Any recommendations on feeding a picky flame angel?

Ratpack

Ratpack

Active Member
I got a new flame angel this weekend and he seems real picky at eating. When I put him in the tank, he was picking at the sand bed but hasn't shown any interest in the mysis or flake that I have put in. I have some brine, reef frenzy and plankton (i think) that I am going to try, but is there anything that is more suitable to a flame angel? I don't want him to starve. Not sure what he is picking at on the bottom unless it is pods.
 
S

Steve L

Member
If you have pods in your tank the angel will fill up on them and not show much interest in other foods for a while. Hopefully you have him in a quarantine tank because most of them wind up getting sick within a few days after purchase. I've had 4 over the last year and 3 of them got ich and died within a week after I got them, and those that died didn't have very good appetites. I would get some live brine shrimp if possible and let him eat like crazy in an effort to improve his immune system to fight off ich or any other problems that come up. If he survives a couple weeks without getting sick and starts eating other foods, he will probably survive. The last one that I bought has been going strong for about a year and is a great addition to my tank, but even he had to get over a case of pop-eye.
 
JJB103

JJB103

Active Member
Mine ate everything including sps polyps. It took my weeks to catch him and get him out of my tank.
 
Ratpack

Ratpack

Active Member
Unfortunately, I don't think I have to worry about him eating polyps. Yesterday when I got home he was barely swimming and then last night I couldn't find him at all. I am guessing the serpent star, nass. snails, shrimp and crabs took care of him. I will keep looking, but my rockwork is in columns, so no real places for him to hide that I couldn't see.
 
S

Steve L

Member
Sorry for your loss, but it's a gamble with flame angels. If you want to try another one I would strongly suggest setting up a quarantine tank for it to live in for a few weeks before introducing it into your display tank. Eventually you will find a healthy one and it will be worth it. Hopefully it didn't pass anything bad into your display tank before it died.
 
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