Golden angel not eating

[Talo’s Reef]

I have had a golden angel in quarantine for 5days now. Has not started eating. I’ve tried LRS reef frenzy, LRS nano reef frenzy, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, flake, carnivore pellet, clam on the half shell (pick at it one day and has since stopped) and fish eggs. Got some garlic today to help out. also put out some nori. When I put the food in he becomes way more active like he knows there is food, just won’t eat it. His condition looks great. Not showing any signs of distress in any way. Any ideas of what to try next. Not medicating with anything.

 

[ca1ore]

Golden angel is very reclusive, so make sure there are plenty of hiding places. Then it's just a matter of offering variety and hope something takes. Garlic is useless, IME.

 

[lion king]

Golden angels are tough, I would suggest immediately treating with prazi pro, these guys many times have internal parasites which inhibit their appetite. If you wait and he doesn't start eating and then you notice stingy poo or pinched stomach, it will be too late. With angels I always follow up with a seachem metro/focus in food after they start eating. I see more times than not these fish have internal parasites.

You may need to try something live; like live brine shrimp, live black worms, live pods. They are rather cryptic; I would keep the tank dimly light and provide a good hiding place and covering the back of your qt. They are rather shy and stressed and need to feel tucked in and safe.

Be careful throwing alot of different types of food at him, be very mindful of water quality; these guys need excellent water quality. Good Luck.

 

[Talo’s Reef]

Golden angels are tough, I would suggest immediately treating with prazi pro, these guys many times have internal parasites which inhibit their appetite. If you wait and he doesn't start eating and then you notice stingy poo or pinched stomach, it will be too late. With angels I always follow up with a seachem metro/focus in food after they start eating. I see more times than not these fish have internal parasites.

You may need to try something live; like live brine shrimp, live black worms, live pods. They are rather cryptic; I would keep the tank dimly light and provide a good hiding place and covering the back of your qt. They are rather shy and stressed and need to feel tucked in and safe.

Be careful throwing alot of different types of food at him, be very mindful of water quality; these guys need excellent water quality. Good Luck.

Thank you guys. Where is the best place to get live black worms?

 

[lion king]

Many fresh water lfs carry them, they are a very common food for fresh water guys.

 

[Talo’s Reef]

Many fresh water lfs carry them, they are a very common food for fresh water guys.

Thanks

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Mine preferred cyclopeeze over all other frozen.

 

[docsky729]

Not sure what your lighting is but i would keep it low until the fish adjusts. Like others have said have plenty of hiding places for him. I have had one now for over 5 years and to this date he will still only eat frozen foods or live pods. He will quickly swim up to pellets or flakes but then stop just before eating those. I would say mine spends 90% of the day down in the rock work and its a rare site to see him out and about. Hope this helps!

 

[Talo’s Reef]

Not sure what your lighting is but i would keep it low until the fish adjusts. Like others have said have plenty of hiding places for him. I have had one now for over 5 years and to this date he will still only eat frozen foods or live pods. He will quickly swim up to pellets or flakes but then stop just before eating those. I would say mine spends 90% of the day down in the rock work and its a rare site to see him out and about. Hope this helps!

Thank you. I have a tiny LED just for looking at the fish for quarantine. It’s off unless I’m actively looking for something.

 

[Talo’s Reef]

Mine preferred cyclopeeze over all other frozen.

I will try some. Ty

 

[vetteguy53081]

Live brine always a good enticer as well as blackworm( very small portion) and seaweed/nori attached to rock or clip

 

[alton]

Golden angels love to hide, so make sure there are plenty of structures in your QT. Also when you feed make sure the food floats through the the hiding spot so it does not have to come out in the open to feed

 

[Eastlake]

you could also try a small rock out of the display tank so that it has some micro algae and other films to graze on so at least it's getting something until it learns to take prepared food. I had a potters angel that was the same way, it only ate film algae for about a month then it learned to eat prepared.

 

[mckinney0171]

They are tough fish to keep. You could try soaking your frozen food in angelixer. It worked for my potters who refused food when I first got him. It’s made by Brightwell and sold by bulk reef supply etc.

 

[Talo’s Reef]

Lots of good advice. Thank you everyone.

 

[fishguy212]

I just bought one a week back and it's healthy and eating arcti pods. This fish is very delicate so it will need live rock, dim light and needs to be housed with non aggressive fish. I tried almost 5-6 various frozen foods, and this is the only thing it eats. These are expensive at $29 a bottle at my local store. Hope you have luck with this.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Very challenging fish. They will not eat in bright lighting and very finicky. You can try Nori seaweed tucked in a rock. These fish are omnivores and should be fed a mix of marine algae, live sponges, angelfish food, and a variety of small meaty foods.