Getting a Regal Angelfish To Eat???

[Lil' RegalReefster]

Hi there, three days ago I purchased a regal angelfish from the LFS. I am fourteen and I've been researching this fish for over a year. It is my dream fish which I thought I would never get the opportunity to purchase due to the lack of availability where I live (Canada).He is from the Maldives and is about 4-5 inches. When I picked him up he was fat and eating brine. I was unable to quarantine sadly him due to my ill-preparedness and lack of time, so he was added directly to the tank. My tank is a 125G with the following stocking:
Purple tang
Cream angel
Blue tang
Foxface
5 Lyretail anthias
1 royal gramma
1 pair of clownfish
(and yes I do realize some of these fish need more space when they get bigger but I know somebody who will gladly take them when they outgrow my tank)
All of the above are healthy and eating
All the fish above are also very small (max 2 inches) and have shown absolutely no aggression towards the regal. All the other fish believe he is the king of the tank however he believes they all want to eat him(LOL). So far I have tried feeding purple and green seaweed tied to a rock, open half shelled clams ( he does appear to nibble at these occasionally), trigger pods, micro pellets, spirulina, Mysis, blood worms and fresh half shelled oysters. I have mixed in garlic as well. Whenever I feed he swims off to his cave behind the live rock. He appears to be perfectly healthy and regularly comes out of his cave to explore the whole tank. He only decides to hide when I start feeding. I have also added an orange tree sponge which he has pecked at from inside his cave a few times. This morning I also noticed a few white spots that appear to be ich on his fins so I immediately started dosing the entire tank with Ruby Reef- kick ich and rally just to be extra safe. Other than the ich will he eventually begin eating or is this not normal? I am rather new to the hobby so I get paranoid quite easily any feeding tips and tricks are appreciated and I would love to hear some other ideas on what to feed him. It's my dream fish so I really don't want to screw this up! Here are some pics and sorry for the super long post:

(would I be able to take a razor blade and cut small pieces of the sponge and stuff it in the rock to try and simulate natural sponge feeding)

 

[Maritimer]

Regals are a challenge, but it sounds like you have done your homework!
I would expect that the clam, the sponge, the nori will eventually tempt him - you could also try a "nori burrito", by including some frozen food among the wraps of nori.
Once the food's in the tank, I would suggest backing off - it sounds like he's a bit shy, so your giant eyeballs (by comparison...) staring at him aren't likely to help him feel more comfortable about snacks. Let him learn by watching the Singapore and the other fish.

~B.

 

[dieselkeeper]

I read your post twice. You stated he was eating brine at LFS. I don't see where you tried brine shrimp. Is brine available where you live?

 

[vetteguy53081]

A bashful feeder, it may take as much as a week. It should at minimum be pecking on glass and rocks.
Did you see it or ask to see it eat at the store ? Is it breathing normally, itching and twitching or seem intimidated by any of its' tank mates?
Try adding Garlic extract to a couple of foods and add nori seeweed held down by a rock.
What foods are you offering ?

 

[Lil' RegalReefster]

Yes, I did try brine and when I asked to see him eat at the store that was what he was eating. I have also tried the garlic extract. He occasionally does pick at the glass and rock however I have a very minimal amount of algae.

 

[Lil' RegalReefster]

He usually comes out at night to scout so I have set out an oyster with krill, Mysis, nori, pellets and some amino acids stuffed in it. I have also tied some nori with cuts in it to a rock which makes it look like natural seaweed.

 

[vetteguy53081]

He usually comes out at night to scout so I have set out an oyster with krill, Mysis, nori, pellets and some amino acids stuffed in it. I have also tied some nori with cuts in it to a rock which makes it look like natural seaweed.

clam may be of more interest to it than oyster

 

[Lil' RegalReefster]

I have set one of those out too!

 

[Lil' RegalReefster]

If anybody has some more Ideas post them! every little bit helps and thank you to anyone who helped out above!!

 

[moz71]

I got my regal about 6months ago I did quarantine but would not eat as well. I eventually got Mastick. You make it into a paste then stuck on a rock but what really helped is I mixed in some thawed frozen mysis. He started picking at it and eventually loved it. Now he eats everything I put in tank. Definitely try this. Also the white spots may just be lympho and not ich

 

[Lil' RegalReefster]

What is lympho! can it harm him or is it irrelevant! I will see if I can try the mastick too. thx

 

[moz71]

Btw the mastick is a pain to mix to get the right texture but you will get the feel for it.

 

[moz71]

Lymphocystis goes away on own Not fatal and goes away over time . If you post a good pic can help identify

 

[moz71]

Lymphocystis

A virus that presents as a small white spot, often confused for ich at first, that will stay in one place and grow in size. When larger it can look like cauliflower bits, usually on the fins, but can also be found on the body and face. It’s not typically dangerous unless it grows over the mouth or gills or internally on key organs. There is no treatment besides vitamins, low stress and pristine water conditions.

Copy from disease forum sticky. Try to get a good picture and post.

 

[Lil' RegalReefster]

ok thx for the help. my lights are off so I cant get a pic.

 

[jokerjohnson]

How did this turn out for you? I am in the exact same boat right now. And I have tried pretty much everything you’re trying..

 

[James M]

How did this turn out for you? I am in the exact same boat right now. And I have tried pretty much everything you’re trying..

OP is not active on this site anymore

 

[Z06-Hec]

I really dont come here much unless i am searching for some KT....Just got a regal angel 8 days ago.... wouldnt eat... same deal and led me to start searching and landed here...
I had already tried 3 different sea weeds, red, green, purple, NLS pellets, Angel Butterfly mix, Mega Marine Mix... didnt look like he was eating to me at all. He would stare at every piece of food but not eat it. He would though, peck at the rock scape all day long.
I saw the post above @moz71 about mastic... amazon... tried it... WORKS...
He is definitely eating this.... I mixed per instructions and added 1 cube mega marine 1 cube angel butterfly mix, froze it, served pieces the following days every other day...
He eat it each time. Waiting for him to just start eating out of the water column.
Thank you !!

 

[littlefoxx]

I really dont come here much unless i am searching for some KT....Just got a regal angel 8 days ago.... wouldnt eat... same deal and led me to start searching and landed here...
I had already tried 3 different sea weeds, red, green, purple, NLS pellets, Angel Butterfly mix, Mega Marine Mix... didnt look like he was eating to me at all. He would stare at every piece of food but not eat it. He would though, peck at the rock scape all day long.
I saw the post above @moz71 about mastic... amazon... tried it... WORKS...
He is definitely eating this.... I mixed per instructions and added 1 cube mega marine 1 cube angel butterfly mix, froze it, served pieces the following days every other day...
He eat it each time. Waiting for him to just start eating out of the water column.
Thank you !!

Clams clams clams!! My regal goes nuts for them.

 

[bradreef]

I did this years ago. I went and bought live clams from an asain grocery store . I would pry one open and then i added nls pellet until it got a taste for them.