Regal Angel Primer

[bskiba]

that is too bad.

[DKRT0821]

I may try it again in a couple of weeks. If anyone knows of anyone looking to sell theirs let me know please. thanks!!!

[Rossini]

I found my Regal Angel dead the other day. He had been acting strange hiding. then when I put food in,he would come out,and look at food but not take it.

I have had him just over 5 months. I said I would never get one of these as I knew they were hard to keep. But the bloke at the fish shop showed me him,although he wasnt feeding great. He also said that as he's a red sea specimen he should be fine,as long as he's in a mature reef tank. My reef was just over a year old at that point. I got him eating on day 6,eating mysis,brine,marine cuisine,and san fran angel and butterfly food. He would never eat Nori though,which always concerned me. As my Flame and Red Stripe Angel love nori,and are a nice healthy plump. I would feed the angel three times a day. Once a week I would put in a mussel in the shell which he would love,although he would never compete as well for the mussel as my 3 tangs,and 2 clowns.

So there is the sad story. I had a feeling he wasnt getting the nutrition he needed. He wasnt skinny,but wasnt a confident feeder and never got that healthy plump look.

I definetley wont get another one. I have been to the Red Sea twice now,and seen these beutifull fish on the reef,and they are big and fat. and the colours are so much better than any I have seen in a reef tank. They need sponges and tunicates as there main diet,which nearly everyone in the hobby cant provide for them. So in my opinion people should leave them in the ocean. It really saddens me,to read through this thread and learn the amount that have died. most not making many days or weeks! and thats just a forum. what about all the other ones that get brought across the world that end up dead within a few weeks. some fish are just not suitable for this hobby,and in my opinion the Regal Angel is one of them.

[Chooch1]

I am sorry to hear you lost your Regal angel. I had my Red Sea Regal angel for over 5 years. I know of a number of other people who have had long term success with this fish so I would not make the blanket statement that they should not be kept in captivity. They are definitely a fish for an experienced aquarist with a mature reef tank i.e. a reef tank probably greater than 1 year old. Getting a good specimen is paramount but size of the fish, tankmates and grazing opportunities are an important issue too. Specimens in the 3" to 4' range seem to adapt best. Success is possible with this fish and once they adapt they are as hardy as any other angel. My Regal ate everything including Nori. The hardest thing is obtaining a specimen that has been handled properly. There is no question they have to be treated with kid gloves every step of the way from collection point to the retailer. If you are lucky enough to obtain a properly handled specimen, they usually acclimate very well to captive life. I truly believe that the collection process is a major factor, in addition to the above, that determines the success with this fish.

[HOZERTHEBONEFISH]

Chooch1

Would you mind sharing with us who the "number of people" who kept regal long term are? BTW how do you define long term exactly?

What you are saying goes against every expert analysis (Fenner, Scheimer, etc) of this fish. They typically do NOT acclimate well to captive life.

As far as I know only you and Greg Scheimer have claimed to have kept a regal alive for 5 years or more. I am sure there are a few other people out there who kept regals for longer, but not "a number of people"

For those who are in the closet and kept this fish alive for decades and not sharing your secret achievement, please step forward.

Henry

[Chooch1]

Hozerthebonefish,

I said I know OF a number of aquarists successfully keeping this fish. Yes, Greg Schiemer has had long term success. I also know Julian Sprung has kept a RS Regal in the Two Little Fishies office tank for a number of years. Copps on this board has had long term success. A number of European hobbyists have had long term success. Many people are keeping this species successfully. I don't dispute that this is a difficult fish and for experienced aquarists only. I stand by my position that IF this fish is properly handled with care at EVERY stage from collection to the hobbyist, that a RS Regal is a keepable fish and shouldn't be banned from collection. Collection and acclimation are the keys. IME once sucessfully acclimated they are as hardy as any angel. The ballgame is getting a properly collected specimen to begin with. Unfortunately, they often are not handled properly. This is true with many fish, many of which are inherently better able to handle some abuse.

[DKRT0821]

Sumatra Regal - any one heard of it??

[cthetoy]

Sumatra is an island next to Indonesia in the Indian ocean. Thats where the earthquake/tsunami formed in 2004 that killed thousands of people. I assume its another indo pacific Regal Angel which supposed to be harder to keep do than the Red Sea Regals.

[maxxII]

Yup,
Sumatra is part Indonesia...you're looking at a Indo-Pacific Regal....

Nick

[Steve Atkins]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8324626#post8324626 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxxII
Yup,
Sumatra is part Indonesia...you're looking at a Indo-Pacific Regal....

Nick
Not necessarily. Mine came from Indonesia and it is the Indian Ocean/ Red Sea variety. From what I understand, both can be found around that area as it is where the two populations meet.

Steve

[JDS]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8278253#post8278253 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HOZERTHEBONEFISH
Chooch1

Would you mind sharing with us who the "number of people" who kept regal long term are? BTW how do you define long term exactly?

What you are saying goes against every expert analysis (Fenner, Scheimer, etc) of this fish. They typically do NOT acclimate well to captive life.

As far as I know only you and Greg Scheimer have claimed to have kept a regal alive for 5 years or more. I am sure there are a few other people out there who kept regals for longer, but not "a number of people"

For those who are in the closet and kept this fish alive for decades and not sharing your secret achievement, please step forward.

Henry this is just my personal opinion take it for what it's worth. I bet you would see more long-term success rates if people would dedicate their tank to this one species. At least have it be the first one in the tank. I just don't think there's a magical food this fish needs to eat two surviving in captivity. (Stress kills this fish). I've had my regal for a year and a half, in and I don't see why it won't last a lot longer. It eat anything I've put in the tank. I think the reason I'm having so much success is because it's the only thing in my 210. I've tried to put other fish in the tank but they don't survive long because this fish is plain nasty.

[maxxII]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8327807#post8327807 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steve Atkins
Not necessarily. Mine came from Indonesia and it is the Indian Ocean/ Red Sea variety. From what I understand, both can be found around that area as it is where the two populations meet.

Steve

Steve,
Indo-pacific is Indian Ocean/Pacific Ocean......So we're talking about the same thing.

:D

How is your Regal BTW?

Nick

[DKRT0821]

Well, I found a Sumatra Regal. It's a 4-5" yellow belly regal that someone has had for the past 3 months in the Fish only tank. It goes crazy for pellets. Very healthy and bold - not shy at all.

[Steve Atkins]

Steve,
Indo-pacific is Indian Ocean/Pacific Ocean......So we're talking about the same thing.

:D

How is your Regal BTW?

Nick
My understanding is that there are two populations of these fish. One (with the yellow chest) ranges from the Red Sea to Indonesia and the other (with the grey chest) ranges from Indonesia out across the Pacific. I fish from the Red Sea or Sri Lanka will have the yellow chest and one from the Great Barrier Reef of the Philippines will have the grey chest. A fish from Indonesia might have either colouring not because they are the same but because it could come from either population.

The yellow chested variety are apparently a lot easier to keep than the grey chested variety. This is possibly due to diet, which seems to differ between the two populations, but it might be other factors. Individual fish seem to vary a lot in dietary preferences also.

My fish is doing very well. It appears to have reached a compromise with the Clarks Clown and Javanese Damsel as I have not seen it with any fin damage for a few weeks now. Perhaps it has finally established itself as #2. If so, I hope it will not try to challenge for #1 spot anytime soon as it will have no chance of success.

Steve

[DKRT0821]

Well, I am at it again. The fish I got is absolutely beautiful and very peaceful. It also appears to be a male. It ate some pellets last night and this morning. It also tried to eat some of the formula 1 and angel formula this am...so far off to a good start!

[john37]

Post some pics!!!! does it have a yellow belly?

[DKRT0821]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8372338#post8372338 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john37
Post some pics!!!! does it have a yellow belly?

no pics yet...want to make sure it's in my tank for a couple of weeks before I take pics...I am superstitious that way :rollface:
It has a yellow belly and great coloration.

[triggerfish1976]

Here is a link to another thread I posted on my local club forum showing pics of my new Red Sea Regal. He was one of the most healthy looking specimans I had seen so I had to pick him up. He has been eating some Angel food Formula and pellets but nothing with gusto but he his nice and fat and I have a large amount of spong in the tank for it to pick on.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=954399

[gosman]

i am not very good at posting,in fact the last time was 24/10/04 that was when i first got my regal {page 5} he is still with me and doing great after two years. about six months ago i got a grey bellied female to try and pair up. i couldn't see it eat so we agreed that i would pay for it as soon as it ate. it ate off the rocks but would not eat any thing else{i tried every thing going}.
after six weeks i gave up and gave it back. two weeks ago i travelled 200 miles and got a small regal that i thought was female. i put it in the tank and all hell let loose,the resident male hammered it. i tried mirrors,food. i caught the smaller regal with my hand it was that stressed. "this is in a 200 english gallon tank"
and put it in the sump. next day i caught the resident fish,he went in the sump the new one went in the main tank. i re arranged the rock work. i told my mate that i was worried about putting them back together. he's been after one for ages, so he bought the new one off me. yesterday i travelled 257 miles and looked at different regals in two marine shops. i found a female about one and a half inch bigger than my male so i bought it. she is really bold and was swimming around in half an hour of being in the tank. she was eating off the rocks,so i put some food in and she scoffed like she was starving. i watched her today and i could tell nothing would bother her, so i put the male in. he charged up to her, she flicked her tail at him and he shot off. she swims up to him and shows that she's the new boss, and he seems to agree. i have tried to take pics but they are blurred,but i will show you some soon.
chris.

[Flighty]

Hi everyone. I love to keep up on this thread and see how everyone is doing with their regals.

My pair is doing really well. The male is still growing faster than the female, but there is no fighting, just a little bit of intimidation over food. They are both filled out and stout now and have a glowing healthy fish look. I worry about the female getting enough food, so I still feed pretty heavily. They will eat half a sheet of nori a day along with a good bit of mysis, pelets and fish goo. I am propogating some sponges on rocks in my sump and hope to start rotating those through the display for extra variety.

I recently was able to go to Fiji and see grey bellied regals in the wild. Just a few observations over two weeks of diving in one small area of the reef off the northern tip of the main island.
-They generally hung out in male/female pairs. Sometimes you would see a solo adult and sometimes you would see a male following a pair around. I didn't see any juvis or small regals on our dives.
-They were very plentiful in this area. We would see 15++ every dive we did. One of the most common fish you saw out there.
-They mostly would hang out on the vertical walls of the reefs in the low light areas where the non photosynthetic things were.
-They were very shy and would hide if you pointed a camera at them or looked at them too long.
-Many were very very fat. I was surprised at how much their bellies bulged out.
-I got to watch two large males fight it out over a nice large female. She stayed about a meter away watching while they sliced at each other. Both males turned very white during the fight and really were using their cheek spines.

[kenettson1]

Got a regal from Premium this week. I put her in a 100 gallon holding tank I have plumbed into my system. She's about 5 inches and looked very fat. She's eating live little neck clams that I break open but not fiercly attacking them. She ate 2 yesterday and one today. I rubberbanded a chunk of Angel Formula to a piece of shell that she picked at but didn't eat much of. I left it in there and I'll check tomorrow to see what happened.

So she looks good and is eating but the bad part is ICH!

What do I do? I don't have a QT set up but I guess I could. I worry more about the stress for this delicate fish. She is alone in the holding tank with about 50 lbs of live rock. She swims around about 75% of the time when the lights are on and hides about 25%. She gets spooked easily. If I removed her and put her in QT I fear that may kill her. If she is eating do you think she will fight the ich off? Need some suggestions.

Thanks!

[loup]

Had mine for 3 months now. Did the clam trick for a week and slowly added mysis and pellets with the clam. Now eats everything I put in the tank, mysis, nori, flake, pellet .....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/85362misc-012.jpg

[john37]

very pretty. good find

[maxxII]

kenettson1,
How bad is the Ich? Is it a full on outbreak where the fish looks like its been dipped in salt? Or is it a few spots scattered across the fish, (15 or less)?

If its a small outbreak where there are very few spots, and the fish is continuing to eat, I would keep an eye on her, but otherwise keep doing what your doing. Keeping her fed and getting her adapted to the new tank is the biggest deal. If she's still eating, she'll kick the Ich on her own as long as its not bad to begin with and all else goes well.

If its really bad, you're most likely going to lose the fish.

Nick

[kenettson1]

Maxx
Thanks for your input. The ich is probably more towards the light out break than the heavy. Definately more than a few spots but not close to being dipped in salt either. I will keep doing what im doing and Ill monitor progress. Any more thoughts?

[maxxII]

I would definately be adding Selcon and Zoe to the food you are feeding the Regal. Alternate supplements, so you're not feeding Selcon all the time or Zoe all the time. There's not much that garlic does, but I dont think it will hurt either....

The intent of adding supplements is to boost the fishes immune system and get it as healthy as possible.

The fishes behaviour is the biggest key IMO. If its curious, eating well, and getting bolder in the tank as days go by, then I think you've got a good chance at initial success. Long term success is a different story, but right now you are just worried about getting past the initial acclimation. Are there any other fish in the tank with the regal?

I bought mine about two weeks ago. Initially I had a minor ich outbreak like yours. But no ich spots on the Regal today. My regal is the largest fish in the tank and initially only ate mysis shrimp, but with the other fish in the tank going nuts for whatever hit the water, the regal has moved to being a pig and going after just about anything....still cant get her onto pellets yet, but I'm confident I will eventually.

Good luck,

Nick

[pfish]

Regal is nipping clam mantel. Any suggestions besides getting rid of the Regal or the Clam?

[john37]

try covering the clam and get the regal used to taking prepared foods for a month or so and maybe he'll leave the clam alone after.

[pfish]

Good idea. I've taken a plastic jug and cut it down and placed it over the clam. This seams to be working.
Thanks

[maxxII]

If the clam isnt too big, I'd suggest using a strawberry basket instead....bigger holes, allowing more light and water through, still shouldnt allow the fish through.

Nick

[kenettson1]

Here's a pic of her (altough I don't know if it's a femal or male).
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/112322RA_REsize.jpg

Sorry about quality - took it with my camera phone.

[maxxII]

Thats pretty one, I like the double misbars on the rear!

It appears, (depending on the size of the fish), that you have a female. I'm basing that on the length of the gill plate spine. Males have longer spines.

Search back through the thread to see pics of males. There's no mistaking an adult male with a female.

Nick

[maxxII]

This is a male.....

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=758598&perpage=25&pagenumber=17

Scroll down to the bottom of the page....Bskiba/BradReef took the pics. You'll see what I mean about the gill plate spine.

Nick

[eddiebfl]

Hi guys, I've always been facinated by the Regal Angel fish and dared not to try 1 until i gained some experience in the hobby. After 4 years i think i might be ready to give 1 a try. Obviously i want a Red Sea Regal
but my question is what size should i get for my 75g reef? currently i have 2 watchman gobies, 1 small damsel, a christmas wrasse, and a Red Spot Pseudochromis. i also have a Tomini tang in quarentine that will be added within 2-3 weeks. i will be upgrading to a 150g tank but not for another 1 1/2 years.

[Flighty]

I wouldn't treat a few spots of white. Make sure you check the fish out early in the morning to see if there are more than you thought though.

[triggerfish1976]

I have been seeing a large influx of Juvenile Regal Angels coming into the trade lately. I have actually not been able to come across them at any of the LFS in my area and have not seen any for sale at any of the online vendors. I would love to add one of these with my larger male. Does anyone know where I can find one?

[maxxII]

Personally, I think the trick is in finding one in good health and that is eating...worry about the size/sex later. Its tough enough to find a healthy, eating in captivity one to begin with, why make it harder?

Nick

[triggerfish1976]

I already have a healthy male and I want to pair him up. In my experience Juveniles of most fish especially angels accimilate better then adults and I would like either a Juvenile or small sub adult.

[DKRT0821]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8402563#post8402563 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kenettson1
Here's a pic of her (altough I don't know if it's a femal or male).
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/112322RA_REsize.jpg

Sorry about quality - took it with my camera phone.

Nice one. Mine has the same misbars, but mine is definitely a male. So far it's its second day eating frozen. I got it from a local distributor already eating pellets. It's about 4.5 to 5" and definitely not shy. It comes to the front of the glass every time I am near it thinking it is going to get fed. So far, I have had it for 6 days and it's already holding its own in the tank. Hope that it continues to do as well. I will post pictures once I know how to and once the fish hits the 1 month mark. :rollface: Ron - NYC.

[DKRT0821]

This is not a regal but I also have this one in the same tank.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data...06682Pepper.jpg

[kenettson1]

So my regal has been with me for almost a week now. She's about 5 inches long and seems to be fighting the ich pretty good. She had it worse the second day and has not returned to that level since.

She has eaten 6 live littleneck clams in 6 days. She takes her time and shows inerest soon after its introduced t the tank but doesnt eat it all at once. Ive been soaking the clam with selcon. Doesnt even look at any processed food put in - spectrum pellet, formula 1 and 2 pellets, prime reef flake, hikori algae tabs, frozen squid, frozen angel formula, or frozen mysis. (although it looks like the froen food is freezer burnt)

Is this enough food and is this eating activity normal?

[maxxII]

Its a good sign.
I would suggest trying a dead little neck clam on the half shell...see if you can get her to eat that. Might take some time. Get her working on those, then start adding things to the little neck clam meat and work your way to other foods.

Nick

[john37]

kenettson1, i wouldnt worry about the eating only clams. It took a few months for my regal to switch from mysis to flakes. Same w/my moorish idol....only ate clams for the first few months. Gluck, and nice looking regal.

[DKRT0821]

Mine is so far eating everything I put in the tank from pellets, to frozen formula 1, 2, angel formula, and frozen from the Salt water pack from San Francisco Bay. It doesn't like brine shrimp though. Overall it has eaten like a champ since Monday.

[Acroholic]

Hey guys,
Ive been reading this thread for over a year just waiting for the time to come when I finally get my Regal......
I just got this one about 10 days ago...he wasn't eating at the lfs but I took a chance and brought it home. It started eating mysis the 2nd day...after the 4th day of feeding mysis thru a tube (rigid airline connected to a syringe) it is now eating from my hands...or a pair of plastic tweezers. I have been feeding it Mysis soaked in Selcon, Vita-Chem or Garlic. Today it also started eating Purple Sea-Veggies, which I also soak in Selcon.
I'm so stoked....It is not shy at all and already rules the reef!
This is a great thread...and a must read for anyone interested in keeping a Regal.
http://h1.ripway.com/lee646/Regal.jpg

[rdmpe]

Nice Acro - I'm still lurking here, thinking about getting a regal. Has it picked at any of your corals? How big is it? Hard to get a scale from the picture, maybe 3"??

[Acroholic]

Thanks..he is a hair over 4".
As far as the corals are concerned, he hasnt bothered or touched a single piece. Actually he hasnt even shown the slightest bit of interest or curiosity towards any of my corals...and I have been watching VERY closely....as I now have a tank full of SPS...

BTW..you have a great setup. I actually followed your thread when you first set it up..as it was the same time I was getting all my equipment together for my setup.
Also....You need to come on up to our club meeting (NFMAS) in Feb. as A. Calfo will be the guest speaker. I'm really looking forward to it.

[kenettson1]

My regal has gone downhill. Hiding excessively and not eating very much clam at all. In fact I did some cleaning in my fish room and didn't see her come out once in several hours.

This stinks but not giving up yet. I'm soaking the clams in selcon and hoping she goes for it. Maybe it's just a phase, but I'm seriously doubting it given their tendencies. I've only had her a week and a half.

Any suggestions?? I thought about adding a small, peaceful fish that could teach her how to eat pellet food and to show her there's no danger. Maybe a baby occelaris or something. Too much or good idea?

[Flighty]

How about some dither fish like a pack of chromis?

[kenettson1]

I thought about that but chromis seem a little to nervous for the regal. Don't want anything to mess with her, just another fish to show her how to eat and swim and not be afraid.

[Flighty]

Chromis work great as dither fish, but you need at least 6 or more of them to make them comfortable enough to stay out all of the time.

Here is my female having a go at the nori with the chromis nearby catching the crumbs. If I put the nori clip on the other side of the tank where the chromis don't hang out the regals are much shyer about eating and will hide when they see me with the camera.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/56032DSC03824-1.JPG

[kenettson1]

My regal is not dead but is definately dieing. I'm sad. Tried to remove it tonight but it seemed to have some spunk left. I figure for 100 bucks I'll give it a chance.... it's not in good shape though.

[kenettson1]

WOOPS - double post

[Rossini]

another one bites the dust...... :(

[DKRT0821]

My regal is kicking *ss. It is getting territorial and showing the flame and gold flake angels who's boss. It is also continuing to thrive eating everything I feed the tank. I tried taking pic's this morning, but for some reason they didn't come out good...any ideas on how to take clear pics? I do have a Sony Cibershot 7.something mega pixels...

[Flighty]

use the flash either with the camera lense pressed against the glass or at an angle to the glass and be careful to hold the camera still.

[makoJ]

Here is ours. He is in our 150g. We've had him for about 2 weeks. We waited and searched and waited some more until we found one that was eating before we bought him. We got lucky though and the LFS 5min from our house got him in and got him eating. He eats anything that hits the tank...lol. Which is usually a mixture of PE Mysis and angel food. He also snacks off the nori clip.

http://greenmako.smugmug.com/photos/106821187-L.jpg

http://greenmako.smugmug.com/photos/106821199-M.jpg

[kenettson1]

My regal is dead and gone. Probably will try an easier angel in a few months.

[makoJ]

how do you tell if one is male or female?

[Acroholic]

Sorry to hear about the loss Kennettson....the Regals sure are a fragile fish...

Mako, great pics man....and beautiful fish....yours looks like a female....

[Flighty]

I would guess female as well with yours. The only way to tell is the length of the blue cheek spine.

[makoJ]

Thanks!

[DJPB]

WOW! I never knew this thread would be 20 something pages long when I started it! Amazing info on Regal Angels here. ReefCentral should publish this thread into a book on Regals...

Here's mine today, still fat, still healthy, still king of my tank!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/524/28576regalweb.jpg

[Steve Atkins]

Plus the first 40 pages before it got cut in two.

Steve

[Aqua Keepers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8539366#post8539366 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DJPB
Amazing info on Regal Angels here. ReefCentral should publish this thread into a book on Regals...



I agree

[RonsterNYC]

My prior name was Dkrt0821 - now changed to RonsterNYC to match my Manhattan Reefs name. Anyhow, here is a pic of my little guy, Reggie, doing what it does best besides eating, hanging out with the gang.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/139881DSC01176a.JPG

[kwl1763]

Well here is my Regal story. Hopefully it will help some others out.

First let me start by saying this fish is not to be attempted lightly! Most will die and you better be willing to work and wait! I think you should have years of experience before even attempting this guy!


I have wanted one for over 3 years now but never really had a good environment or opportunity. This summer however I was lucky enough to "start fresh" with a 450G reef. I've had the fish list for almost a year and honestly the Regal was in the side column as don't count on it. Because the chances of me finding a good specimen when I needed was slim to nil.

Well I got the itch again after seeing one in a fellow club members tank. I read all I could about them (rereading again actually, 3 years of wanting one you read a lot!) I honestly wanted it to be the first fish in the tank (July) but I only saw a couple in LFS's and none were acceptably eating or in great shape. Having almost given up I decided to start with the super passive fish just in case. I started with a Copperband. Another finicky eater that took some serious work but eventually became a pig. Then a magnificent foxface a month later. These are pretty hardy. I qt'd them both in hypo and got them eating well then in they went. Ok I'm getting long winded here. To cut it short I was at the point that I had to decide Regal or no Regal. After much discussion with many I respecyed I decided to go for it. Honestly the LFS was not an option, it would take way to long to find a good specimen and I have been looking for months. So the only option I even considered was The Marine Center given their solid reputation for shipping healthy ones that have eaten there so on Oct 25th I took the plunge!

I'll say marine center packing was top notch. Tons of water and he appeared in great shape.

I qt'd him but let me explain. This qt is not just 10G tank and a PVC pipe and that's it. I used a 30G hex with about 20 lbs of well aged sponge ridden live rock from my sump. Here is a pic.

http://kwl1763.com/Reef/Nov_06/Room/qt.jpg

As you can see it has a skimmer and a HOB, etc. It's really a little reef tank. I cannot recommend people put any fish straight into their reef with other fish for several reasons.

1) Competition. These guys are notoriusly hard to get to eat. Why would you want any competition???

2) What if he does get sick you can't do anything in a main tank!

3) He could give stuff to others or he could catch something for others

4) Much easier to observe in a smaller qt then a 450G reef!

Now obviously the downside is a smaller qt is much less natural then a huge reef which could be more stressful. Also neccessarily less natural food will exist. I mitigate these through creating a true minireef for qt. To each their own but I really really feel a proper qt is the right way to go. And of course you have to make sure the water quality stays pristine!

Anyway on to it! After breaking in the first day all appeared well. I tried to feed on the second day and nothing. Then on the 3rd day I noticed him breathing a little heavy and actin strange. No scrathing or anything but some twitching and fin flickering, etc. Obviously this was worrisome. Day 4 He is definitly picking spongs off rock which is a good sign but no go on added food. That weekend it was worse. I noticed some issues on his fins.

Notice the spot on the left fin here. He had a couple on his tail also!


http://kwl1763.com/Reef/Oct_06/Regal/fingood.jpg

Well talking to several others we thought it was lymphocystis which in and of itself is no big deal but still no eating! Well by day 8 there was a cloudy eye and some grey stringy material on the body, really not good. Now it appears bacterial! Fortunatly he's still actively munching the LR and appears plump!

I make the very tough decision to pull the LR and treat with Maracyn 2. I did so for 5 days with little to no improvement! As a last ditch effort I switch tp normal Maracyn! To my shock it works. After 3 days all looks well and he is acting much better. Now though he has apparently gone almost 2 weeks without food! He looks skinny but much better and is acting much better. This is like day 20. I do a massive water change and run carbon. I put different rock in the next day ( The other rock is in a bucket fishless for 6 weeks to avoid disease transfer). He begins picking almost immediately. Then the next day I sink a clam and actually see him eat a little! Happy dance but still iffy.

Well I'm happy to report that was 3 days ago and today he made me one extremely hapy guy. Not only is he eating but eating from the water column!!!! Not only that but he's eating spectrum pellets off the bottom!!! I'm super super excited. While I'm by no means out of the woods yet I'm prettty darn optimistic. I fed him a ton yesterday and today and he is gobbling it up. I hope this is the start of a very long relationship! Here is a shot from today. He really is looking great!

http://kwl1763.com/Reef/Nov_06/Fish/regalfront.jpg

[Tremelle]

Keith, you sure are doing everything to give you regal a fighting chance at success. Congrats, and keep up the good husbantry.

[RonsterNYC]

That is magnificent!!! Good for you. They are absolutely stunning fishes, but hard to maintain...from the sound of it you have an excellent/strong specimen. I am very happy to have read your story and I am sure it will certainly help others. I got lucky that I got mine from a reputable distributor who had his in his personal tank. When I got mine it was only eating pellets, but now it eats like a champ and totally has control of the tank. Congrats Keith!

[Aquaduck]

This January would be the two year mark for keeping this 5" grey bellied Regal Angel (see my avatar) successfully in my 90 gallon reef, It saddens me to say I may need to capture him and sell him to someone with a large fish-only setup. He has turned on all my SPS. He is constantly picking at nearly every coral. He spends more time on the fuzzy Pocillopora species than the others. I'm not sure how much abuse the corals can take. I can't tell if he's really doing any harm, so I'll be watching them closely for damage & stress. Is this is something most angels do as they get bigger? They suddenly develop a taste for polyps or coral mucus?

[cthetoy]

I wonder if the grey bellied Regal are more prone to nip at SPS versus the Yellow bellied ones. Anyone know?

[GSchiemer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8592253#post8592253 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cthetoy
I wonder if the grey bellied Regal are more prone to nip at SPS versus the Yellow bellied ones. Anyone know?

IME, the Indo-South Pacific or "grey-bellied" regal angels are more prone to pick at corals than the Red Sea-Indian Ocean specimens.

Greg

[RonsterNYC]

IME, the Indo-South Pacific or "grey-bellied" regal angels are more prone to pick at corals than the Red Sea-Indian Ocean specimens.

Greg [/QUOTE]

Greg - is that a fact? Is there a site that is out there for people to gather more information? LMK. Thanks. :rollface:

[GSchiemer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8593453#post8593453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RonsterNYC
IME, the Indo-South Pacific or "grey-bellied" regal angels are more prone to pick at corals than the Red Sea-Indian Ocean specimens.

Greg

Greg - is that a fact? Is there a site that is out there for people to gather more information? LMK. Thanks. :rollface: [/QUOTE]

IME = In My Experience

This thread is probably the best source of info on Regal Angels in the aquarium that you'll find on the internet.

[Project Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8594368#post8594368 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSchiemer

This thread is probably the best source of info on Regal Angels in the aquarium that you'll find on the internet. [/B][/QUOTE]

And yes..That IS a fact! ;)

[pfish]

Well I have the Red Sea variety, and he is nipping my clams, organ pipe and open brain. I have only had him for 6 weeks, he is looking very healthy. He does'nt eat out of the water column , but he eats angle formula and formula one out of a basket attached to the side. I'm hoping against hope that I can wean him from his nipping and get him only interested in prepared food. I've put clear plastic bottles cut in half over the coral to protect them in the mean time.

[maxxII]

I've got a Red Sea female who is leaving the few SPS I have, my clams, and my platygyra brain alone.

Nick

[pfish]

I wish mine was.

[kwl1763]

pfish did you qt or not. I'm interested because I have a theory that if you can get them on prepared in qt with no corals around they are more likely to ignore them but of course I will need lots more data for this!!

[Outerbank]

kwl1763, congrats!! Sounds like your regal is doing great. I couldn't agree more with as natural of a Qtank the best with difficult species. It is much easier to teach them to eat and it protects them from other species. Worth the cramped quarters. Then drop them into an established reef after about a month and you are set.

[Mchava]

need help with my regal. I bought a yellow chest regal about 1.5"weeks ago. when I first put him in my tank it was doing good and eating. Now its not comming out and seem to just lay there and will not eat even if I put food right in front of it. I also noticed that he does not move at all. What can I do to help the fish out.

[Mchava]

need help with my regal. I bought a yellow chest regal about 1.5"weeks ago. when I first put him in my tank it was doing good and eating. Now its not comming out and seem to just lay there and will not eat even if I put food right in front of it. I also noticed that he does not move at all. What can I do to help the fish out.

[kwl1763]

First we need pics. Second did you qt or not? What are your tank parameters? Does he look healthy? Fat, no spots, no fin issues, etc? I'm afraid it's to late but we have to know these things to even atempt to help.

[pfish]

Try using some gutter guard like material and put frozen angle formula cubes in between the mesh and clip it to a algae clip. Thats how I got mine to eat. Mine won't take food out of the water column, but goes for this.

[RonsterNYC]

What do you mean by not moving, is it swimming?

[cthetoy]

I was on my 30th day of quarantine and my Regal died today. A sad feeling as a Regal is one of the fish I want keep the most after reading this thread. Its a mystery as to why it died. Reminded me of Nexdog's Regal after the his 30 days quarantine period

I had about 10 fish I took back from my Hawaii trip and the regal was purchased from a LFS here a few days later as I wanted to quarantine all fish all at once in my 60 gal Q-tank. No hypo was used by Cupramine was used instead. The Regal was eating on the 3rd day and it ate mysis, spectrum pellets, and clam on the half shell. Most of the fish from Hawaii were fine after 2 weeks so almost all are in the main tank. I noticed that the Regal's appetite has gone down somewhat so I decided to keep it in my Q-tank longer. It still ate clam on the half shell this morning but when I came home for lunch I found the Regal dead :(

Im not sure if it was stressed out too much from the Q-tank or was it the month long Cupramine treatment. Perhaps I should of left him in the main tank after 2 weeks. I did change 10% of the water daily in the Q-tank. Maybe I kept too many fish in my quarantine tank? The only fish left in my Qtank now is a Longnose butterfly (Healthy) and a Blueface (healthy and did not chase the regal).

John37 if you see a healthy Regal at your LFS again please let me know.

[Project Reef]

Very sorry to hear about that bud. :( If I see a healthy one that eats at any of the SoCal stores I'll send you a PM.

My pair is still doing real well. Eating everything and growing. I haven't seen them in over 4 months though since I have a buddy holding them for me at his place until I get their new Red Sea habitat set-up. I would love to put them in a SPS tank, however the smaller regal does pick at SPS here and there, nothing major. I'd rather have the Acros grow and color up without the added stress of fish picking on them. However, in the near future, I'd love to add a "reef-safe" regal one day to the acro system as well.

[john37]

awwww man. sorry to hear that. Yeah if i see one there again i'll let you know. Did you have bio filtration in your QT tank? MAybe you should check your nitrites and ammonia.

[cthetoy]

Thanks Projectreef and John37. PM me if you indeed see a nice healthy Regal.

I thought it might be an ammonia or nitrite problem but the Moorish Idol from Hawaii showed no ill effects so I thought I was ok and I was changing 10% water daily and 25% weekly and by the 3rd week most of the fish were out of the Q-tank. 2 buckets of salts (300 gallons worth) was used for that q-tank over the course of the month.

[dvmsn]

I think methly blue is a gentler medicine. I just don't like copper.

[Outerbank]

cthetoy, so sorry to hear that. Best of luck on the next one. I think the Q-tank, with treatment, nonetheless, was a wise decision.

I know this is a PITA, but next time I quarentine a difficult species I am going to age the Q-tank. I think it's best to age the water in the hyposalinity/copper tank before adding the difficult fish. I prefer hyposalinity. In my case, I am going to need 2 tanks plus an aging RO water tank/container. I am going to age a hyposalinity tank with some base rock, strong circulation, and no fish for at least a month with a salinity of 1.009. I will wait for some nice algae to develop to help keep the pH up and give the fish something to graze on. I will throw in a nitrogen source to spike the NO3 cycle and develop nitrosomas fauna over the month. When this is established, I will buy the difficult fish and place it in a different tank (tank#2), Tank #2 will be pretty bland with some pvc (I don't want a NH3 spike while I drop the salinity). Keep in mind that tank #2 will be set up for some time, as well, before buying the fish. I will use my litermeter to continually and slowly drop the salinity in tank #2 (it will start at 1.023/4/5) over 3 days with aged, highly oxygenated, RO water (kept in a seperate tank). I will also have a skimmer on both tanks to keep the tanks highly oxygenated. When the salinity in tank #2 is finally decreased to 1.009, then I will transfer the fish to the aged hyposalinity tank (tank#1) and keep him there for 30+ days. I will then slowly raise the salinity of tank #1 back to 1.023-5 over 7-10 days. Then the fish goes into the display tank. If you have the room to do this, I bet it would work great. My aged hyposalinity tank is going to be 75 gallons.

[chetm2]

Great thread! I have been waiting for my LFS to bring in a RS regal but no luck. They did get a good size grey belly regal in so he/she is now doing pretty well in my tank. He will nip at the rocks and some mysis in the water column but never out in the open. I have a Chrysrus angel that was the boss of the tank but the Regal kicked him out of his sleeping area. Here is a couple of pictures. The last one was photoshoped due to the flash. He had what looked like the beggining of the cauliflower white stuff on his rear fin but it has since gone away.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c12/chetm25/regal2angel112606.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c12/chetm25/regalangel112606.jpg

[Flighty]

When I QT a regal or other delicate fish I set up a small tank with some sand and a few hunks of LR and macro from my fuge and a cleaner shrimp. I don't treat with any meds or hypo.

The theory is that you take a month to make sure they don't have anything serious that they are bringing to the tank, but you give them the best environment you can during that time. The pod rich tank with no other fish gives a huge boost to their feeding response and diversity in their diet with the other things they eat off the LR. The cleaner shrimp may not do a huge amount to fix diseases, but it goes a long way towards calming and relaxing the fish.

If they come down with something I remove them to a hospital tank and at least the short time in the live QT will have hopefully given them the strength to make it.

[kwl1763]

Great news on my guy (see page 23) he only got better and better and stronger and stronger so after 3 weeks of strong feeding and literally eating anything and looking great I put him into the 450G Reef Sunday! He's doing great. Active, eating and not taking crap from the foxface who thinks he's boss but the Regal knows he is! He hasn't messed with any of my corals but there is no zos or softies in there. He has been eating sponges off the rock like crazy. I'll try to get some pics up!

I feed him a mix of everything but try to feed most of the San Fransico Bay Brand Angel and Butterfly formula as it has a decent amount of sponge in it.

What foods have the most sponge?

I think that might be the key longer term! I also think I'll take some live rock from the sump every so often and stick it in the tank for him to nibble on as this is sponge ridden stuff!

I hit the two month mark with my guy. By no means enough to declare a victory but I very optimistic. Hope to have this one for years!

Cindy, couldn't agree more with our methods! Think that is the way to go. I'm just not ever going to just dump a fish in my reef. Isn't going to happen.

I do the same for mandarins, etc. Over the years I have had 7 Mandarins (both target and psy, as well as a couple scoter blennoes) that I have qt'd in a minireef that was setup long before I got them. I had all eating prepared within a couple weeks and all had plenty of pods to snack on in the meantime.

[rowland75]

Got mine today, eating well 2 weeks in lfs qt.

Getting bullied by nigroris tang at present, but holding his own!

Lets keep this thread going....

[Mchava]

well to update my post regarding my regal. I guess there was some kind of infection on the fish since all the fishes from that store where dead. I did losse mine but I was able to find another one that was a little beat up from the fins and gave it a shoot. So now I have a great looking fish that is eating like a pig and is not shy at all. I will post pictures of it late on.

[TandN]

This is a great thread I just got mine today will post pics once I have the time to take them ;)

[Mchava]

Well here is mine and he is now eating everything I put in the tank (food wise) and its one of the best behaved fish I have.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/Mchava/regalangel.jpg

[TandN]

Awesome LETS SEE some updated pics and info on all your regals PLEASE :)
Mine is 2 days old ate like a PIG in the stores tank all hes done so far is pick at the rock from what I can see. I will be adding seastrips tomorrow also to the tank
T.

[zemuron114]

I plan on bringing in some marshalls regals to see the color variations and how well they eat. I'll post some pics!

[TandN]

ze any chance your name is aleaka ?

[sabodish]

ok..i have read EVERY page of this thread over 3 days and i must say, i am extremely impressed and thankful for everyones knowledge and experience...

now, i have recently set up my new cube and i have always wanted to keep this fish. all of my levels are 0 (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate), the tank and LR have been in place almost a month. i would like to add a RS regal as my first fish to this tank. do you guys think this would be possible at this time?

i know people say it needs established LR, but if we all have to go throught he trouble of getting the fish to eat prepared foods, what difference does it make if the LR is established? im assuming your new angels are getting all the nutrition from your feedings and not what it is picking off the rocks.

im pretty experienced in the hobby (12 years) had a 360 gallon very successful reef tank for 6 years before i moved and set up this new tank. im willing to give the attention needed to get the fish to eat.

so....should i go for it?

thanks for the help
-mike

[TandN]

I would wait until you know that the tanks cycles are over and done with since your in the hobby as long as I have been then you know tanks seems to go through small cycles even after 3 months so I would just wait a lil bit but thats JMHO
T.

[Aqua Keepers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8979609#post8979609 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sabodish


i know people say it needs established LR, but if we all have to go throught he trouble of getting the fish to eat prepared foods, what difference does it make if the LR is established? im assuming your new angels are getting all the nutrition from your feedings and not what it is picking off the rocks.



I think people say this because all of the sponge and stuff it picks off the rocks just helps it stay alive till you get it eating prepared foods. I feel if you find a healthy speciman that is already eating at the LFS, and you're sure you're not gonna have any mini cycles like Tanya, then go for it. However, I could be way off and will let the experts chime in.

[copps]

Hey Mike, if I were you I would not do it yet. What many people fail to realize is that even after the initial "cycle" in a system it takes months before a tank really settles in and breaks down nutrients in an efficient manner. During this time I would not add a regal. This same principle runs people into issues with a quarantine system that is set up more like a hospital tank, bare bones with some PVC that results in stressful conditions allowing disease to overtake the immune system, especially in regals... I "quarantined" each of my trio of regals in an established system where the fish were able to be isolated free from stress and competition for food.

Adding the regal to the system sooner rather than later could have its benefits though if you don't have an established system to quarantine in... However it's way too soon... What you could do is add other hardier fish in the meantime that won't too much for food with the regal. All of the regals I've ever kept could not resist fresh clams or mussels on the half shell, however many other fish in a large system will devour the clams before the regal if there is too much competition... At first with regals don't worry about a balanced diet... just worry about calories from something.

It's your call... but I would definately wait... many people jump the gun with new systems... even those who are very experienced thinking the cycle is through... I just visited with Sanjay Joshi up in Penn this week and he had the same thing happen with his 500 gallon... Water quality goes way beyond what our cheap test kits tell us...

Either way, let us know how it goes... we can never get enough firsthand experience with these regals! :) And as I've said many times before... stay away frrom large regals over 5 inches as they are much tougher to get to feed...

Copps

[sabodish]

thanks for all the advice, including those who sent it in a PM!

i totally understand the mini cycle concept even though it has never happened to me. ill probably wait a little while till things settle down some more. as far as competitive fish, i have a tentative list of what i want in this tank..

1 red

[sabodish]

thanks for all the advice, including those who sent it in a PM!

i totally understand the mini cycle concept even though it has never happened to me. ill probably wait a little while till things settle down some more. as far as competitive fish, i have a tentative list of what i want in this tank..

1 red sea regal angel
2 percula clowns
4 lyretail anthias (3 female 1 male)
1 small wrasse (possibly)

and thats it....problem is, none of these fish are strong enough to handle a "mini cycle" if it should occur.

ill probably just wait it out a bit and add some small frags that i know the regal wont destroy.

thanks again
-mike

[sabodish]

wow..how did that happen..lol

[TandN]

Start it off with the clowns then wrasse to the anthias and then the angel

[RonsterNYC]

IME you should wait and give time for you tank to mature. I have had my tank for 3.5 years and waited almost 2 years before I started experimenting with this fish. Experimenting in the sense of trying to give it a stress free environment, which is essential if you want it to thrive. Stress free in terms of water quality, prepared food, and tank mates. Even then it was a painful trial and error. Last September I bought my final and third rs regal and so far so good. Not by far an aggressive eater but eats enough and looks healthy. I am by far experienced with this fish, but take it from everyone that is advising you t wait. Good luck! Ron

[TandN]

WHat are you guys feeding your regal ? Mine right now is eating ALOT off the rocks and very lil mysis. Looking for something else for him

[Steve Atkins]

I made up a frozen mix including:
- 2 types of fresh seaweed
- 3 types of freeze dried seaweed
- Calcium
- Fish
- Mussels
- Octopus
- Scallops
- Shrimp
- Sponge
- Squid
- Vitamins

All the fish get this now.

Steve

[Aqua Keepers]

Where are you getting the sponge?

[TandN]

is that all fresh seafood? I cant afford that for myself lol

[Steve Atkins]

The sponge came from friend who got it from either a local diver or a fisherman

- 2 types of local seaweed - fresh when collected but split into two batches, one of I which I froze for later use
- Fish - fresh when purchased but split into two batches, one of which I froze for later use
- Mussels - fresh
- Octopus - frozen
- Scallops - theoretically fresh but may may have previously frozen
- Shrimp - previously frozen but thawed at time of purchase
- Sponge - fresh
- Squid - frozen

I got enough ingredients to do about 20 10cm x 15cm x 0.6cm trays. Should last a about six months with my lot.

Steve

[dernparker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6569500#post6569500 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishpimp69
Just a quick ?, had my regal for 2 weeks was eating everything including my zoo's. But then i went away sat came back didn't see him, thought I would go to bed and look in the morning, and came to find he was not there. So it's been 2 days and still no sign. Are these fish jumpers or what could of happened to him on sat. I have looked everyewhere. It was also around 5 inches. You would think i would see bones or some kind of body right? Any ideas?

You may have brisle worms. The big ones will sting and kill fish and then they eat the full thing. Bones and all. I lost seveal fish that way. Set trap bated with brien shrimp and caught a few. Ended up taking all rock out and of tank and fresh water dipping most rock and found alot of large worms...... ucky.... dont tough them they sting and I will admit that I took great pleasure in dropping them into the toliet! I flushed them after truning the water yellow..... No, I dont like those things at all!

[sabodish]

dern...99% of worms will not sting and kill fish. there are however large predatory worms (eunicid?) that will kill fish but these are rarely found in our tanks. bristle worms are GOOD guys!

[TandN]

http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8614

[RonsterNYC]

pellets, formula 1, 2, angel formula, sparulina, angel and butterfly food, mysis - not a vigours eater but mine eats enough...

[cthetoy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9002759#post9002759 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tanya72806
http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8614

This guy had a worse case

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

[TandN]

lol yeah i saw that one also I know Mike though lol so it was freaky looking

Please more foods please ;)

[Aqua Keepers]

I know that sponge is it's naturall diet. So, any food mix that has sponge is probably best (angle formula, etc..). I've talked to a couple guys who use sponge in their home made food mix, and they all seem to collect it. I'm wondering if there's a supplier that one could just purchase sponge. I've also asked on the forums about propegating sponge, but never get an answer. I do'nt have a regal yet but want one.

[Kennyboy1984]

Red sea angel vs indo pacific. Really that much of a difference survival wise? I think they both look great. But if I can save a few bucks by getting an indo pacific why not? Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

[john37]

not only do the redseas have a higher survival rate....they're much much better lookin and brighter.

[Kennyboy1984]

I just got my regal today from live aquaria. My so called indo pacific regal has a yellow belly. Not that i'm angry, in fact im elated, but whats up with that? So should I still be calling it an indo pacific regal or can I consider him a red sea regal?

[copps]

Hey Kenny, a picture would help verify this... Also there is no way to distinguish regals from their locales within the Indian Ocean other than knowing the direct source, so you'll likely only know what ocean it came from...

[Steve Atkins]

'Red Sea Regal' has become a name given to any regal with a yellow or orange chest. These fish come from anywhere from the Red Sea across to Indonesia (where mine came from).

Steve

[Kennyboy1984]

Ah yes I did remember reading somewhere that the two different populations meet around the pacific.

Here it is. I put it in my 24 nano. It's only tankmate is a juvi cinammon clown. The reason I put it in the nano is it has been setup for over a year and has all sorts of sponge, zoanthids, algae, pods(not sure they eat pods?) to graze on while I try and get it on prepared foods. Plus no competition or aggression from my larger fish in my 125. How long should I wait before introducing it into my 125? Assuming it survives! :(
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p270/pufface/regalangel004.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p270/pufface/regalangel005.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p270/pufface/regalangel002.jpg
Sorry for the blurry pics, Needed more ISO.

[RonsterNYC]

Mine came from Sumatra (yellow bellie). Kenny - that's a cutie!

[Steve Atkins]

It's a very young fish from that eyespot.

You should at least wait until it fully recognises the food you put in as food and you as its feeder.

Steve

[kwl1763]

Ya really young. Get it eating prepared/frozen aggresively and then you should be OK. Best of luck

[Kennyboy1984]

Now starts the long and frustrating road of getting it to eat. I fed it for the first time just now. New life pellets: no, frozen cyclops: ate one then spit it out, Mysis: no interest. I'll try spirulina brine next along with the other i've already tried. Tommorrow going to go to the grocery store for clams or mussels? Clams or mussels? Are the frozen ones in boxes ok? On a side note in the same shipment I also got a blueface angel off of divers den that is eating mysis and new life spectrum right away. Im happy about that :)

[Steve Atkins]

Live shellfish should be best.

It may also help to have a small, non aggressive but enthusiastic eater in there. I know my one learnt a lot about what was food by watching the other fish.

Steve

[nctangman]

i assume your blueface is in the main tank?

im considering a regal and emperor added at the same time of course in a 300 gallon tank that i will be setting up.

good luck to you..let us know where you find some live shellfish.

[Kennyboy1984]

Huzza! It's eating frozen cyclops! I basically had to flood the tank with it until I finally saw it eating them out of the water. I was so worried I got a dud. Of course I'll keep trying out other things as well. But I think the ultimate is to have it on new life pellets. After that I think it will be alright.

Yes the blueface is in the 125. It's already assuming the position of "boss" of the tank. That'll teach my purple tang to attack everything!

[Kennyboy1984]

Omg omg I just saw it eat 4 new life spectrum pellets!!! I've only had it for a day so far! I guess get em young and there really easy to feed eh?

[nctangman]

Kenny,

Great to hear, but if you have read this entire thread, you will see this fish can stop eating for no reason at all. Just be diligent in watching him eat and be proactive, not reactive.

Kirk

[Kennyboy1984]

Will do. I would say i've spent the good part of last night just observing him (loser). I'll probably do the same tonight.

[nctangman]

I see nothing wrong with that. I make it a habit every morning to do a spot check on every inhabitant in my tank to make sure they are doing well.

[Kennyboy1984]

I decided to go ahead and introduce my regal into my 125 yesterday. Every other fish has ignored it completely. It has an even bigger appetite now that it's in my main tank. It is eating just about everything now. Here is what i've seen it eating.

mysis
frozen cyclops
new life spectrum pellets(finicky fish formula)
ocean nutrition prime reef flakes
nori
it also looks like it's eating copepods that are living on the glass.

Pics for fun. Enjoy :)
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p270/pufface/regalangel009.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p270/pufface/regalangel006.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p270/pufface/regalangel008.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p270/pufface/regalangel007.jpg

[cthetoy]

I wanted to get a 4" or smaller Regal but 2 weeks ago this LFS had a 6" Regal in a 12"x12" holding cube. I usually carry some pellets and flakes with me to a LFS and I threw some in the tank and it ate all my pellets including the flakes that were floating on top of the water. Never have I seen a Regal eating so well in such a confined space so I purchased it! Still eating well in my 135g tank with its tank mates.


http://www.mikesphotography.com/fish/r2.jpg

http://www.mikesphotography.com/fish/r1.jpg

http://www.mikesphotography.com/fish/r4.jpg

[sabodish]

ok..that tank is waaaay overstocked....5 large tangs, a trigger, 3 large angles and a moorish idol? how are you pulling THAT off?

[RonsterNYC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9112388#post9112388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sabodish
ok..that tank is waaaay overstocked....5 large tangs, a trigger, 3 large angles and a moorish idol? how are you pulling THAT off?

Beatiful fish, but my thoughts exactly...

[cthetoy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9112388#post9112388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sabodish
ok..that tank is waaaay overstocked....5 large tangs, a trigger, 3 large angles and a moorish idol? how are you pulling THAT off?

I know its somewhat overstocked but luckily none of the fish are fighting. Water quality is the key so weekly water changes is a must plus my ETSS-1000 Skimmer is working pretty good in pulling out the gunk. Just got a used 2nd skimmer which Im going to add this week. Rowaphos and carbon are changed biweekly to keep up with the phosphates nutrients. I also have a 20g fuge tank to help with the nutrients as well

All the fish are mid sized and not adult sized yet but this summer I'm upgrading to a 300-400g tank

[sabodish]

id like to see feeding time in there! must be chaos!
at least you have plans to upgrade, im interested to see how your red sea angel does being the last fish added to such a busy tank.

[RonsterNYC]

Skimmer/filtration is key. Post pics when you upgrade!

[grouper25]

I have read this thread with great interest and seek a little guidance.

I am planning on getting a Regal for my 220 which contains alot of Florida live rock, plants and macro algae. Currently , there is a 5 inch Rock Beauty, 3 clowns and a royal gamma only. I have ordered a Red Sea specimen which I should have in a few weeks. The question is should I first place him/her in my 20 gallon QT which has no other fish or should I just drip him into the main tank and take the risk. I say this hesitantly and with great reluctance only to save the fish the stress from sitting in a much smaller QT for 5 weeks.

Your comments and guidance greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[john37]

very nice find.
i just aquired one last week as well but he's in my QT section of my sump eating mysis and a few pellets here and there. i'll get a picture asap.

[kwl1763]

grouper, you will get tons of differing answers on this. I qt everything including delecate fish. Set it up like a minireef with rock and all but you can pul it with any disease issues. I am not willing to risk my whole tank!

Others say just dump in and he has a better chance since he can get sponge off the rock. I'm just not willing to risk my other inhabitants. You can read my longer explaination a few pages back but that's my 2 cents.

[TandN]

mine is like 3 weeks and the other day he FINALLY ate 4 pellets and is FINALLY staying out in the public instead of hiding all day :)

[cidory]

My new Regal, , fox face pixking on him , will that stop?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/cidory/regal.jpg

[cidory]

My new Regal, , fox face picking on him , will that stop?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/cidory/regal.jpg

[cidory]

My new Regal, , fox face pixking on him , will that stop?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/cidory/regal.jpg

[Goodwood]

Ive had my regal for a year and she runs the show. When I added her she got picked on by my Purple Tang, so I 86'd the tang. I would pull out the fox and let her run the show they seem to eat better when they are in charge.

Just my opinion, good luck - awsome fish
Mine was still a semi juvi when I got her and gets nicer the bigger she gets

[kwl1763]

If it's eating well I wouldn't worry to much. They'll sort it out. If not I would definitely seperate until it's eating like a pig.

[Treg]

Did anyone happen to see the Regal on LA tonight?

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/texasholdemtreg/LARegal.jpg

[hansonfam]

Hi everyone.

Okay have read through this thread before we even got ou=r angel. Did post awhile back when we got it. I think we have run into the typical problems with this fish.
We got in on boxing day and it was eating frozen foods we'll. We then went to pellets and she still did great. Untill about 3 days ago. We are now turning our nose up at everything. So i resorted to going and getting clam meat and blending it up with some garlic. Nope no go. She is starting to get skinny. Nothing in the tankhas changed. So should i just prepare to lose this poor thing or is there something else i should be trying to get her to eat?

Any suggestions would be great

Lisa

[RichK]

I got my regal from LA about a year ago. The fish arrived in excellent shape. However, I did need to put in a couple open clams for it to start feeding. It hid a little and picked at the rocks when first introduced. Now, it is the boss of the tank and eats anything I offer.

[RonsterNYC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9423670#post9423670 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hansonfam
Hi everyone.

Okay have read through this thread before we even got ou=r angel. Did post awhile back when we got it. I think we have run into the typical problems with this fish.
We got in on boxing day and it was eating frozen foods we'll. We then went to pellets and she still did great. Untill about 3 days ago. We are now turning our nose up at everything. So i resorted to going and getting clam meat and blending it up with some garlic. Nope no go. She is starting to get skinny. Nothing in the tankhas changed. So should i just prepare to lose this poor thing or is there something else i should be trying to get her to eat?

Any suggestions would be great

Lisa

Lisa - I wouldn't blend the clam meat. I would soak the half opened clam in garlic and drop it in the tank. If you have a veggie clip that can hold the shell on the glass that would work also. You can also try to set up some sea weed on a veggie clip and see if it will pick on that. I have had mine for 6 months and it is doing great. Not a voracious eater, but enough to sustain its weight and health.
Ron

[moonpod]

There's the arctipods from reefnutrition. Almost any fish will eat those things. My regal actually REALLY likes the primereef flake food.

[maxxII]

Another thought is broccoli.

Blanch the broccoli on the stove...(sear it with high heat for a short period of time...you're not cooking it as much as "wilting" it)

The broccoli needs to be blanched or frozen and thawed repeatedly in order to weaken the fibers of the plant.

My reagal goes nuts for the stuff, but wont touch nori in the same clip...go figure.

Nick

[Pennoyer]

PrimeReef flakes here as well. Also frozen Angel formula. Other than that, she doesn't like much. Frozen mysis somewhat when showing the potters she is the boss..

[hansonfam]

What i did with the clam meat is bought it frozen. So this morning i went and actually got live clams. Now is there a specific kind they should eat? And also how do i open the shell...lol
Not a seafood eater.....

I am hoping that will work as she is not looking good. This is my last ditch atempt to get her to eat. She won't touch the nori or any colour seaweed for that matter. I will try the broccoli though...

Thanks again
Lisa

[hansonfam]

Yahhhhhhh by god we got it...lol
I got it open and i didn't even get the clip attached to the glass and she was eating it. She ate a whole clam in about 3 minutes....

So how many of these should i feed her a day? As she is looking a little skinny and i would like to fatten her up.

Thanks
Lisa

[Steve Atkins]

If you really want to make it happy mix up some of this. Although it will also eat anything I put into the tank, this mix, plus some frozen bloodworms, has been the staple diet of my Regal, and consequently all my fish, for the last 20 months. Once mixed, I freeze it on small plastic trays. You will need a mincer for this.
Fish (fresh usually)
Clam – called green lipped mussels down here (fresh usually)
Shrimp (frozen)
Nori
Wakame (freeze dried)
2 other types of freeze dried seaweed
Ulva (fresh)
2-3 other types of local seaweed (fresh, some frozen for later batches as availability is seasonal)
Scallops
Squid tubes or baby squid (frozen)
Baby octopus (frozen)
Sponge – donated by local fisherman (frozen from fresh)
Calcium
Vitamins

Steve

[TandN]

as for the fresh clams go what is the process for it ???? clean it then pop it and feed it ???

[hansonfam]

I just rinsed it with r/o water. Put it in the freezer for about 10min as i read that it would help it open easier. Then i pried it open and put it on a veggie clip and she went bannanas for it. She ate 2 in about 20min.I opened 2 more for his evening and put them in a cup with some garlic and put it back in the fridge. So we will see if that works out we'll. I also took some of the frozen clam meat that i had and thawed it and put it in with some garlic and i will try to see if she eats that as we'll. As it is much easier than having to go to the store to buy live ones....

Lisa

[RonsterNYC]

Lisa - you can buy a package of frozen halved clams for fish. They are already prepared and ready to eat (once thawed) - I believe aqua yums make it. I will take a look in my freezer tonight and let you know the name tomorrow. Cheers. Ron

[Pennoyer]

You're right on the name Ron.

[hansonfam]

Hmmm did not know that...:)
Although i am in Canada and we don't seem to be able to get all the neat stuff you guys have. I will look tommorrow and see if we do and if not maybe someone can order it in for me.

Lisa

[VikeBron]

Have had mine in the tank for about a month now. I had alot of sponges growing everywhere and they are no more. She made quick work of them and now is content with mysis and Rods Blend of goodies.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d181/vikebron/100_0590.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d181/vikebron/100_0561.jpg

[Treg]

Mine is finally giving in to Rods food aswell.

Before she would only eat feather caulepra and Reef Nutrition's Macro-Feast.

She ate a lot of those but shyed away from anything else. Even live stuff.

I think adding another eating fish with her (she was alone) helped. Or the Rod's Food was just too tempting. :)

[maxxII]

Steve,
Your's appears to be a Red Sea male Regal angel....judging by the length of the gill plate spines.

Nick

[RonsterNYC]

Lisa - here the actual name I purchased "H2O Life - clams". It's a small package that has small half shells. http://www.bio-aquatics.com/frozen5.html (scroll down about 3/4 and you will see the 4oz and 8oz bags.)

[TandN]

Any1 know where to get sponges for them to eat ???

Also I put a fresh clam on a 1/2 shell in the tank for it and nothing :(

[hansonfam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9434282#post9434282 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RonsterNYC
Lisa - here the actual name I purchased "H2O Life - clams". It's a small package that has small half shells. http://www.bio-aquatics.com/frozen5.html (scroll down about 3/4 and you will see the 4oz and 8oz bags.)


Thank-you i will see if i can get the here. She is doing wonderfully now even starting to pick at the brine again. We gave in a got a juvi mate for her. She is a little cranky when it gets close to the clam on the clip:)
But otherwise that little one eats as good as my tangs. Anything you put in the tank it eats. Pelletts,brine,mysis,nori...lol
I am sure i could put a cow in there and it would eat it...It is very yound still has the eye spot and is only about 2 inches i guess.But really bright colours and not shy at all:)
So hopefully that will keep the older one eating as she watches him....

Lisa

[Treg]

Just sharing a couple pics of mine.
I feel a lot better now that she has started eating frozen foods.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/texasholdemtreg/Reef%20Fish/Regal.jpg

The Dynamic blue and yellow Duo.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/texasholdemtreg/Reef%20Fish/Regal-Femen.jpg

[RonsterNYC]

Great looking fish and AWESOME Wrasse!

[Cantonesefish]

Wow, they look great together! What kind of wrasse is that?

[Treg]

Blue Tail Wrasse.


They do pretty good together. Look Great together.
I think she was the inspiration to get the Regal to eat. :)

[moonpod]

Lousy pix of my greater than one year regal.
http://homepage.mac.com/moonpod/.Pictures/New%20Tank/DSC04228.jpg

[hansonfam]

Okay we'll i am sad to report that i think i am going to lose my older regal. She has not had more than 4 bits of anything in about 4 days. Losing a very large amount of weight. Have tried every kind of food concoction known to man and fish alike. No go for her:(
Actually very upset that i can't save her. On the other hand the little one is still doing very we'll. Eats anything you throw her way. Peletts,frozen ,nori,flakes and red seaweed. So i believe she will be okay.
But it is still sad to lose such a beautifull fish.I dread the day i have to dispose of her

Lisa

[klasiksb]

Sad to report my Regal only made it 8 days.It started eating a variety of frozen on day 3, but never big amounts. I'm trying something easier for now, I can't bring myself to try a second at this time.

RIP
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v303/klasikb/regalreflection0307cropMedium.jpg

[Treg]

Good to see you back aroud Chuck!

[Goodwood]

Sorry to hear about your loss klasiksb, that fish looks very thin. If you try another make sure its very thick. Not a hard fish to keep if you get a good one from the start but, they do take some commitment

[RonsterNYC]

klasiksb - what is that white stuff on the other side of its cheek? Looks like an infection of some sort - maybe you got a sick fish from the start and just took some time for the signs to show up...keep trying. sometimes it's just trial and error. I have had mine for 7 months now and doing well, yet it was my third and last try.

[RonsterNYC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9502827#post9502827 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hansonfam
Okay we'll i am sad to report that i think i am going to lose my older regal. She has not had more than 4 bits of anything in about 4 days. Losing a very large amount of weight. Have tried every kind of food concoction known to man and fish alike. No go for her:(
Actually very upset that i can't save her. On the other hand the little one is still doing very we'll. Eats anything you throw her way. Peletts,frozen ,nori,flakes and red seaweed. So i believe she will be okay.
But it is still sad to lose such a beautifull fish.I dread the day i have to dispose of her

Lisa

Lisa - so sorry to hear that. I know it is very sad when you have to "dispose" of them. It's almost like a big hype when they start eating yet they still don't make it. So sorry. Good luck with the small one. Ron

[klasiksb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9504743#post9504743 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RonsterNYC
klasiksb - what is that white stuff on the other side of its cheek? Looks like an infection of some sort - maybe you got a sick fish from the start and just took some time for the signs to show up...keep trying. sometimes it's just trial and error. I have had mine for 7 months now and doing well, yet it was my third and last try.

It is very possible he was sick from the get go, the white stuff came in with him. I did order him online from a place I've had good luck with, if I do try again it will be with my LFS.

[RonsterNYC]

hopefully you are disputing the charge...they shouldn't ship a sick fish - especially one with an infection like that. not only does the fish has to acclimate to your tank, its new mates, and food, but also fight the infection...just my two cents. :-)

[hansonfam]

Okay we'll sad sad morning in my house. For the last week i knew i was going to lose my angel and sure enough i found her on the bottom of the tank. Have had her for 3 months and she ate really we'll in hte begginning and then slowly starved herself to death in the end. Although she never ate as good as the little one that i do have so i have "hope for that one"
Very sad and i feel horrible that i did that to her.:(

I was actually very attached to that fish never knew you could get that attched. I tried everything known to man to try and get her to eat. It is discouraging when you try it all and she still looks at you like"feed me something i eat"

We'll i can honestly say that if for some strange reason this little one decides he doesn't like anything. I will never do it again.

Thanks for listening to me gripe:)

Lisa

[RonsterNYC]

Lisa - so sorry to hear that. Sometimes we will never know why they die and maybe it was just its time to go. Good luck with the little one and keep us posted of its progress. Also post some updated pics. They alway say smaller ones are also easier to adapt to captivity so you never know. Mine is going on 6 months and going strong. Hope it continues to thrive. Sorry again. Ron

[nigel685]

I Love my Regal. I have only had him 3 months. He eats everything I throw at him and does not pick at any corals or clams. I have him in a 125 and would not recommend a regal for anything smaller. My regal is the only fish in my system that will eat out of my hand.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r28/nigel_029/saltwater%20pics/saltwaterpics077-1.jpg[/IMG]

[hansonfam]

Thanks Ron i appreciate the kind words. It broke my heart that i pretty much subjected her to starving. But in hopes that the little one will make it.I will post some pics soon of the little one.

Thanks again
Lisa

[maxxII]

Thought I'd post up some pics of my Red Sea Regal Angel.

I got her Sept 24th of 06 from www.phishybusiness.com

She's gotten fat in the tank...which is nice. Please disregard all the bubbles etc in the water and crap on the glass...if I turned off the pumps, she'd hide.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_members/data/500/medium/Fat_Regal-1_05-26-07.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_members/data/500/medium/Fat_Regal2-1_05-26-07.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_members/data/500/medium/Regal2-2_05-26-07.jpg

She's about 4 inches in length and eats primarily blanched/heat wilted brocolli, but also inhales mysis, brineshrimp and other meaty foods. She wont go near Nori and completely ignores Angel Formula frozen food...

Nick

[Project Reef]

nigel, do you think you can take better pictures of your fish. The coloration looks amazing on it!

[nctangman]

Nick,

Are you soaking your mysis shrimp with selcon or some type of vitamins?? IMO, perfect opportunity to increase your fish's immune system since it is eating.

[maxxII]

I feed the other fish in the tank a mix of Mysis, Brine Shrimp Plus, and Rod's Food. The mix is soaked w/ Selcon and Zoe, (alternating from one to the other).

Nick

[ocd_mariner]

Just wanted to share my regal.

http://lh4.google.com/image/chuck.collins/RmHF0-xnJKI/AAAAAAAAAC4/y2rKVR4ZtWU/s800/DSCF1936.JPG

She (or he) had a tough time acclimating. Had a few spots of ich, then it looked like her fins started to deteriorate and her eye clouded up. She did have a voracious appetite, which is really the only thing that saved her. I loaded up different frozen foods with selcon and garlic, and fed plenty of medicated pellets, and now she is as healthy as can be.

Been in the display about 4 months.

[TandN]

sorry but what causes there fins to deterioate ?

[Project Reef]

Very sad news folks... :(

Greg was one of the pioneers in having long term success with Regal angels and contributed to this thread as well, not to mention countless articles he had written and conferences he had spoken at, helping aquarists worldwide.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1130958

[RonsterNYC]

Chuck - great looking regal in a great looking tank!

--------------------------

Greg is a big loss. Very sad news.

[invincible569]

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/4045/206qo4.jpg

[Steve Atkins]

A couple of shots of the lad taken on 24th, 2 years to the day after arrival.

http://users.actrix.co.nz/stevea/IMG_4990_800_Crp.JPG

http://users.actrix.co.nz/stevea/IMG_5002_800.JPG

It is still in discussions about who should be 2nd in charge by the look of that nick out of a fin.

Steve

[Goodwood]

Two different tanks and a year and a half later mine is still going strong:D

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c116/Goodwoods/Fish/DSC00713.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c116/Goodwoods/DSC00701.jpg

[maxxII]

Good job guys!

Steve,
how large is your Regal? I have a Red Sea Regal that I'm guessing is a female by the length of the gill plate spines. Its about 4 inches in length and the spines are still pretty short. What size do they normally become sexually mature?

Nick

[john37]

looks like ur guys' regals are swimming around a lot.
i've had mine for over a year and she still seems to hide a lot.
do you think it's cuz of my tangs?

[RonsterNYC]

Mine is all over the tank - tangs don't bother it. It eats well, loves pellets... I've had it close to a year.

[Steve Atkins]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10216030#post10216030 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxxII
Good job guys!

Steve,
how large is your Regal? I have a Red Sea Regal that I'm guessing is a female by the length of the gill plate spines. Its about 4 inches in length and the spines are still pretty short. What size do they normally become sexually mature?

Nick
Its about 13cm (around 5 inches). It is from Indonesia, where you can apparently find both colourings. I don't know about when they reach sexual maturity.

Steve

[Steve Atkins]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10218051#post10218051 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john37
looks like ur guys' regals are swimming around a lot.
i've had mine for over a year and she still seems to hide a lot.
do you think it's cuz of my tangs?
Not unless thay are actively chasing it. Mine shares its tank with three tangs, one of which is a lot larger than the regal and is the boss of the tank, but now the pecking order had been sorted out they all get on fine. It has always got on well with the yellow tang as they shared a quarantine tank at the importers.

Steve

[maxxII]

Mine swims around alot as well. It was initially in a 3 foot tank with a Tomini tang....it took control of the tank and showed the Tomini who was boss.

Now she's in a 120 w/ a Doliatus Rabbitfish waiting for the Tomini to be brought over to the "big tank".

Nick

[hawk66]

How likely is it to be able to keep a Regal with a very large (14" shell Derasa) and a large maxima clam. I currently have a juvi emperor that took a few nips at the clams the first week or so but has left the clams alone for the past couple of months with no damage. In general are Regals anymore or less risky than emperors.? The tank is 375g mostly sps.

[maxxII]

Mine was in with a 9 inch Derasa and a 5 inch Crocea...no issues.
I wouldnt try the clam trick for enticing it to eat though....unless you want a Regal more than the clams.

Nick

[Steve Atkins]

Mine does not bother either of my two clams.

steve

[maxxII]

I should also add that mine ignores SPS, Zoanthids, and various sponges growing in the tank. Admittedly, I only tried one color/species of Zoa...for all I know, different colors taste different and the brown/red ones I placed in the tank for "taste testing" werent so good, and spendy pretty blue or green ones...

Nick

[nctangman]

According to the latest presentation of Greg Schiemer I saw, he stated this is one of the few "reef-safe" large angelfish he would recommend. Take this FWIW.

[RonsterNYC]

I have a regal and a goldflake. The regal has not touched anything, the goldflake has nipped at my zoas. I have fed clams and neither have gone after my two maximas. Guess I am just lucky.

[iku]

just got a pair of regal angels tonight :) here are some photos
(my 93g cube is being cycled right now, so they are housed in a 30g for now, only for a week or 2)
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/ikulu/DSC02498.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/ikulu/DSC02504.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/ikulu/DSC02503.jpg

[t5Nitro]

How long should the tank be established before you buy a regal angel? Would 2 established tangs not allow a regal angel in the tank?

[yoboyjdizz]

iku.. where did you get your pair from?

[iku]

yoboyjdizz from a lfs in b.c :)
i was very surprised when i saw the pair :| they're small guys though. around 2-3.5 inches?

[RonsterNYC]

they are really cute!! Good luck with them!

t5nitro-a regal with tangs should be OK as they are different species. from my experience, the only tang that gave me a problem was the purple red sea tang - he was a meanie and had to get rid of him eventually. it killed every new fish I introduced.

[Big Boy69]

I just got my Regal on 7/7/07.
I got her from Aquacon. She came in fat. I was told she was eating pellets when I purchased her and that they had her for about 4 weeks and was ready to be sold. I acclimated her for a long period of time to get her well adjusted from the shipment. Once I put her in the tank, 120g, she swam around for a little bit, then my scopas went after her, but not that agressively. She stays behind the rocks, I have a lot of open area the was it's piled. She'll pop her head out from the one opening and goes back in. I see her swimming around behind the rockwork, viewing her from the side of the tank. I see her pecking on the rocks and seen her grab some flake when I fed the tank. Last night I seen her swimming around at the top of the tank by the back glass when the lights went out. Hopefully I'll see her swimming out in the open soon.
Do you think she's afraid of the Scopas? If so, I'll go fishing to get him out.

[Steve Atkins]

Your fish will want to know its way round the back and inside of your reef before it spends much time out in the open. They, like most fish, need to know where all the hiding places are before they venture out too much.

Steve

[RonsterNYC]

Big Boy 69 - This is very typical behavior. Your scopas tang will also stop being aggressive. It probably sees the new addition as an intruder - that's all. My Scopas did the same, but it stopped in a day or two.

[Big Boy69]

Well, I came home from work yesterday and did not see her swimming in the back of the tank where she normally is.
I then noticed her up against a rock upright. I put in a wooden tweezer to get her to move and she did but looked really weird. I started ripping the rock work apart in that area and she wasn't moving much, so I knew something was wrong. Once I seen her, she looked pretty bad as though her skin was decomposing sort of, so I removed her and put her in my downstairs tank and she could hardly do anything, so I took her out and bagged her for the trash. It was an expensive loss, and a loss of a beautiful fish.
I'll try another one as soon as I find one around. I don't know if there were fish beating the hell out of her or what. I didn't see any of that going on while she was in the back of the tank where she hung out. I think before I do the nexy one, I'll get the Scopas and the hippo out first. I never seen the Hippo go after her, only the Scopas.

[nctangman]

BigBoy69,

Sorry for your loss. This hurts me just reading it.

Kirk

[RonsterNYC]

Big Boy69 - Sorry man...I know the feeling. I am on my 3rd regal and so far so good. It's going for close to a year now. I don't think it was the tangs, so you shouldn't stress them out as well. Try to establish the next one in a QT for a bit and see how that goes. Sorry again.

[Big Boy69]

I'm thinking about ordering 2 from Freshmarine.com

[bureau13]

I have no idea if I was just lucky, or what...but the Regal I got from Vivid has been amazing so far (about 2 months). The really curious thing was I ordered a Red Sea and received the IO grey breasted variety. They apologized and refunded the difference, saying they had no idea how it happened because it came in a Red Sea shipment...but it came in fat and not particularly shy. For the first few days it swam around interested in my mix of frozen foods but not really eating, then it started picking specific things out of the mix, and now it pretty much just eats everything I feed, frozen or pellet. All this while initially getting chased by my Blue face and occasionally by my Powder Brown tang. The tang ignores him now, and the Blue face does as well, mostly, and he is always swimming around grazing on the rocks. Frankly, I'm still in shock.

jds

[Big Boy69]

I almost ordered one from Vivid yesterday. They have 2 left and Shaun would pick the better of the 2 for me.

Tropicalfishoutlet.com has them also, but they charge $74.99 for shipping!!!!!! The fish itself is 84.99

[Aqua Keepers]

Iku, how's the pair doing in your 30g? Sounds like you're going to be adding them to a pretty unestablished tank ( 90g going through its cycle). Is the 30g established?

[nctangman]

I have a 375 gallon tank that has been set up for 1 month..the only fish in the tank are a pair of cinnamon clownfish..Ideally, I would like the regal angel to be the first big fish added to the tank. i am hoping this will increase its odd during the acclimation period.

[Aqua Keepers]

I think it would be easier to get this fish going in an established tank, but am curiouse to see results from people adding this fish to a newer system. I'm setting up a 125 and would hate to wait a year or two to get this fish.

[nctangman]

Anyone on this thread bought livestock from freshmarine.com ?
if so, i would be interested in hearing about the quality of their livestock. I have purchased from vividaquariums.com before and would do so again.

Kirk

[Big Boy69]

If I remember correctly, they are not ready to ship. IF this is the place I was talking to today. I would have to go to their website to confirm.

I just ordered a pair of Christmas Island Regal Angels from justrarefish.com.

[Big Boy69]

I just checked the website. This is the place I was thinking of.
I spoke with an Asian women and she said they were not ready to ship yet.
I was going to buy a pair from them.

[nctangman]

justrarefish.com..they are out of GA..when I lived in NC, I watched them for sometime. Quality of fish looks good, but never ordered from them. Now that I lived on the West coast, I would prefer a vendor on the West coast so the stress of shipping won't be too bad. Part of me wants to order online, but the other [rational] part wants me to actually see this fish in person to make sure it is exactly what I what. when it comes to angelfish and butterflyfish, I am very particular (ok, picky). :D

[Aqua Keepers]

I've heard great things about Vivid. I think there's a few people who have gotten their Regals from them.

[nctangman]

I can give two thumbs up for Vivid. A year and a half ago, I purchased a flame angel and a copperband butterfly from Vivid. Excellent quality. The flame was a brilliant bright red and the copperband was a good size, took alittle work to get to eat but once I found the proper food source (PE Mysis Shrimp), it was eating out of my hand. I was very sad to sell him when I made the move from NC to WA.

[Big Boy69]

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He's a real beauty and ate at the store!!!
I got him at Something Fishy today for $80 bucks! He's about 6" long from head to tail.

I did receive 2 fish Friday from justrarefish.com, but they were Regal Tangs, Hippos!!! I was so ticked off. I'll post the story later tonight.

Here's a pic of the Regal, not the best pic.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/1BIGBOY69/120SHOW/DSC01902.jpg

[nctangman]

BigBoy,

Looks very nice and healthy. If I could guarantee I would receive a fish like this from an online vendor, I would have no worries ordering from them. But you take your chances which is why I am suspect from order this fish from them.

[nctangman]

BigBoy,

Looks very nice and healthy. If I could guarantee I would receive a fish like this from an online vendor, I would have no worries ordering from them. But you take your chances which is why I am hesistant from order this fish from them.

[Big Boy69]

This fish is from my LFS.

The guy sent me 2 regal tangs instead of 2 regal angels. I was so P'd off!!!!!!! I called immediately and told him what he did wrong. He said he never put 2 and 2 together when I was talking to him about regal angels. I kept asking him if they were yellow belly or blue belly. He kept telling me blue belly. I asked where they came from and he said X-Mas island. I said really? He said the blue in them are more vibrant then others. I thought OK, I don't know everywhere they collect Regal angels. So, I made the deal.
Once my daughter seen them, during acclimation, I told her they had to go back and she started crying because our Dory wouldn't have no one to play with if I sent the 2 "babies" back. Needless to say, I didn't want to spend 70-80 bucks for shipping them back and Sat delivery charge, I kept them. I'll have to get them out later onc ethey fatten up a bit. I told the guy I didn't want to spend the money sending them back, so if he would PayPal me the price of one fish, I would be cool and we made a deal.
So, I'll be fishing soon to get them out and to the LFS or friends with bid tanks.

[bureau13]

C'mon Big Boy...upgrade your tank. For your daughter! :D

[RonsterNYC]

i bought my goldflake angel from justrarefish.com...the packaging wasn't the best, but a year later and I still have the fish...it gets along with my regal and they both look great.

[maxxII]

I ordered my Red Sea Regal from www.phishybusiness.com

Had "her" (assumption based on length of gill plate spines) for almost a year, (Sept will be a year).

Zero issues ordering from them. I would highly reccomend ordering difficult to find, delicate fish from them.

For frame of reference, I have also ordered from Vivid, LiveAquaria, and other places on the net...

Having said all that, I think if you can find one thats eating and looking healthy at a LFS, thats preferable. Seeing the fish in person is definately a better bet IMO.

Big boy, what is your new Regal eating?

Nick

[Big Boy69]

He ate some meaty preperation at SF, I forget what he said, but it wasn't Mysis. I see him picking on the rocks and taking in some meaty mixture I feed.
My scopas is buggin him more today. I might have to go on a tactical mission soon.

[iku]

pito! i actually got some cured rocks in my 93 gallons already! lol so i already got a pair of clowns, a long nose hawk fish, a mystery wrasse and a watanabe angel (female) in the cube!
so far so good :D all eating like pigs. the only reason why the pair are still in the cube is because one has a cloudy eye, and is not eating pallets but seaweed only. so i want to wait until the cloudy eye goes away first (the other one is eating pallets like crazy). Oh, and im running a uv in the 30g cube. i'm actually in the states now,so i'll see how things are when i get back.

[maxxII]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10345057#post10345057 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Big Boy69
He ate some meaty preperation at SF, I forget what he said, but it wasn't Mysis. I see him picking on the rocks and taking in some meaty mixture I feed.
My scopas is buggin him more today. I might have to go on a tactical mission soon.

Mine was greedily eating mysis and other meaty foods, but after about 5 months was slowly starving from malnutrition. I offered nori, angel formula, pellets, etc...no go. A friend on the net suggested blanched/heat wilted broccoli....she went completely nuts for it, and regained body mass. Just something to think about.

Nick

[Big Boy69]

She was eating Prhawd(sp)?
Here's a pic from tonight, she's coming out more now. I even changed my rock work around so there's more openings for her to swim around.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/1BIGBOY69/Picture006.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/1BIGBOY69/Picture004-1.jpg