Possibly Regal Angel Purchase

Shanet · Aug 4, 2018

Yes they like Red Nori, I have one in QT at the moment and all she will eat is small pellets, a bonus I recon. I have had a few Regals and none of them could resist live Black worms, the only problem is getting them to eat anything else afterwards so I use them as a last resort.

JRAD · Aug 4, 2018

I forgot to say that I keep the grater in the freezer as well. It works better that way and the scallops don’t stick to the grater.

roberthu526 · Aug 4, 2018

Try mass stick from easy reef. Try small amount at a time and just keep trying. I had luck with it but my regale were eating the first day too.

falconut · Aug 12, 2018

Update: 16 days today and finally ate some live black worms. Not with gusto, but did eat maybe 5 or 6. At least it ate something, fish still looks great, too.

I have some masstick coming tomorrow to try too. And I even threw in a few tiny zoa frags, since I've read plenty of people complain about them eating theirs. Maybe mine will too.

4FordFamily · Aug 12, 2018

falconut said:
Update: 16 days today and finally ate some live black worms. Not with gusto, but did eat maybe 5 or 6. At least it ate something, fish still looks great, too.

I have some masstick coming tomorrow to try too. And I even threw in a few tiny zoa frags, since I've read plenty of people complain about them eating theirs. Maybe mine will too.

Good work! Thanks for the update!

thaveteran · Aug 12, 2018

To get my angel eating I mixed LRS Reef Frenzy with Ocean Nutrition Angel Formula, Ocean Nutrition Mysis Cobalt's Mysis Spirulina Flakes and Spectrum pettlets. It's not the cheapest concoction but it worked. At first it only picked at the smallest particles, then it started on the mysis and once that happened within a few days it was eating all the frozen. The trick for me was over feeding. I was putting a lot of food in the water. I do big water changes so it wasn't a problem but I made sure he was always presented with anything it wanted to eat. Also, and this may be very important. I transferred over some live rock from my DT to the tank he was housed in, I never saw him eating sponges from the rock but it was there just in case. It also served as a place for him to hide and get comfortable. I was able to get him over to the DT in about 3 weeks. He still doesn't eat flakes or pellets.

Tanya25 · Aug 12, 2018

falconut said:
Update: 16 days today and finally ate some live black worms. Not with gusto, but did eat maybe 5 or 6. At least it ate something, fish still looks great, too.

I have some masstick coming tomorrow to try too. And I even threw in a few tiny zoa frags, since I've read plenty of people complain about them eating theirs. Maybe mine will too.

Thank you very much for the update. I have had my regal 6 weeks now. There was a period when she wouldn’t eat too. Masstick was my turning point but I know it’s very individual. Now she eats a fair amount of frozen, spirulina tablets stuck to the glass and Masstick. And like said above I over feed to give her a lot of opportunity to find food. I still wish she would eat more. I think my tangs in my other tank have spoiled me with how much and fast they eat. Good luck on your regal as well!

falconut · Aug 12, 2018

Definitely seems to like the zoas I threw in. I saw her munching on the rocks & after looking the zoa polyps are pretty much gone. Here she is chomping on them:

I'm guessing I'll put the masstick on this rock to start.

roberthu526 · Aug 12, 2018

falconut said:
Definitely seems to like the zoas I threw in. I saw her munching on the rocks & after looking the zoa polyps are pretty much gone. Here she is chomping on them:

I'm guessing I'll put the masstick on this rock to start.

It looks healthy which is a good sign. Definitely give massstick a try. Don’t expect it to eat within a day or two but don’t give up. Just keep trying a little bit at a time. Once it starts eating you will worry about him eating again.

falconut · Aug 12, 2018

roberthu526 said:
It looks healthy which is a good sign. Definitely give massstick a try. Don’t expect it to eat within a day or two but don’t give up. Just keep trying a little bit at a time. Once it starts eating you will worry about him eating again.

Thanks, yeah shes still looking good after 16 days, so happy there. She sometimes looks at pellets, but just doesn't want to bite them. So hopefully I can make the masstick look like zoas. Ha ha

roberthu526 · Aug 12, 2018

I would not try pellets at this stage. Angels inspect food carefully before eating and I noticed my angels ignored the mysis that were missing head for the first two months or so. They are definitely finicky but over time they will become pigs. Just be patient.

this is me · Aug 14, 2018

I never had an Indo but have many yellow belly counterpart. I have a trio in my current tank. With all my regals and other picky eater, fresh steamer clam, mussle, oyster, will eventually entice it to peck on it and ultimately eat it. I wouldn't give up on it because it didn't show interest. Keep offering it but also try other type of food. Flakes, Pellets, and live blackworms. Live blackworms are tough. I never had any of my regal eat them while in acclimation. Nori is also a great choice and should be offer as often as possible after the fish has eaten everything. Angelfish need veggies as much as tangs do. After they have acclimated and eating, they will eat anything you put in the tank.

falconut · Aug 14, 2018

That's funny, cause mine has eaten live black worms right out of the water column the last two days, but still won't touch mysis, brine, plankton, pellets, flakes, mussels, clams and nori. Each one is definitely different.

She did pick at the masstick I put of the former zoa rock. But looked like she was spitting each piece she bite right out. I believe she also ate a small mushroom that I got along with the zoas. She was picking at it and the next day it's completely gone. I suppose worse case, my LFS sells some smaller zoa frags for about $20. Ha ha. She was really picking and nipping at the zoas with gusto.

this is me · Aug 14, 2018

If it's eating live blackworm, keep feeding it. It will regain its appetite and will eat everything you offer it. IME, it's the initial getting it to feed that is difficult. After that, Regal Angelfish are very robust.

falconut · Sep 5, 2018

Update: I've had her for 40 days now & she's still so stubborn. Only eats around 5-8 live black worms a day. Won't eat any other food. Well except zoas. She's eaten 3 different zoa frags so far. The larger 1 had like 20+ polyps & she tore them right off the rock. Some laid on the bottom for a few days, but she slowly ate them too. Luckily my LFS has had some $20 or under frags available. Every couple weeks I'll just pickup a drag. She's not picky with zoas, any color form seems to work.

She doesn't appear to have lost any weight, so hoprfully the worms & zoas will maintain her until she decides to eat something else.

Fishnut · Sep 6, 2018

You may have tried all this already. If she is still by herself in a QT, it maybe time to try putting in another fish that is eating. The competition for food may get her going. Another trick that has worked for me in the past was turning off the flow and sinking a few different types of foods along the front of the tank and observe from a distance so she can't see you. Let it stay in there for an hour or so then vacuum left overs out and do a water change. Hope you get past this stage soon.

falconut · Sep 6, 2018

Yeah, I've let a lot of different foods sit on the bottom, but she really doesn't seem to care about them. She usually races over to it falling in the water, then just lets it fall if she doesn't like it. She is very stubborn.

She's been by herself. I'm not sure if I want the competition & I really wasn't planning adding any more fish.