Adding a Regal Angel???

[littlefoxx]

Hey all, I was wanting to hear from some regal angelfish owners! I recently saw a picture of one and cant get it out of my head. I read its an expert only cause of its diet and its shy. I would be putting it in a 125 with 3 tangs, triggerfish, saddleback butterfly fish and a juv (1.5 inch) blueface angel. I recently added the blueface angel, no aggression from anyone other than my bristletooth tang. They figured it out in a few hours, I can always pull her and put her in the sump for a little if that would help the regal adjust? The other fish are chill and dont act aggressive to newcomers.

 

[AydenLincoln]

I don’t own one but from all my research/knowledge of them I wouldn’t add one. It’s best to add them fist and since that tank is pushing it with big fish another big fish will probably just stress the system more. Just my thoughts. While they are incredibly pretty they aren’t for every system or fish keeper. And mixing angelfish is not the best idea either.

 

[littlefoxx]

I don’t own one but from all my research/knowledge of them I wouldn’t add one. It’s best to add them fist and since that tank is pushing it with big fish another big fish will probably just stress the system more. Just my thoughts. While they are incredibly pretty they aren’t for every system or fish keeper. And mixing angelfish is not the best idea either.

Gotcha! Yeah I kinda figured that was the case. They are so beautiful though! But its more important to me to have a happy fish so I appreciate it!

 

[SPR1968]

I have most of the fish you mention and many more angels, tangs, large ones etc., in my S650 including a pair of blue throat triggers and also a beautiful Regal Angel. Blue face, emporer……..

Regals are very peaceful and of course it will depend on how long the other fish have been in the tank and established territory etc.

It might be worth adding it with a few other fish at the same time to help with any bullying, or better still I use a fish trap, put the Regal into the tank in the trap for a few days so it’s safe and they get used to each other

 

[littlefoxx]

I have most of the fish you mention and many more angels, tangs, large ones etc., in my S650 including a pair of blue throat triggers and also a beautiful Regal Angel. Blue face, emporer……..

Regals are very peaceful and of course it will depend on how long the other fish have been in the tank and established territory etc.

It might be worth adding it with a few other fish at the same time to help with any bullying, or better still I use a fish trap, put the Regal into the tank in the trap for a few days so it’s safe and they get used to each other

Beautiful fish!! And okay yeah thats an idea! It gets along fine with the other angels? Was it a juv when added with the other angels?

 

[SPR1968]

Beautiful fish!! And okay yeah thats an idea! It gets along fine with the other angels? Was it a juv when added with the other angels?

Yes it gets on fine with everyone no problem but of course it depends on the individuals

I dont know the age but fairly young I suspect

The fish trap will definitely help

 

[jim_fitz]

I have one in mine (with an Emperor) and other than hiding for the first few days I havent had any issues at all

 

[th365thli]

I keep a red sea regal with 5 tangs. I added it after the tangs too.

If your tangs aren't jerks, there's enough rock and hiding spaces, your water is clean, and you feed high quality stuff like lrs or fresh bivalves, you may have a shot. I would only get a juvenile red sea variant. Juveniles in general seem to acclimate better. Same with red sea variants, they overall seem to be less timid.

I would not go for a Grey belly indonesian. Too risky.

If your tank is dealing with a disease outbreak, forget about it. They'll stop eating and starve to death. These fish are sensitive to stress. And the first thing they do when stressed is to hunger strike. That's why adding them in an established tank is risky. It can be done, but know what you're getting into.

 

[dadnjesse]

I just added the grey bellied Bali one from Dr Reef. I wish I knew that the Yellow bellied was the prettier. I added him with a CopperBand Butterfly, Powder Blue Tang, FoxFace, Tomato Clown and a few smaller fish. At first he wouldn't eat. I tried a Half Clam, LRS Fish Frenzy, Mysis, and pellets none of which he would eat. I was worried he wouldn't make it. After a week he eats like crazy. I feed Mysis and he gets right in there with everyone and eats. I have had him for three weeks now and he looks great.

 

[o2manyfish]

My success in keeping Regals has been for them to be able to eat without you feeding them. You need a mature tank with lots of life in it for the Regal to eat as it wants.

My first regal didn't take any prepared foods for more than 3 years. When I added a second smaller regal the smaller regal ate prepared foods about 1 day out of the week and that got the first regal a little more interested. But neither were aggressive eaters. But they were fat and healthy.

My new one in the 750g is much more interested in foods, as well as acros, hammers, zoas, blastos. I'm waiting to find a nice replacement before I move him out of the tank.

As for keeping with other Angels. I have never had an issue with the Regals. They are shy, non-aggressive and keep to themselves.

I have kept the Regals with Imperators, Goldflakes, Joculators, Colini, Venustus, Flamebacks, Goldens, Multibars, Flames and Bellus. I have never seen them have a problem with any of those angels some which were 1/5 the size of the regal and some were 3x bigger than the regal.

Dave B

 

[Dana Borgeson]

My success in keeping Regals has been for them to be able to eat without you feeding them. You need a mature tank with lots of life in it for the Regal to eat as it wants.

My first regal didn't take any prepared foods for more than 3 years. When I added a second smaller regal the smaller regal ate prepared foods about 1 day out of the week and that got the first regal a little more interested. But neither were aggressive eaters. But they were fat and healthy.

My new one in the 750g is much more interested in foods, as well as acros, hammers, zoas, blastos. I'm waiting to find a nice replacement before I move him out of the tank.

As for keeping with other Angels. I have never had an issue with the Regals. They are shy, non-aggressive and keep to themselves.

I have kept the Regals with Imperators, Goldflakes, Joculators, Colini, Venustus, Flamebacks, Goldens, Multibars, Flames and Bellus. I have never seen them have a problem with any of those angels some which were 1/5 the size of the regal and some were 3x bigger than the regal.

Dave B

So your Regal ate acropora corals? I was hoping to get one to keep in an SPS only tank, thinking they might only eat sponges and soft corals….

 

[argiBK]

I’ve got a red sea yellow bellied with a few other angels — Conspicuous, Indian Ocean Swallowtail, Multicolor Dwarf and Flame — in my 180. The non-dwarfs pretty much ignore each other. Also have him in with a PBT and Gem Tang, all get along quite well!

When I got the Regal, I also had a Coral Beauty who was incredibly aggressive to it, so had to keep the Regal in my refugium for a few months (The CB perished in a tank crash last fall). The isolation probably helped the Regal get used to feeding, picking on rocks down there and getting any scraps that made it from the DT. By the time I added him, he fit right in.

He does nip at SPS sparingly, as does my Conspicuous, though neither does it enough to make the polyps close up.

 

[o2manyfish]

So your Regal ate acropora corals? I was hoping to get one to keep in an SPS only tank, thinking they might only eat sponges and soft corals….

I have had 3 regals. The First one for 6.5 years. It was alone for 2 years and then I paired it with one half it's size. They were in a packed 400g and then a packed 560g and they did no damage at all. I never saw either of them pick at anything. They also didn't care about any food I put in the tank - they naturally hunted off the reef.

In my 750g I have a new small regal. And this one nips at acros, but doesn't do any damage. But he has done quite a bit of damage to LPS - Torches and Hammers. But he seems to do this as the light go down at night and not during the daytime hours.

Dave B

 

[hoytoyed]

So your Regal ate acropora corals? I was hoping to get one to keep in an SPS only tank, thinking they might only eat sponges and soft corals….

I’ve had a yellow belly regal for about a year and a half and got him from another hobbiest who had him for a year or so. Very peaceful fish and no one bothers him either. His tank mates are a queen angel, an Emporer, a purple tang and a hippo and 2 large spotcinctus clowns. There’s a few other fish, but those are the potentially aggressive ones. He might nip an sps coral if it’s a new frag, just being curious, but other than that he leaves them alone. He will eat anything soft: acans, hammers and zoas, and when he shows interest in something, the emporer wil join in. Oddly he’s left a wall hammer and all the torches alone. He destroyed a beautiful large elegance in a day. He will destroy fungia and favia but leave the smaller favites alone, and chalices are a goner but montipora is not, so my tank is sps dominant with my torches and single wall hammer, and a bunch of monti caps and encrusting montis. He’s happy, I’m happy.

 

[littlefoxx]

I’ve had a yellow belly regal for about a year and a half and got him from another hobbiest who had him for a year or so. Very peaceful fish and no one bothers him either. His tank mates are a queen angel, an Emporer, a purple tang and a hippo and 2 large spotcinctus clowns. There’s a few other fish, but those are the potentially aggressive ones. He might nip an sps coral if it’s a new frag, just being curious, but other than that he leaves them alone. He will eat anything soft: acans, hammers and zoas, and when he shows interest in something, the emporer wil join in. Oddly he’s left a wall hammer and all the torches alone. He destroyed a beautiful large elegance in a day. He will destroy fungia and favia but leave the smaller favites alone, and chalices are a goner but montipora is not, so my tank is sps dominant with my torches and single wall hammer, and a bunch of monti caps and encrusting montis. He’s happy, I’m happy.

Mine just came today!!! Beautiful yellow belly from the look of it. Shes in my QT tank now, cant get a good picture since I QTd my trigger and he bit the acrylic all the time! But shes beautiful and so stunning

 

[MrsBugmaster]

Emporer, a purple tang and a hippo and 2 large spotcinctus clowns. There’s a few other fish, but those are the potentially aggressive ones.

What size is your tank?

 

[hoytoyed]

What size is your tank?

It’s a Cade 1500. About 150 gallons.

 

[Nano man]

I’m looking at one also and have 4 wrasses including a flame fairy, jewel leopard, pencil wrasse and a radiant wrasse. Tank is a 100 gallon and wrasses are well established and a bunch of Zoas in the tank that he can eat.
What do y’all think about it? Tank is well established for several years.
Jay

 

[littlefoxx]

I’m looking at one also and have 4 wrasses including a flame fairy, jewel leopard, pencil wrasse and a radiant wrasse. Tank is a 100 gallon and wrasses are well established and a bunch of Zoas in the tank that he can eat.
What do y’all think about it? Tank is well established for several years.
Jay

Regals are peaceful and can be shy. My PBT was a butt to her for a few days but now that she calmed down my regal is out and about and comfortable! I would just QT one and get it eating frozen food before putting one in your main tank. And you would have to ask some of the #wrassenerds as far as if one is good with them as I know some wrasses can be royal PITAs… only keep a melenarus wrasse lol not super educated with wrasse.

This is my girl Annabelle, red sea orange belly!

 

[i cant think]

I’m looking at one also and have 4 wrasses including a flame fairy, jewel leopard, pencil wrasse and a radiant wrasse. Tank is a 100 gallon and wrasses are well established and a bunch of Zoas in the tank that he can eat.
What do y’all think about it? Tank is well established for several years.
Jay

It should be alright but be warned, if your luck is as bad as mine with the peaceful wrasses then that radiant could be boisterous. I’d be more worried about any possible tangs or similar bodied fish over the wrasses though.