Large Queen Angel Feeding

[rockstar38]

Hello I am fairly new to the forums and have a very basic 150 gal tank with just rock and a few fish. I recently added and large queen angel pictured below and he has been doing great. I only have a few other smaller fish that I have just feed flake food for the last few months. The LFS sold me some frozen food to feed him. However after doing some reading it looks like I need to feed him a variety of foods. What are some thing you all have had success with? Also I am going on vacation for 10 days and plan to purchase a automatic feeder and obviously frozen food will not work for me here. I have a buddy that has offered to stop by a few times to refill it or do what I need.

What are your suggestions here?? Thanks in advance.

[Stuart60611]

I would look at new life spectrum pellet food which is not frozen and packed full of nutrition. Perhaps, the best dry food you can feed.

My bigger concern would be that the angel is not going to be happy in that 150 for very long, particularly if she is already fairly large. She will need a new and much bigger home in short order.

[Recty]

I got all my angels eating NLS pellets as soon as possible. I also fed a couple different other foods, one of the companies makes an angel formula, plus I fed mysis shrimp. I soaked most of my foods in selcon and vitamin c/garlic once a week or so.

Angels eat a lot of sponge in the wild so if you can replicate that, it will help your angel thrive. NLS pellets have sponge, I believe? I know the frozen angel formula I used to buy had it as well.

He/she will eventually outgrow that tank.

With that aside, that is a beautiful specimen you have there :)

[rockstar38]

How can you tell it is time to sell or trade it? Are there signs to look for. He seems to be doing fine has a few spots the he likes to hang out in and I have also had no problems with the other fish I see no aggression?

[Cantonesefish]

You can sell or trade it to me right now :)

[TriggersAmuck]

I would recommend as wide a variety of food as you can offer. I offer my 3 angels (Blue, Majestic, French) the following:

Formula Angel frozen cubes (2 cubes every day...this contains sponge specific to Angels' diets)
Spirulina Flake soaked in Selcon (every day....vital for all Tangs/Angels)
Nori (sushi) seaweed - attached to a seaweed clip obtainable in most saltwater LFS's
Grocery store mixture (mixed in blender and frozen in thin sheets in ziploc freezer bags) of Shrimp, saltwater whitefish (mahi mahi, etc), scallops, squid (especially tubes), mussels and clams if I'm feeling like deshelling them
Rods fish only food (frozen sheets)
Formula One frozen cubes
Mysis shrimp (my angels love them)
New Life Spectrum pellets in an automatic feeder to get the fishies through the working day

I always feed the tank the angel formula food first to make sure the angels are taking that before they start loosing interest or get full. I also have taught them to play a game with me to "almost" feed out of my hand.....my triggers don't like getting so close, so this helps the angels compete with the beasts. I will drop the small piece of food just as the angels get close, this way they feel safe enough (don't have to take it out of my fingers) and yet it fends off the other fish for them.

I tend to stay away from any foods which though advertised for saltwater fish tend to have a lot of land based vegetable matter in them. (I'll leave it to you to examine this on your own so as to not bash any particular products). I also do not feed my triggers/angels anything which is freshwater in origin (from the grocery store I mean).

Hope this gives you a few ideas. Good luck, and I must say I'm envious of that gooooorgeous angel! :) Might be a good excuse for you to upgrade to a 300g+ later on (but don't tell your spouse I said that!).

[StayPuft]

I've had my Queen Angel for a couple of years now, also in a 150gal. I feed her a variety of foods... Frozen Angel Fish Formula, Rod's Food, Frozen Emerald Diet, Frozen Formula 1, nori sheets, New Life Spectrum Pellets, plus I put real sponges in the tank that she munches on from time to time.

[rockstar38]

Thank you all for your great advise!!! I will be making a few stops on my home tonight