 |
|
| Home | Marine Aquariums |
Freshwater Aquariums |
Planted Aquariums |
Brackish Systems |
Ponds,
lakes & fountains |
Turtles & Amphibians |
Aquatic Business |
Aquatic Science |
Ask the WWM Crew a Question |
| Please visit our Sponsors | ||||
Emperor Angel, fdg. 3/5/20 Re: Passer Angel & Noxious Soft Corals. Now Emperor Angel
nutr./fdg. 11/4/16
12 Inch Emperor Angel won't Eat 4/12/15 Re Upgrading to a bigger tank 2/23/12 Emperor Angel. Beh./ RMF 10/18/11 Emperor Angel Fish Not Eating
1/15/11 Help....Marine Angels? 5/10/10 Re: Help....Marine Angel
5/11/10 Small Emperor Angel 2/25/09 Emperor Angelfish/Feeding Hi, <Hello Adam> Here on the Great Barrier Reef juvenile Emperor Angels are very rare to see. I imagine this is because in many parts of the world they live in the tidal zone but here the reef starts about 20kms offshore so I think they hide in the cracks, caves of the reef. <Yes.> Anyway, so when a very small juvenile of about 3/4 inch came up although he was USD 156 I snapped him up. I think he cost me literally more than his weight in gold but I hoped I would have him for many years so I am happy. <Keep your fingers crossed Adam.> In Australia you know the fish are not cyanide caught etc. I am very pleased with him, had him for 4 days now, he is a very cool fish, minds his own business and is not bullied by any of the other fish. He glides around the living Christmas Rock (as they call it here - essentially more mature rock living rock with red and green algae etc) and pecks at it every 30 seconds or so. <A good sign.> Also when I cleaned the tank using a vacuum for the sand I noticed many about 1mm white thin copepod looking like creatures on the glass so hope he might be eating a few of these but do not normally see them on the rock. The problem is his reflex action does not seem to recognise food like brine shrimp floating in the water, even when it floats right by him. You have probably guessed my next question, do you think as he is so small that he will get enough nutrition from the rock for a time until I can tempt him with brine shrimp, do you have any suggestions please? <I would try tempting him with Cyclopeeze or small Mysis Shrimp soaked in a vitamin complex such as Selcon. You may want to try some live baby Brine Shrimp or copepods, the later being better.> I feed the tank with Nori attached to a clipper, New Life Spectrum sinking small pellets and Spirulina brine shrimp soaked in garlic. All tank param.s good and inverts and fish doing very well. <Emperor Angelfish at the size you have are very difficult to acclimate to prepared foods. The size I would shoot for would be somewhere between 4 and 5 inches. Do read here and FAQ's on feeding. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/pomacanthus/imperator.htm> Thanks, <You're welcome and good luck to you. James (Salty Dog)> Adam. Emperor Angel, fdg. mostly 9/21/08 Hello Crew, thanks always for your time and input... <Welcome> My system: 75 Gallon FOWLR, 45 lb live rock, 75 lb live sand, 2 BakPak 2 protein skimmers, Emperor 400 bio-wheel. My water parameters are solid, no ammonia, no nitrite, and maybe .2 nitrate. Livestock: 4" Picasso Trigger, 5" Foxface, 4" Midas Blenny, 4" Lunar Wrasse, 2" Bluebar Dottyback, 1" Yellow-tailed Damsel, 1.5" Ocellaris Clown, and our topic: 2" Emperor Angel. (I will not be adding any more fish to this system.) <It is already much too over-crowded psychologically... As a general stmt., you need at least twice this volume currently> Experience: I've been in and out of the hobby for about 10 years, have kept many different fish in the past, and while I've been more successful this second time around, I'm still learning. <As we all are I assure you> Now I know I already made a mistake by buying such a small Emperor, but let's leave it at it was a hell of a deal and I was weak. Acclimation seems to have gone well. He's from the Red Sea, very healthy, no traces of disease or lateral line, gill rate is perfect, swims throughout the tank... All the other fish pay him deference, and he's totally untouched. He spends most of his time cleaning the Foxface (peculiar behavior, but very cool.) <Neat!> I'm concerned about feeding, though. He's been in the tank about 30 hours now. He didn't eat when I first acclimated him, but I figured that was normal. He's been picking at the live rock a lot, <The principal source in the wild> but it's not the greatest rock out there so I can't imagine he can be sustained with that. I threw in lots of different food today to see what he'd take: he didn't go for pellets (Formula 1 or 2), flakes (Nutrafin max), <Poor> frozen Tubifex worms, or any dried krill. The one thing I did see him eat were some of the frozen Daphnia, although I didn't see him eat that much of it. I've also got Mysis shrimp in the freezer but he didn't seem interested in those either. Tomorrow I'm going to go pick up some frozen Spirulina brine and see if he'll take it. I'm not sure how much nutrition he's gaining from the Foxface... <Insignificant> Any on the market foods you suggest? <Yes... more fresh live rock and Spectrum brand pelleted food> Do you think he's might be intimidated by the others and would he be better off in a smaller tank (29 gallon), but alone? <Not likely good to move> Your input is always appreciated, thanks again! <I do wish you and your Emperor well. Bob Fenner> Emperor Angel Feeding 2-18-06 Hi there, <How goes it> I recently (~30 days ago) purchased a 3-4" juvenile emperor angel fish. He's doing great, eats pellet, flake, Nori and grazes on live rock, he's probably the fattest fish in the tank and very brightly colored and healthy. <Excellent> However I've read that sponge material is a key ingredient in their diet and the first thing I did when I bought him was purchase some frozen food which contains sponge material, but he won't touch the stuff. I've noticed he leaves the sponge on my live rock alone as well. Any suggestions? Thanks. <I wouldn't worry about it. He should eat what he needs when he needs it, but feel free to try various frozen formulas with sponge in them until it does take to one. If not, offer something with sponge in it once a month or so, just to see if the fish has a change in appetite, or nutritional requirements> Brian <M. Maddox> Large Angel Nutrition...Malnutrition?- 09/17/07 I have a question regarding large angel nutrition. First, I'll give you my info/parameters: 270g FOWLR tank ~250-300lbs rock sg--1.025-1.026 NO3<2.5 PO4-barely detectable ammonia, nitrite-undetectable ph-8.0-8.2 temp-78-81 The system has been up for about two years (it was moved about 6 months ago, if that matters; no re-cycle), and the inhabitants are as follows: one lawnmower blenny, one desjardini sailfin tang, one bluestripe butterfly, <The Hawaiian endemic, Chaetodon fremblii?> one red sea emperor, one flame, and a large cleanup crew. My imperator (~7in) has been feeding voraciously since he settled in (about 5 months ago); I feed Ocean Nutrition angel formula, formula two; San Francisco Bay marine cuisine, emerald entree, omega 3 brine, and angel & butterfly from SFB; as well as Julian Sprung's Sea Veggies. I supplement his food 3-4x per week with Brightwell Aquatics aminomega (I used to use Zoe, but my LFS doesn't carry that anymore), Kent Zoecon-c, and garlic guard. The imperator has started to exhibit white-ish, faded spots. <Mmmm, stress of some sort...> He shows no strange or concerning behavior, and, as I mentioned, his appetite is fine. Is something lacking in his diet? <Not likely... something else is bothering it though...> Do I need to be adding another supplement to his food or the tank water? Iodine-ide? <A good idea to use periodically...> Thanks for your time and advice. Ben <Is the Zebrasoma tang after it at times? I might use a pad of Polyfilter in your filter flow path to try to determine (by color) if there is some source of metal poisoning at work here. Bob Fenner> Re: Large Angel Nutrition...Malnutrition? 9/20/07 <Two "rather likely" possibilities, maybe three... That the Angel is seeing its reflection in the side of the system... I would cover one end with dark paper... Or that it sees the fremblii as a conspecific... or that the system is just too small for it to feel comfortable... Bob Fenner> I was afraid of the latter...I greatly appreciate your help. The current tank is ~7ftLx2ftDx3ftH for a total capacity of ~270g. What size tank to I need to move this guy into? <Mmm... well, this really should be big enough for a seven inch specimen...> Do I need to have less rock structure (I have a lot of rockwork with caves and tunnels)? <I would try this, yes... Have you darkened one end of this system? Bob Fenner> Imperator Angelfish not eating, help please, thanks in advance, "Fix" f' 7/12/07 Good Day, First, thank you very much for your service that you provide. My question is my Imperator Angel is not eating. I received the fish about 5 days a go, and the size is about 6-7 inches. <Mmm, a bit larger than ideal... large/r specimens don't ship, adapt as well as ones a bit smaller (3-4" overall length or so) to captive conditions> He is nice and fat as well. I have him in a 150 gallon tank, with a Niger trigger, <This may be a factor> a snow flake eel (8 inches), a yellow belly damsel, and a coral beauty about 3 inches. I have the following tank setup: All water parameters test good, temperature is constantly around 78 -80 degrees. 150 lb.s of live rock, 150 gallon SeaClone skimmer, 1"-2" layer of crush coral for a bed, 10 gallon tank connected to the sump filled with Chaetomorpha, a 18 watt UV sterilizer, and a few pieces of live rock where the bio balls used to be. Salinity is 1.023. Also, have a bag of carbon setting in the sump. Also, have an air stone running on the left side of the tank to provide plenty of oxygenated water. I have tried feeding him frozen mysis shrimp, krill, Nori, flakes, pellets, and clam bits from the grocery store. <Good...> Tried a mix of the foods listed with garlic guard, and still no luck. I did place a strip of Nori on a clip on the glass, but all he did was go up to the Nori and investigate it.3 I did notice to day that he was breathing heavy on the right side gill and not using the left side. I did change out 60 gallons three days ago. Any suggestions would be great. I really want to stay away from medications and Pima and Mela fix. <Worthless> I have always lost fish when I used these products. Again, thanks in advance, Stuart <Five days is actually too short a time to really begin worrying... I would keep trying the assortment you list... perhaps adding a whole, opened small bivalve... and soaking in a vitamin prep.... these also double as appetite stimulants. Bob Fenner> Re: Imperator Angelfish not eating, help please, thanks in advance... Laziness, apathy, poor directions on WWM or? 7/14/07 Good Day, <Stuart> had a friend come over that used to work at the North Carolina Aquarium; he said that my Imperator Angel has marine velvet. He is using only one gill and his colors are starting to fade a little. I am still not having any luck in him eating. What do you suggest for treating? Thank you very much for your help. Stuart Neas <... again... all this is posted... Learn to/use the indices and search tool... You could have known what to do had you looked: http://wetwebmedia.com/amylloodiniumart.htm and the linked files above. BobF> Juvenile Emperor Angel 2/3/07 I love your site and was hoping you could give me some pointers on caring for a very small emperor angel (~1 inch). <Wow, this IS tiny> I know that you do not recommend acquiring such a young specimen, but it is my only option. Because I live in Guam, the only way for me to get fish (that are legal and healthy) is to catch them myself (with a permit, of course). <Neat... adds even more dimensionality to the aquarium/aquatics experience, eh?> Once emperors reach a few inches long, they leave the reef flat for deeper water. <Yes> Sadly my resources and expertise exclude me from collecting fish beyond the reef, and for some reason my wife doesn't think a nice aquarium is a good justification for drowning ( the currents around Guam can be very strong and unpredictable). <Yes... have been there> All of this said, I can find a small juvenile at night, during an extreme low tide. As you may be aware, live rock is illegal in Guam in order to protect the reef. I strongly agree with this law, but I fear it will make it even tougher to keep a little angel fed. <Mmm, I would look into (largely) making your own... collecting the "rubble" on the beach, placing a small bit of "live sand" in this system... to inoculate the rubble/skeletons... In a few months... Voila!> I have a well established 80 gallon FOWOLR with one blue damsel, one false clown, and some hermit crabs. I currently feed: marine pellets, frozen Mysis, frozen brine, Formula II, fresh spinach, and finely chopped prawns (only when we are having them for dinner). <Ahh!> I know the cards are stacked against me, but if I were to try to keep a tiny angel in this system, what could I do to increase its chances? Thank you so much for your time and expertise, --Caplan <As you have done, and I have suggested (with the rock)... along with your care in making small bite-sized bits of the foods listed, offering them a few times a day... Bob Fenner> Emp. Angel not eating -dying fish from a fan?- - 5/7/2006 Hello, <Mike> First I admittedly made a terrible mistake in collecting from my local beach (San Diego) a small gorgonian fan and added it to my established (2yrs) fish only tank with the following: 125 Gallons with Live Rock and Live Sand. 1) Russell's Lion (8in) 1) Clown Trigger (6in) 1) Fiji Puffer (3in) 1) Cow Fish (5in) 1) Zebra Moray (20 in) 1) Yellow Tang (deceased) 1) Christmas Tree Wrasse (deceased) <Too many fish for this system> 1 month after introducing the fan to my tank the yellow tang went on a hunger strike and passed away. Shortly after, I acquired a 4 inch Emperor Angel. 3 Weeks ago the wrasse also would not eat and passed away last week. While the other fish still appear to have appetites, the Angel has now stopped eating. <I do NOT believe this is from the fan you added to the tank, while it may have had contaminants and or pollutants on it, Your stocking list of fish seems to be the culprit here. You have one of the most nasty tempered triggers maybe even the nastiest fish period (the clown trigger) in with a cowfish, one of the few fish in the world that not only carries tetrodotoxin (the most potent toxin on the planet) but the cowfish can release that poison as a deterrent to predators or due to stress. In a home system such as yours, it can kill everything.> Could the fan, now back in the Pacific, have been the culprit? Bacteria, internal parasites? The angel has gone a little over a week without eating. He still appears to be active, color is good, no noticeable rubbing on the sand or rocks, no visible signs of disease (As with the tang and wrasse). I have tried Angel formula 1 and 2, frozen krill, flakes and brown algae. <My hunch is that the clown trigger is either harassing the angel, or harassing the cowfish and has made the cowfish release enough poison to seriously injure the other fish. I would pull the clown trigger immediately and re-home it to another tank, and do the same with the cowfish. If you do not want to re-home them, setup a tank for the clown trigger by itself, and one for the cowfish by itself as well. If you decide not to move the cowfish, you will still need a 240 gallon or bigger tank to handle the puffer (gets 12-15") the lionfish (18"+ without fins and is very venomous) the 15+" angel and the 8-10" cowfish. The clown trigger will hit 2 -15" or more as well and will become a holy terror to tankmates as it ages.> My water parameters are .22 SPG, Nitrites 0, Ammonia 0, Nitrates b/n 20 - 40 ppm. I maintain a strict regiment in conducting 12% water changes every other week. Is there anything that I can do to help this little guy? I started with a 30% water change yesterday and gave the angel a fresh water dip for 4 min.s. Please advise. <Try setting up another tank for the angel to live stress free for now, and remove the aggressors as above to ensure it is not harassed.> Thank you, Mike Ferrante <Please re-home and remove fish, as this mix will result in death for more if not all of your fish.> <Justin (Jager)> -Dying fish from a fan part 2- - 05/09/06 Thank you for your quick reply. What I had left out of my previous email was that I had noticed some long white feces, which from what I have read in Mr. Fenner's book, could indicate an internal parasite. This is what triggered my suspicion that it might be something internal. Could toxins do that? My local fish store suggested that I use Pimafix? I'm a bit reluctant to try chemicals right now. <Yes internal parasites do seem to be one issue here, There is a food supplement that is parasite medicine, but it may be hard to get the angel to eat it. But you should dose it for them ASAP.> I will take your advise and move the Angel immediately to another tank so he can recover. I purchased an all inclusive and very basic "beginner tank" 10 gallons to use for quarantine. Would this, and what I suspect comes with a very basic filter, be sufficient for a few weeks? <Do daily water changes of at LEAST 70% from your main tank while the angel is in the ten.> I assume that I should use water from my main tank to supply it? <Correct> Last but not least, when I do remove the Cow, Trigger and Lion, could you give me a list of options and quantity that I may want to consider for re-stocking. I'd like to keep the angel, assuming that he will pull through. <Most wrasses, tangs, gobies, a butterfly fish, Anthias, there are quite a few choices. please see WWM and www.fishbase.org for whats available.> Thank you for your time and help. Mike Ferrante <Justin (Jager)> Re: Emp Angel not eating - 5/11/06 Justin, <Mike> Thank you for your help and suggestions. Just so I'm clear do I dose the tank with the Pimafix to help remove the internal parasites, or the medicated food that you referred to? <Use the medicated food supplement. Pimafix does NOT do much for any disease or parasite.> Thanks again. P.S. Would you like a healthy Clown Trigger? <Think Ill pass, thanks though :P> <Justin (Jager)> Emperor Angel behavior 1/26/06 Hi Crew, I have a gorgeous Emperor Angel ( 7" adult) that has been the dominant fish in my FOWLR since introduced 6 months ago. The fish is aggressive, yet likes to hide a lot. It frequently makes grunting noises with its swim bladder as a sign of aggression. It was feeding aggressively until 2 days ago. After a water change there was a bit of a live rock slide in the tank that did not injure any of the inhabitants. I did my best to rearrange things back to their original shapes but had to readjust things 24 hrs later. I notice that these fish absolutely learn their surroundings to such an extent that even this modest change resulted in some very inquisitive behavior in learning the new surroundings. <Yes> All of the inhabitants have finally adjusted but my Emperor still seems to be hiding quite a bit and comes out to look at food but does not feed. I see no external signs of disease in any of the fish. Others are feeding OK. Any suggestions ???? Is this type of behavior common ? Thanks Jimmy <Is common. I would not be overly concerned here. This fish will feed, adjust soon. Bob Fenner> Re: Emperor Angel behavior 1/27/06 Bob, Thanks for the advice. The Emperor has started to slowly feed. <Ah, good> It is amazing to me how meticulous this fish is at probing every crack and crevice in the tank and trying it maneuver around or through. No inch remains unexplored! The fish is literally relearning which areas can be traversed forwards, backwards, upwards or sideways and remembers. Until this is all memorized the animal lays low. The fish feels far more comfortable with low light and looks to come out under the cover of shadows. As it is relearning its surroundings, its aggression has started to return also. <Good observations> I know this animal is doing "better" over the past few months since its coloration has become even more vivid (i.e. the white on the face and "cheeks" has now assumed a bluish hue as opposed just white ) I have resisted the temptation of constantly tempting the fish with food. After all I went through this past summer to acclimate this fish,( quarantine, crypt etc ) I remember that when I first put this animal in a bare quarantine tank for crypt months ago, it plastered itself to a corner of the 55 gallon QT and turned blotchy in color as if it were going to croak. I thought it was acting this way because of copper treatment or because of crypt infestation, but I was wrong since a few pieces of dead rock for hiding stopped that behavior within an hour. The fish was actually playing dead ! My children laugh and laugh every time the fish grunts with the swim bladder since they call this behavior "farting." I only try to emulate in captivity what this animal is comfortable with in the wild. I can honestly say that observing this behaviour has been captivating, fascinating and a sight to behold. As for my children, ages 5, 7, 9, they think this Emperor Angel only eats beans. Thanks for your help...Jimmy <Heee! Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner> Emperor Angel Not Eating 30 Jun 2005 This is my first time asking a question here and hope it goes through. I have read through all of the posted questions that you have on your website about emperor angels. I have an adult emperor angel in a 180gal tank with a couple of clownfish. The tank is very well established and has been up for about 2 years. My conditions are as follows: Temperature 76F Specific gravity 1.018 Ph 8.2 Nitrates lest then 10 ppm Phosphate 0 Ammonia and Nitrite 0 I recently introduced an emperor angel about 4 days ago. He was eating fine at the store I purchased him from. He will not eat for me. I have tried krill (frozen and freeze dried), angel formula, blood worms, Mysis shrimp, blood worms, pellets (small and large). I have even tried soaking all of them in garlic and still nothing. The angel still has great color and is swimming around very actively and seems to be breathing fine. Can you offer any recommendations on what I could be doing wrong or any suggestions on what else I can do? Thanks Rich <The low salinity isn't helping matters. What is the salinity of the tank it came from. Whatever it is, I would duplicate it. Sometimes angels will go on a hunger strike in new surroundings, they have to be coaxed into eating. A 20% water change will sometimes do the trick. Might want to try feeding some live food, even if it is brine shrimp. Out of curiosity, is your water movement high? 1500 to 1800 gph is recommended. Food flowing by can trigger an appetite. Also try a little freeze dried algae. Good luck, James (Salty Dog)> Italian aquarium Hello Mr.. Fenner and sorry for my English. <No worries. Your meaning is clear> I have two problems: I have a Angel emperor adult in 120 ltr with A. leucosternon, A. achilles and Labroides dimidiatus. My angel eat all foods but he has on the all body a great deal of spots like discoloured. It's normal for you? Can I do something to eliminate this problem? <Not normal... at least stress markings or worse, a parasitic infestation. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/disease.htm and the Related FAQs (linked, in blue, at top) re Angel Disease, then on to the disease sections posted on our site.> I have a 500 ltr reef with especially Acropora: there are Paracanthurus hepatus, Naso lituratus, Zebrasoma flavescens and a Beautiful Angel Regal angel from the Red Sea. I read your article on the web site and followed yours advice to food and water's quality. But my regal eat only the clam in the her shell! No eat angel formula, no krill no Mysis no pellets no algae red and green. There is something better for my regal? <Only to keep trying other foods... perhaps to nestle them in with or inside the opened clam of the shellfish> What is the gelatin food? <These are blended and chopped foods that one makes... with gelatin or other binder to hold them together> I would to try with gelatin but I don't know the preparation for this food. Tank you Mr.. Fenner, I look your response. Claudio from Cosenza Italy <There are a few formulations you might consider... definitely including shellfish... but also greenery like marine algae, shrimp, fish fillet... cut up and/or blended... mixing in warm gelatin or such, freezing in a flat plastic bag (re-sealable) that you can snap pieces off of. Bob Fenner> Emperor Angel Not Eating, help! Dear crew member, I've had an Emperor Angel in an 80 Liter quarantine tank for approximately 1 month++. It has big appetite, eating hearty and active. I feed 3X a day with Tetra krill, Spirulina Flack, Formula 2, etc… mixed w/ garlic, Vitamin & Amino acid supplement. (I tried Nori too but it won't eat). About 4 days ago it become freaky, it doesn't eat any food that is been offered. <Okay> There is not much changes in its external appearance, no white spot or whatsoever. Breathing looks normal about 50~60/minute. It is still pretty active (keep chasing the cleaner wrasse away whenever I feed), except; a bit shy and hiding behind the plastic tube more often now. It shakes its head occasionally and seeking service from the cleaner shrimp but the 'lazy shrimp' doesn't seem to entertain it. Its waste is whitish (use to be brown color). Parasite? Bacteria? Diarrhea? <No worries, likely normal> Should I use copper solution? But I had to remove the cleaner wrasse & cleaner shrimp first right? Or should I put it back to main tank? But my main tank got a Marine Velvet breakout a month ago, still in the fallowing process (intend to fallow for 60 days, now about 40 days already) <I would NOT treat this fish... but WOULD move it to the main/display tank... there is very likely nothing wrong with it at this point that further quarantine will help> Anyway, I tried all possible method: fresh water dip, ParaGuard bath for 1 hour, daily 10% water change, finally yesterday 50% water change. And it still won't eat. I mixed Seachem's KanaPlex & Metronidazole to the food but since it is not eating, no help. <Move it to your main tank> I am very worry please help. This is my favourite pet, I'd really hate to lose it. Thank you for your assistance. Best Regards. <Quarantine, being in such small quarters, being harassed by the Labroides... and your efforts at treatment are at the base here... Move this animal. Bob Fenner> Fussy Emperor Angel Hi crew. <Hi there! Scott F. here today> I have scoured the emperor FAQs and I've read a lot about their diet and feeding or lack thereof). A week ago today I purchased about a five inch emperor ("Morpheus"), still juvenile in coloration but beginning to change. Perfectly bright and healthy other than not interested yet in being fed prepared foods. The dealer said he would work something out with me if he never adapted to food, and he had a much better chance of doing so with constant attention from me, and I had a much larger tank(120gallon) than the dealer had him in, and with much more live rock for sampling, so I went ahead and purchased him even though he had not shown much in the way of accepting prepared foods yet. Has been actively picking on my live rock for algae and detritus all week. <That's a good sign!> I have seen him poop solid "green" twice, which I take as a good sign that he is getting something into his system. No bullying at all and no disease that I can see. Tank is not crowded-(he is by far the biggest) and water conditions are good. About 200 pounds of live rock are currently in there and the tank has been established for almost a year now. He doesn't appear to outwardly be suffering from lack of eating yet (no thinning) Here is what I have tried to coax him with: Marine flakes Mysis shrimp Angel formula Formula I and II Seaweed Select Red and Green sheets Nori seaweed sheets Frozen krill Frozen clam Frozen shrimp Frozen squid Frozen bloodworms Fresh opened mussels Spirulina pellets Broccoli, Frozen brine shrimp (I know-just trying to encourage feeding) Kent Marine Garlic Xtreme -directly into the tank and on the food Vita Chem-directly in the tank and on the food. I considered Sweetwater plankton but took one look at it and decided to avoid the mess and thought it probably wouldn't be the deciding factor so didn't get it. Have considered a live sponge but also thought that also has a low probability for return for the money. I wouldn't know what kind of sponge to get anyways. <Plus, you don't want to get the fish "hooked" on a food that can be problematic to supply in the long run> I've put the food on a rubber band on the rock, in a clip on the glass, into the water column, on the floor of the substrate-just about everything. So I know you guys have a secret weapon, so let's have it! <I'll tell, you- there is no real one secret food that will guarantee success with this fish! What you're doing is great...Keep tempting him with a variety of foods, and maintain the best possible water conditions...In the end, good environment and quality food will do the trick...Just be patient and don't give up. Another idea might be to try some fresh Gracilaria macroalgae. I've found that a variety of angels and tangs will munch on this macroalgae. Once they acquire a taste for it, Gracilaria is an excellent dietary supplement> Occasionally he'll stare down the food and the best I'll get is some nipping and spitting out but nothing in the way of a nice big healthy gobbley bite. He also likes to half-heartedly pick on my chocolate chip starfish and pincushion sea urchin as well as some small cluster dusters in there. Well, its been a week. I've pretty much tried everything you guys mention in the FAQ's. I guess my question is this: if he hasn't accepted food till this point, is there a still a good chance that he will or is it more likely down hill from here? <As long as there is some live rock in the tank, he's got some food items to forage for. Keep trying...If he's otherwise in good health, there is a very good chance that he'll start eating soon.> I guess I am looking for some encouragement. Is there still a good chance (as I hope) that one of these times he is just going to tear into one of these offerings? Or, is it more likely that he is going to continue to be stubborn and waste away as I continually rotate my offerings over the next few weeks? Thanks for the advice, Scott <Well, Scott- I'm a big one for not giving up. Just keep an eye on him and if he eats anything, keep supplying that food until he is satisfied. If it gets much longer than 2 weeks, that could become problematic. Let's hope for the best! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.> Thanks for the advice and assurance, Emperor eating at last I wrote a while back about an emperor that was slow to start eating. Just wanted to let everyone know that "Morpheus" is now a pig just as you and other forum visitors suggested might transpire. He eats out of my hand and devours just about anything I give him. It took a good two and a half weeks before he started adapting to prepared foods. He started with the mussels and then quickly adapted to the formula foods and Nori sheets once he got going. I'm not sure if it made a difference, but I did use garlic extracts and Chem-vital. Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully this set of posts will be encouraging to the next hobbyist going through the process! Scott Fisk <Thank you for sharing. Will in turn post, share with others. Bob Fenner> Emperor angel Hi! Robert, I hope all is going well in your life. I for one am a little stressed about my emperor angel. He is from the red sea and is about 8". He loved to eat clams and he will eat krill from time to time but I have not been able to get him to eat algae. His face seems to be concaving in and his back seems really thin. He is in a good sized tank (thousand gal) and has about five hundred pounds of live rock so he probably grazes a little bit. He however does not seem as crazy about food as some of the other fish. He also moved very slowly compared to the other large angels I have in the tank (map, blue face and majestic). However the emperor is by far the biggest and most dominant so he should not be stressed. So is he starving to death without greens in his diet? <Losing weight in the face is a bad sign.> I feed the fish Nori but he does not like that he does get Selcon with his diet though. What can I do to get him up to speed? <Offer him different things until you find something he is interested in.> Thanks. Oh... One more question. Why is it that sometimes when the ozonizer has been on for a while some of the corals like the mushroom and anemone get lighter in color and seem to get smaller too? <You maybe overdoing it. Do check your ORP when using ozone. Best to have connected to a controller.> Anyway... thanks again for everything, Bhaskar. <You are welcome. -Steven Pro> Question about Imperator's diet Hi. I was wondering if I could get some expert help on feeding an Imperator Angel. I purchased a smaller size adult imperator angel. He is about 6 1/2 inches with full adult colors. I have had him for about 3 - 4 weeks now. He will not accept any frozen foods and I have tried feeding everything... Mysis, angel formulas, fresh clams, frozen shrimp, plankton etc. He devours all types of algae's though... green, red, brown, Nori and sometimes some broccoli and spinach but he is real picky. <please stick with marine greens (Spirulina, Nori, seaweed, etc). Terrestrial plants like broccoli and spinach are polluted with phosphates used to grow such plants from fertilizer> Just recently he looks weaker and has developed a little ick due to a recent water change and additional stress put on by presence of large Auriga butterfly. <the water change should not instigate ich unless the water was accidentally cooler... do consider> The cleaner gobies seem to be keeping his parasite level down in combo with UV, hopefully when I get home he will be cleaned up again. None of the other fish are experiencing ick or problems and all eat fine. I am concerned that the Algae alone will not be enough for his diet. Can he survive on just eating algae w/ Zoecon Zoe vitamins? <Not at all... needs a much more varied diet. Please keep trying the above listed foods (without brine shrimp). Also consider trying Sweetwater Plankton (jar brand)... very enticing for most fishes. Also some fresh live rock to encourage grazing> How do I get him to eat other meaty foods? Any suggestions would be great and thanks again. <best regards, Anthony> Juvenile Emperor Angel Hello to All: <<And hello to you, JasonC here.>> Greetings to all you helpful and knowledgeable people. <<Salute!>> I have to say that this site has helped me in so many ways and the books are great. I find it very valuable. Here is my question. I have a juvenile emperor Angel which is 3 inches in length and still in baby colors. I have had him for two weeks and I am concerned about his adapting to eating prepared foods. I put Julian Sprung's dried seaweed in on a veggie clip everyday and he does eat that. A couple of times I saw him eat jarred zooplankton. Will this fish eventually adapt and except other foods like fresh, frozen or dry? <<Eventually or not at all... as long as it does eat some things you are on the right track. Perhaps for now you should just feed what it eats.>> Are there any foods or feeding methods I could try? <<Well, find the things that work first, and then as those are eaten more regularly, add other menu items that you think the fish should eat... perhaps formula two, angel formula, and I would also try Mysis shrimp.>> This fish is not thin or loosing weight as he is nibbling on live rock all day. <<Ahh good... this is what they do in the wild. You may also consider keeping live rock in a separate system so you can cultivate the fauna on which this fish likes to snack and cycle it back and forth with the rock in the tank.>> I just don't want anything to happen down the road. <<As long as the fish does eat now, you are already on a good path.>> Thanks so much for your help. Sherry <<Cheers, J -- >> Imperator stopped eating !!! Hi guys need your help !!! I have an Imperator in an predator tank (Clown Trigger and Snowflake Eel) Last week I noticed that he had a couple of marks on one of his fins. I kept an eye on it to see if it spread and it didn't so was able to rule out disease I am guessing that he probably got nipped by my clown but again am guessing Well, his appetite has slowly gone away I have been feeding him brine shrimp, krill and giving him some seaweed type stuff in the morning (can't remember it's name. they use it for sushi but was recommended by my LFS)< The brine is pretty worthless accept as a occasional treat. Instead try feeding him Mysis shrimp or one of the angel formulas available.> Anyway, he hasn't eaten anything over he past 2 days and appears to be breathing pretty rapidly Did a quick check on my levels and my no3 is at approx 20ppm is so is in line...Salinity is pretty stable a 1.020...Ran out PH so wasn't able to check it....There may still be traces of copper in the system (Cupramine) but that's probably because I used it in my main tank...I already know...should have used the quarantine and will heed this advise in the future I only have approx 5 pc.s of living rock in my system, so there really isn't a ton of hiding places for him to go...but I have been watching and haven't seen any outright aggression What should I do....This is once of my ultimate prizes and really want to keep him if possible Is it his co inhabitants ? Should I be looking to trade him ? If I trade him in, what else can I put in the tank that will put up with my clown trigger < Angels can be very sensible to copper so lets work on getting rid of that first, this can be done with a poly filter, when it is removing copper it will turn a blue color. Slowly raising the salinity up to 1.023-1,026 would also help. Try to get those nitrates down to 0. The tank mates might also be part of the problem as the trigger is very aggressive. If you see the trigger bullying the angel one or the other will likely need to be removed. Some more live rock would also help. How big is this tank? Check the rest of your water parameters ammonia, nitrite, and PH. Ammonia and nitrite should be at 0 and PH 8.0-8.4. Cody> Please advise Thanks Chris Shy Emperor Angel and Fishing Hooks Hey Bob, Quick question about an Emperor that I just bought. <Anthony Calfo in your service while Bob sits staring at his hand... "all natural" acid flashback, I think> First of all it was at the store for about 2 months and ate out of my hand there. The transition to my home was so smooth because he just went into a bucket <grumble, grumble... buckets are very hard on fish eyes/membranes... a bad way to ship. Soft plastic bags flex. LFS boo-boo> and into my tank without a net. <excellent and considerate!> 5min after being in the tank he was approaching the top when I came to the tank. He is PERFECT and curious and eager. The only problem I'm having is that my 2 tangs are such voracious eaters that even thought the Emperor is going after food, he's not getting as much as he should. <three words for the yellow tangs... barbless trout hooks, er...never mind> The result is my overfeeding which is obviously no good. <agreed...unacceptable> Any ideas? <remove the tangs to quarantine until the angel establishes dominance and familiarity with tank and other mates, then re-introduce the tangs into the Angels territory... but no guarantee. Tangs can be assertive> Will he just learn to get more aggressive when it comes to feeding time? <hard to say... will suffer in the meantime> He's the biggest guy in the tank so he's not being chased or anything. <its all about attitude... just look at domino damsels; you'd swear they eat wolf cookies and drink gorilla milk every day for breakfast> Thanks Bob....keep up the great work. Rick <doing the best I can, Anthony> Food Worthy of an Emperor Hey fellas, You keep giving such good answers so I'll keep asking. The Emperor I asked about the other day is now eating like a monster. He's taking everything I put in the tank and if the tangs grab something he basically pulls it out of their mouth. I have a rotation of brown, green, red algae going in the clip and I also throw in one cube of either frozen mysids, formula two, and angel formula each day. My question is, now that the emperor eats anything I give him, what should be his ideal diet? As of now he gets an equal amount of the "formulas" and the shrimp. Should be getting more or less of anyone of these? I hope I was clear. <For foods sound good to me. No changes recommended. -Steven Pro> Thanks for your time. Rick.. NY Emperor Angel Question Hi Bob, <Steven Pro this afternoon.> I have an 11in. emperor angel (I was told from Christmas Island) that I put in my tank six days ago. Although he is very active, he has not eaten yet. I have tried feeding him a variety of foods (freeze dried krill, frozen krill, silver sides, mussels, squid, and a variety of frozen angel formulas). He seems very shy and does not seem to like it when I try using a feeding stick or my hand. There have been a couple of times where he will approach the food, but will not eat it. None of the other fish are having difficulty eating nor are they pestering the angel in any way. This angel is in a 400 gal tank w/live rock and the water quality is very good (using RO/DO water). I called the store where I got him from and they told me the only thing that he would eat was freeze-dried krill. The store also told me to lower my salinity from 1.022 to 1.016 because that is what it was in the tank they had him in for 5 weeks; should I do this to my tank? I would certainly appreciate any suggestions to get this guy to eat. Thanks so much for all your help. Randy Fontana <Do not mess around with your S.G. The fish has already acclimated to your current conditions and changing things so dramatically will not help him begin to feed. You should try feeding your fish some frozen Mysis shrimp and Nori seaweed. The Angelfish is going to require less meaty foods. A diet rich in plant matter with some sponges mixed in would be better. -Steven Pro>
|
|
|
Features: |
|
| Featured Sponsors: |
