getting an emperor to eat

[peter1215]

Ive had my emperor two weeks now and hes been doing great. eating well , good adult coloration and no visible signs of any diseases or parasites. hes was eating spectrum pellets, mysis and O.N frozen formulas. for about the last to days he hasnt paid too much attention to the food. any suggestions on what to give him to try to get his appetite going again ? for you emperor owners, isnt this something they tend to do ? I beleive i read once that at times they just stop eating ! is this correct?
thx
Peter

 

[peter1215]

well he started toeat again today. had some spectrum pellets and angel & b/f formula. I've noticed that hes not as eager to eat algae sheets as the queen angel or flame angel. I was considerinf picking up a few clams tomorrow just to give him a variety in diet.

 

[anthropo]

make sure you are feeding him prepared foods with sponge in it. that is a big part of their diet. i don't believe the angel and butterfly formula has it. ocean nutrition has an angel formula that is really good that has sponge in it. also, emperors don't just stop eating. check your water parameters to make sure they're perfect. also if you have him in with a queen angel, it's possible it's stressing out the emperor since he's the new guy. any stresses will cause an emperor to stop eating. another sign that the fish could be stressed is if the color seems a bit blotchy sometimes.

 

[srfisher17]

Do you have plenty of LR for grazing? These fish need lots of greens; fresh algae and dried seaweed (nori) are vital. All the other foods mentioned are good supplements, but they need both grazing & meaty food to thrive. I also think vitamins go a long way in helping emperors maintain their color. (Same for all fish, but big angels can really lose color as they mature in captivity.)

 

[peter1215]

yes , there is plenty of LR and caves in my 210g tank. As for potential stress from other fish , this is none. He is the largest fish in the tank(about 5/12 - 6'). The queen is still a juvi and only about 3'. they actually hang out a lot. they even sleep in the same cave. the most agressive fish is my clarkii clown but the emperor established hes the king of the tank on day one!. I'll double check all my parameters but everthing was good last time i check. perhaps he was still a bit stressed from being in QT. I only had a 20g L QT whe re he was nto happy . I also did a 30g water change the nigght before so maybe that stressed him a bit. welll hes eating again but his colors could be a tad brighter...will keep you posted.