Venustus Angelfish Won't Eat

[c.declivisowner]

Hi,

About a week ago I bought a Venustus Angelfish from LA DD. It hasn't really shown much interest at all in food. All it does is hide and pick off the rocks. I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions to get it to eat I've tried mysis shrimp, reef plankton, Brine, and sea weed strips. I've tried soaking the food in garlic as well as selcon. I have no idea what else to offer it because it never comes out and when I do see it it's just in the caves picking off the rocks. Is it possible that it's eating food off the rocks that I've added to the tank and could it live off just the food on the rocks? Any help is much appreciated.

 

[losthere]

Sounds like its eating to me, just its natural food. Im sure as it gets more used to your tank it will start eating prepared/frozen foods. Also, try pellets I have a potters in qt and it wont eat anything except a few days ago it started picking at spectrum pellets as they roll across the sandbed. Now it will now eat a few pellets when I feed. I have heard of others having good sucess with this method as well.

 

[jdl513]

Venustus angels favorite food is sponge.
Apparently they can be weened to take prepared foods over time.

There is probably sponges growing on the live rock.
Turning a piece or two might expose some for the angel.

 

[Dog Boy Dave]

Rocks fro a dark place in your sump would be good. Also as JD stated turn some rocks in your display. ALso all my angels and my copperband as well love chopped steamer clams and thinly sliced squid.

 

[robby2782]

Do you know where you can get blackworms in your area? Those have worked better than anything for me to get butterflies and angels to start eating. Even mandarin gobies. The hard part is finding a store that carries them.

 

[Trex]

What all do you have in your tank? They tend to be one of the shyest angels, even more so when first added. I received mine (from DD ) about 2 years ago, and it took a while for it to settle in, however it started eating prepared foods within hours of being released. It eats whatever I put in the tank; LifeLine's herbivore mix, Rod's food ( 3 different types ) Primereef, spectrum pellets, dwarf angel formula, and PE mysis.

 

[c.declivisowner]

I actually just re aquascaped the day I got this fish because my cherub angelfish wasn't liking the Venustus so the cherub is in another tank. I have no idea where to buy Blackworms I've never seen then at my local fish stores. My tank is a 120 gallon 4'x2'x2' SPS tank with the following fish: Vlamingi Tang, Yellow Tang, Ruby Head Fairy wrasse, Flame Wrasse Female, Yellow Coris Wrasse, Chevron Tang, Mandarin, Declivis Butterfly, Marcellae Butterfly, Half back x Lemonpeel Hybrid angel and a black and white clownfish.

Do you think it would be worth it to buy some Blackworms Online? Should I buy some sponges and put them in my tank where the Venustus hides? I was thinking of placing an order online tonight for some food is there any place you know that carries Blackworms plus other good foods?

 

[Trex]

I have never used blackworms, but at this point I would try them. I would be concerned about the other fish that you have in your tank -- besides some of them getting way too big -- you have some aggressive fish that could be an issue with getting yours on prepared foods.

When I first got mine it was with 2 other dwarf angels and it did okay. For the last year and a half (( since I moved )) it has been the only dwarf angel and is with some fairly docile fish, and it has really taken off. Out all the time and growing a lot.

Can see the growth difference by the amount of yellow,

From about 6 months ago,

From about 2 years ago,

 

[robby2782]

Black worms are awesome and guaranteed to work in almost all cases, but if he can't get to them before your other fish eat them you may want to pull him out and try separately.
All your fish will go crazy for them. That's how I got a Regal Angel, Semilavartus Butterfly, Mandarin Goby, and a few others to start eating when nothing else worked.
You keep them in tap water in a Tupperware container that you simply just rinse daily and store in your refrigerator and they should live a month or two just fine that way.

 

[Dan4CBW]

I actually just re aquascaped the day I got this fish because my cherub angelfish wasn't liking the Venustus so the cherub is in another tank. I have no idea where to buy Blackworms I've never seen then at my local fish stores. My tank is a 120 gallon 4'x2'x2' SPS tank with the following fish: Vlamingi Tang, Yellow Tang, Ruby Head Fairy wrasse, Flame Wrasse Female, Yellow Coris Wrasse, Chevron Tang, Mandarin, Declivis Butterfly, Marcellae Butterfly, Half back x Lemonpeel Hybrid angel and a black and white clownfish.

Do you think it would be worth it to buy some Blackworms Online? Should I buy some sponges and put them in my tank where the Venustus hides? I was thinking of placing an order online tonight for some food is there any place you know that carries Blackworms plus other good foods?

I might be able to help on this
and we're just south of you.

Dan