Bicolor Angel not eating

[gorton]

Hi, I added a bicolor angel last week, and he doesn;t seem to be eating much, if anything. It's picking at rock, sand and sometimes nips at the hermits and snails like he's hungary, but doesn;t seem to be taking any of the food I've offered so far. It's been swimming great, color looks good, and no other signs of sickness at all. I usually alternate feedings of mysis feast and Prime Reef frozen cubes every other day.
Any ideas ?

 

[meowzer]

So this tank is a little over a month old? How are the water parameters? Have you tried algae sheets?
What else is in the tank with the angel? Can you call the place you got it from and ask what they were feeding it

 

[gorton]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gorton http:///t/389805/bicolor-angel-not-eating#post_3447539
Hi, I added a bicolor angel last week, and he doesn;t seem to be eating much, if anything. It's picking at rock, sand and sometimes nips at the hermits and snails like he's hungary, but doesn;t seem to be taking any of the food I've offered so far. It's been swimming great, color looks good, and no other signs of sickness at all. I usually alternate feedings of mysis feast and Prime Reef frozen cubes every other day.
Any ideas ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/389805/bicolor-angel-not-eating#post_3447546
So this tank is a little over a month old? How are the water parameters? Have you tried algae sheets?
What else is in the tank with the angel? Can you call the place you got it from and ask what they were feeding it
Tank is about 2.5 months old, started in October. I did a water test tonight. 0, 0, 5,1.027. Cal - 520, Kh 13, Phos barely reading. I'm using API kits.
Also in the tank: 2 Clowns, 2 firefish, 1 CBS, 1 pepperment shrimp, assorted hermits and snails. a few corals(zoos, leather, shrooms).. All the other livestock have been great... eating and swimming... fat and happy.
I'll give algae sheets a try, I do have some on hand, and yeah I can give the LFS a call to see what they say.
Thanks.
G

 

[mr. limpid]

Keep offering him different foods, this will also benefit your other fish. Try Rods herbivore, or even a product that is new from Instant Ocean are these food blocks, you can smash it into some rocks were it is picking at. I had a potter's angel that did the same thing for a couple of months, then it started to take food from the water column. Just keep trying.

 

[btldreef]

Bicolors can be very difficult to get to accept frozen foods and algae sheets. Don't give up!

 

[gorton]

Thanks... I spoke to the lfs, and he basically said the same thing about them taking a while. He also thought it was a good sign he is picking at the rock and glass, and not to worry too much unless he stops showing those signs that he is searching for food.

 

[btldreef]

Grazing off the rocks is a really good sign as a lot of them don't even do this and just slowly starve to death.
One thing you can try: Turn the pump off and hold an algae sheet in front of a powerhead. Break it apart in between your fingers, it should look like flake food floating through the water. While the angel might not just eat the flakes floating through the water column (great if they do!), some of it should settle on your rock work for them to graze off of. Over time, they can learn to eat it right out of the water column once they get the taste for it.

 

[the72chev]

I too have a bi color angle and he loves the algae tablets that you drop in the aquarium and they sink to the bottom. He will pick at it until my wrasse steals it to somewhere in the back of the tank. Just another idea..