The Regal Angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, is not the rarest or most expensive fish available. It is not the poster fish of the hobby. It’s not even that popular of a fish here on RC. But the Regal Angel is the fish that sparked my interest 2 years ago, and the reason I got into the hobby. Ever since, I feel that I have been gaining experience so that one day I may try to successfully keep this beautiful fish in my own tank. After hours and hours of research on Regals, that day is here.
I have been searching for a healthy, fat, and eating Regal since March ’04. Knowing the delicacy of this fish I couldnt see ordering blindly through an online vendor. That left me to LFS, and in Indy there are two that I shop at. (There is a third LFS that often gets regals in, but they are always poor specimens – thin, fading colors, not eating anything.) One of the two LFS recently got a few Indian Ocean regals in, and as soon as I saw them I knew which one I wanted. My fish was eating everything at the LFS from the day they got it. It was fat with bright colors. I left it in the LFS for 2 weeks, to reduce stress and so that they could QT it. They performed several freshwater dips on it, and kept the sg low at 1.019. I visited them every day to feed it and just stare at it, trying to imagine what I would look like in my tank.
This past weekend I brought it home and slowly acclimated it in my 120g. I couldn’t believe that the next morning it was already swimming in the open with my other fish. My Yellow Tang showed a little aggression towards him, but that only lasted a few hours. I was careful to choose a regal that was larger than any of my other fish, so that aggression would be minimal. I was shocked when my Regal ate prepared food at the first feeding. A week later, the Regal is the pig of the tank. I couldn’t be happier at this point.
I want to start a thread dedicated to regals, so that we can share photos, experiences and information on Regals. I know how delicate this fish is, and I'm looking for tips and advise from other Regal owners on what has worked for them. Hopefully future reefers will learn from our successes and our mistakes, making the husbandry of this delicate fish a little easier.
I would also like to explore the different locations Regals are found, and the colorations associated with those locations. My Regal is from the Indian Ocean, and has a yellow/grayish chest.
Prepared foods that my Regal eats –
Angel Formula
Formula 1
Formula 2
Frozen Mysis Shrimp (Gamma)
Frozen Brine (Super Shrimp)
Frozen Prime Reef
Julian Sprung Purple Veggies
Sprectrum Pellets
