few failures (in comparison to all regals sold). I firmly believe that you should have more experience before trying a fish of this degree of difficulty.

I hope nobody takes offense to this, however I think it needed to be said. I see so many people in this thread that just ask questions like: what do i feed it, what needs to be done, etc...when there is a 40 page thread dedicated to the fish. If you're thinking about keeping this animal, is it too much to ask to actually research and read the whole thread? If you're not dedicated enough to do that, I don't think regals are your fish.

JohnSiesta · #42 02/01/2006, 07:14 PM

I'd be interested in some feedback. I have a RS Regal Angel on hold, likey to receive late next week. I have a 90 gallon display with 70 gallons in a plumbed-in sump & refugium. I have a Multi-colour dwarf angel, firefish, midas blenny, Orange shoulder wrasse, leopard wrasse & watchman goby, & clown goby. I am assuming that I have enough water volume in the system to add the Regal. My ammonia and nitrate are zero and I run a Deltec APF 600 (for up to 270 gallons).
Any advice before I recieve the fish? The Multi-colour dwarf is a little aggressive, but the rest of the tank is very peaceful.

Da Bumsta · #43 02/02/2006, 03:04 AM

Hozer I agree totally. I was told by an "expert" that he and I would be able to take care of him. As of today he is eating well, my sailfin and the regal have been transfered to a 150g reef tank. I am now building my refugium to get my levels correct. I appreciate your help.

64Ivy · #44 02/02/2006, 09:37 AM

Lotsa different conversations going on at the same time here so let me just pop in with a little update on my RSR. This is day 5 and the fish continues to do well. I have done a lot of experimenting with foods and so far I've had success with PE Mysis, Formula One (frozen), Formula Two (Frozen), Prime Reef (Frozen), Pro-V (Frozen), Fresh Clam, and Fresh Oyster. He also does a bit of picking at the live rock so he may be finding a pod or two as a snack. I have not gotten him to take any of the Seaweed Selects or Gracillaria yet but it may take him a while to learn those two. He has NOT disturbed any of the corals in the tank and that includes a half dozen zoanthids. Maybe he's simply too full.

moonpod · #45 02/02/2006, 11:33 AM

Hey that's great to hear! I wouldn't worry about the green stuff. Protein for the fish, protein I say!

Typhon · #46 02/02/2006, 11:51 AM

I totally agree. The success rate of Regals are still very low. I know many people are posting their success stories ,but I am sure that a great deal of others with loses that just don't post for one reason or another.

I know of 2 LFS in town that will never carry Regals because they have never had one survive longer than 2 months.

Currently I am on my second RS Regal (had him 3 months now). The last one was eating well and fat too. But one day after 3 months he died with out any physical signs.

I don't consider a few weeks or few months success with Regals. If you are able to keep a Regal for years then those are true success stories.

Quote:

Originally posted by kalare

Not to be rude, but as I stated earlier in this thread, I think people should research more before buying this fish, as more than 90 percent of them still die. This thread, as another has stated, gives people a false sense of how easy to take care of the regal angel is. So many success stories, so few failures (in comparison to all regals sold). I firmly believe that you should have more experience before trying a fish of this degree of difficulty.

I hope nobody takes offense to this, however I think it needed to be said. I see so many people in this thread that just ask questions like: what do i feed it, what needs to be done, etc...when there is a 40 page thread dedicated to the fish. If you're thinking about keeping this animal, is it too much to ask to actually research and read the whole thread? If you're not dedicated enough to do that, I don't think regals are your fish.

moonpod · #47 02/02/2006, 11:53 AM

My first RS Regal did that too Typhon. I dunno how/why but a few months afterwards just friggin dropped dead.

My second one (IO yellow belly) was doing great (more than 2 years) and then I had a holding system disaster that wiped out EVERYTHING during my recent tank move.

My new one is eating some stuff, but I'm...not impressed. However, it's still fat and pooping, so I suppose it's getting enough, but I'm still not real....sanguine about it's long term chances....

Typhon · #48 02/02/2006, 12:08 PM

How long have you had your new one?

Mine was the same way for the first 2-3 weeks then suddenly he began eating everything I put into the tank.

My IO/RS Regal is about 4.5". He is at least .5" bigger than my RS salfin and 1-1.5" bigger than my other tangs. The other tangs never bothered him except for the Purple Tang (which I removed and retroduced after 2 weeks). He will allow me to feed him straight from a turkey baster. Here is a pic of him.

Quote:

Originally posted by moonpod
My first RS Regal did that too Typhon. I dunno how/why but a few months afterwards just friggin dropped dead.

My second one (IO yellow belly) was doing great (more than 2 years) and then I had a holding system disaster that wiped out EVERYTHING during my recent tank move.

My new one is eating some stuff, but I'm...not impressed. However, it's still fat and pooping, so I suppose it's getting enough, but I'm still not real....sanguine about it's long term chances....

moonpod · #49 02/02/2006, 12:16 PM

2-3 weeks

Typhon · #50 02/02/2006, 02:06 PM

Give him some time. As long as he is still fat and picking on LR. Mine for the first 1 week would only pick on LR (That was enough to keep him fat). It wasn't until the middle of the 2nd week that he began eating nori off the clip. By the end of the 3rd week he was pushing the Tangs out of the way for mysis and formula II.

Quote:

Originally posted by moonpod
2-3 weeks