The Regal Angel Thread

[hlama]

dame that sucks. should have put the tang in the refugium. much cheaper and hardier. maybe you can get some creadit back from the LFS. worth a try.

[SHOmuchFUN]

This was a while ago... I tried to catch the tang, but it was too quick. The Regal was easier to catch. I have since given the yellow tang away

[Steve Atkins]

Originally posted by MSHUR
hi all,
.....
so, guys what would u recomed ......

thankx,mike

I think you should acquire a great variety of different foods and/or try or get one, or several, of the frozen food mixes. Their appetites seem to differ a lot between individuals - for instance some like sponges and some don't eat nori. Mine ignores sponges and tears into nori. As well as feeding frozen mysis shrimp and a frozen "marine green" mix, I produced a frozen mix of my own, including: mussel, octopus, squid, nori, cabbage, vitamins, scallop, fish, sponge and shrimp. All of this was to make sure it had plenty of variety to choose from and to give it a varied diet.

I still mainly feed these mixes but, over time, it has learnt, by copying the other fish, to eat every type of food I put into the tank. In the early days it was quite picky but probably it was just ignorant of the fact that the stuff drifting past was even food.

Steve

[GSchiemer]

Originally posted by HOZERTHEBONEFISH
Greg

Sorry to hear that your older regal died.
Was it old age, disease or equipment failure?(or all of the above?)
Still an amazing accomplishment. May it rest in peace...

Although I don't know the normal lifespan of Regal Angelfish, I suspect that mine died of old age. It just became slower and slower in its actions and activity, and ate less and less over a period of a few months; then it died. I had the fish for 8+ years in captivity and it was probably 4+ years old when I got it, so it was probably 12-14 years old when it died. There is no other event that I can attribute to its death but old age. It looked absolutely perfect when it died. I was sad when it died, but it lived a good long life, at least for a fish.

My "newer" Regal Angel (5 years old now) continues to do very well and is a lot less finicky than my old Regal. It eagerly eats flake and pellet food, which my old Regal Angel would never touch. Both fish NEVER bothered any of my corals or clams.

Greg

[BlueStag]

Juvenile Regal.

[hlama]

nice little guy.

[hlama]

Originally posted by SHOmuchFUN
This was a while ago... I tried to catch the tang, but it was too quick. The Regal was easier to catch. I have since given the yellow tang away

always works out like that. i am trying to decide if i want another regal or a yellow tang (tang more for cleaning as well as added color). what to do what to do?

[Steve Atkins]

.... i am trying to decide if i want another regal or a yellow tang (tang more for cleaning as well as added color). what to do what to do?

I put in a regal and a yellow tang at the same time. They had spent the previous three weeks sharing the same quarantine tank, at the importer, and when they first went in to my tank used to hang out together. They still get on fine.

Steve

[Psionicdragon]

my regal stopped eating.... 3 days n counting

[jlui]

Hi All,

I purchased a RS Regal from LFS couple days ago. After putting it into my display tank, my Powder Blue Tang was all over the regal. Backing him into the corner, whipping its tail and nipping at him. I was finally able to catch the PBT and now he's in the refugium. The regal is doing well and eating too.:-)

My question is to all that have Tangs with their Regal. How long should I wait before putting the PBT back or should I even put him back at all?

BTW...I want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. I have learned so much from it.

Joe

[moonpod]

Joe, I'd leave the PBT in jail for a good long time. As long as the PBT is eating and doing ok, forget about 'em for awhile--a few months like. You need to let the regal get established b/c obviously the PBT thinks the tank is his kingdom.

[Steve Atkins]

Originally posted by moonpod
Joe, I'd leave the PBT in jail for a good long time. As long as the PBT is eating and doing ok, forget about 'em for awhile--a few months like. You need to let the regal get established b/c obviously the PBT thinks the tank is his kingdom.

I would tend to agree, especially if the chasing is obviously stressing the regal. My blue tang chased the regal for months. and even now, six months down the track, despite the fact that they generally get on quite well and the regal is starting to assert his position over other fish, the blue tang will occasionally attempt to show it who is still boss.

However, in this case, the regal spent most of the first week in behind the reef getting to know all the escape routes and took all this chasing in it's stride. It would just dart behind the reef and then re-appear after the tang had passed. From reading this thread, however, I would judge that this somewhat cheeky and indomitable behaviour is unusual in a newly introduced regal, so caution is advised.

Steve

[drknap]

It's been one week since arrival (mail order) of my Regal Angel (I suspect Indian Ocean). He is eating mysis shrimp regularly. He did develop what I suspect is lymphocystis on one side fin around a superficial sore but I think that it has peaked and is now improving. He is in the refugium still along with a copperband. I will be adding him to a tank at some point which is inhabitated by one yellow, one blue hippo, one sohal, and one chevron tang. From recent readings, I'm afraid to add him to the main tank.

[SHOmuchFUN]

You have all that in a 120?

[drknap]

From that response, I'm thinking your thinking that's too many. They all seem very happy and healthy. What do you think?

[jlui]

moonpod/Steve,

the PBT is eating in the fuge so I'l can leave him there for a while.

Thanks for the advice.
Joe

[hlama]

Originally posted by drknap
From that response, I'm thinking your thinking that's too many. They all seem very happy and healthy. What do you think?

OK OFF SUBJECT A LITTLE HERE GUYS, sorry but i think it is needed. beside the regal is part of it. so to answer your question, yeah thats too many. they maybe getting along now but in time they will become more aggressive as they get older. depending on how long your tank is will determine how many you should keep. but even if its a 6 foot long tank still too many. the cheveron and hippo tangs get about a foot long each. the sohal gets about a foot and a half long. the yellow not bad only about 8". to give you an idea here is a 120ish gal tank i have. its 72X18X20. the fish i have and will be getting is as follows. with full grown size.
2- clown gobies, a yellow and green one.(ea. 2")
2-percula clowns (3")
4-filamented flasher wrasse. 1male and 3female(ea. 3.5")
1-lawnmower blenny(5")
1-orcid dottyback (4")
1-canary blenny(4")
1-hippo tang(close to a foot)
1-either a yellow tang or a regal angel(8-10")
do have room for one or two more small fish if i find one of those got to have fish. but as far as the bigger fish only gettting the two could push it and get 3, say over 8" but staying under the foot mark. like both the yellow and the regal. but i like them to feel comfortable enough so i see them all cruzing around. could go with 4 if i take out some(a few) of the 3-4 inch fish. remember too, one 10" fish produces more than double the bio load as 10 1" fish, not to mention the swimming room needed, especially for tangs. your regal will not need as much swimming room as your tangs. but still.
for you what i would suggest is taking the sohal tang back. pick three out of the hippo, cheveron, butterfly, yellow tang or regal angel. would avoid picking the hippo and cheveron togather. dont know if you have any other smaller fish but would need to adjust accordingly if you do or intend on getting any. i am not one of those tang police guys at all. but for your enjoyment of them, it would get real fustrating later when one of these guys starts attacking everyone else in the tank. o and these suggestions are basded on you haveing a six foot long tank. hope this helps. and sorry for getting off topic everyone.
but to save face, Steve Atkins, you can see the list for this tank hat why i am trying to decide on either the yellow tang or a regal angel. hummm. i could do both but na, to much yellow.

[drknap]

Thanks for your reply. To keep on subject, the Regal Angel is about 6 inches, and becoming my new treasure. Where as the Tangs are each about 4 inches. I don't think I could part with any of them, maybe the yellow first. Taking a step back, my system is definitely overstocked with fish and corals, but things seem to be thriving (knock on wood). I planning a 300 gallon so I think they will all be happy in there.

[Steve Atkins]

Originally posted by hlama

but to save face, Steve Atkins, you can see the list for this tank hat why i am trying to decide on either the yellow tang or a regal angel. hummm. i could do both but na, to much yellow.

But note that the tank is part of a two tank system that holds more than 600USG all up. Also note the reef has beed going for over 10 years so it's ability to hold fish is greater than a more recently set up tank.

I suspect that as long as corals like acropora are doing well the tank then you can be pretty happy that the water conditions are adequate to keep most fish.

Steve

[drknap]

On that note, I've been so occupied with the new Regal Angel, wanting him to eat and offering him mysis shrimp several times a day, that I haven't been looking at my sps's. I've got closed polyps on handful of acros which is certainly not normal and skimmer isn't skimming. I suspect I've overfed and water is quality is declining.

[HOZERTHEBONEFISH]

Oh no..I think the tang police is onto this thread!! Or is it the new "angel police"LOL

[hlama]

Originally posted by Steve Atkins
But note that the tank is part of a two tank system that holds more than 600USG all up. Also note the reef has beed going for over 10 years so it's ability to hold fish is greater than a more recently set up tank.
Steve

ture ture did not pay any attention to that. but was thinking more of the aggression. with 3 fish about a foot long and 3 others about 10". would be crowded in a 120gal tank. but if getting a 300gal tank soon no worries.

[MATTT]

A thought for those that just bought a regal angel and it has not been eating yet.

I bought my regal angel about two weeks ago, it is not a red sea. The angel is healthy swimming and pecking at the rock. Til last night it will not eat any food I put in the tank that float by.

Knowing that my regal angel loves to peck at the rock for some thing. I tie a piece of shrimp to the rock with a rubber band and drop it at the spot where it usually pecking at. Within instant, the regal is pecking at a piece of shrimp.

Try that and see if it works with your.

mattt.

[Steve Atkins]

Originally posted by MATTT
...I bought my regal angel about two weeks ago, it is not a red sea. The angel is healthy swimming and pecking at the rock. Til last night it will not eat any food I put in the tank that float by.

Knowing that my regal angel loves to peck at the rock for some thing. I tie a piece of shrimp to the rock with a rubber band and drop it at the spot where it usually pecking at. Within instant, the regal is pecking at a piece of shrimp.

Try that and see if it works with your.

mattt.

That is a good idea. Regals do not normally eat floating food in the wild. Mine only learned to do it by copying other fish. In the very early days I would feed him be dropping 1/2 a freshly opened mussel down the back to where he was hiding.

Steve

[Psionicdragon]

Mine wouldn't even pick on the rocks. I think its going to go bye bye. 5 days and hasn't eaten.

Fed brine, mysis, and formula 1. I even tried pellets and flakes, and seafood.