# what do you feed your dime sized angels?



## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

I just got my Pinoy/Paraiba's/Phillipine Blue Smokey babies yesterday.
They were fine last night in the tank, but today they don't seem to want to eat any of the flake food I crushed and put in the tank.

What do you usually feed dime sized baby angels? Maybe they are still stressed from shipping????

Any suggestions.

They are gorgeous and I will take a pic of them shortly to let you see them.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I would feed them BBS if possible. At that size they will still eat it and grow more quickly than if you feed flake. If they are hungry and will eat flake, both will do. I am curious to see the pics, as the pics I have seen of Ken Kennedy's fish don't appeal to me. The finnage is not very good.


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

There is a food that my little Philippine blues did really well on...I'll post the name when I get home tonight...


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## carbonlist (Nov 8, 2009)

I find that a meaty diet like NLS or bloodworms do well even at that size.


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## loonie (Mar 29, 2008)

bettaforu, where did you buy the pinoy angels from. I bought six small angels, named as blue angels from Dragon but five died the next day. Dragon do have large blue angels cost $28 each. They do have dime size for $4.99 but they do not look good when I last saw them, last friday. Am not sure, are these the pinoy angels.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

loonie: I got mine from Carol Baskington in FL, one of the TOP breeders in the US. Unfortunately I had a problem in my tank (my fault) which resulted in the death of all but 1 out of 22 that I got. I am beside myself, as I know it was a stupid error on my part and I paid dearly for it.

The remaining Pinoy Ghost was on its side and couldn't right itself (swim bladder problems) and I thought I was going to lose it too, but decided to try a radical treatment to try to save it.

I put "Rocky" so named because it is a fighter for sure, in my satellite breeder box (the one that hangs outside the tank but gets filtered water from inside the tank) and added Epsom Salts.

I upped the temp and just kept adding a little 1/4 tsp every couple of hours...he started to attempt to right himself and continued thru the day several times almost becoming vertical. I kept telling him not to give up...Im sentimental and talk to all my fish 

Last thing I did was stop the airstone as the flow seemed to hamper him some. When I got up the next morning he was upright and sitting at the front of the tank. I checked him over to see if any parasites were showing on him (as they get attacked very easily when they are ill) but none were visible.

I gently acclimated him back to the tank water and emptied the breeder box. I added some floating plants and he was sitting under them. I tried him with a tiny speck of spirulina, but he didn't seem interested so I didn't give him anything else.

Later yesterday when I was feeding the 4 weeks old Koi babies (ravenous little buggers) BBS I put a drop in with Rocky...he ate a few! 

This morning I gave him a few more and he was eagerly looking for them.
When he is under the light you can really see the blue/greenish color markings on his head and fins.

He's a real little beauty, and justs sits and looks at me....probably saying 
" Well I made it " thanks


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## loonie (Mar 29, 2008)

Sorry to hear about the lost, we all learn from our mistakes for sure.We also learn from each other but what works for you might not work for others. This is a learning hobby and have always enjoyed it.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

So sorry to hear of your loss. May we ask what the mistake was that you believe led to the deaths?


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Couple of things probably combined to their demise  I didn't float the unopened bag in the tank water....should have read about that first, but I am used to opening the bags and floating them and slowly adding some of the tank water to the bag/container over a period of hours, which is what I did.

Next thing was the water wasn't warm enough...they were lethargic for the 
first day until I added another heater and the temp moved up, then they started swimming around more.

I got carried away trying to get them to eat, and put a little too much food in the tank and then didn't syphon it out quickly enough, and that probably caused an ammonia spike!

Whatever the actual cause was it was one of those, and was just stupidity on my part....trying to do things too fast.

On the good side is " Rocky " is doing just fine and eating good, he now has the 4 week old Koi's to keep him company and it looks as though he's taught them to eat flake food  for the first time! When they saw him eating they decided to try some and after that is was who could get to it first.

The new bunch of baby Koi's are swimming happily around Mom and Dad in the big tank. Lots of them 

Will be re-ordering my Phillipine Blue Smokeys, Paraibas and Pinoy Ghosts in a couple of weeks time, to try again.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

When fish are transported, especially when they are in the bag for an extended period, the water turns acidy from the accumulation of CO2. Any ammonia in the bag is in the ammonium form, which is non toxic. However, when you open the bag, the CO2 gasses off quickly and the pH rises so the ammonium becomes toxic ammonia. If you drip acclimate fish in this situation, you expose them to toxic levels of ammonia. For that reason, it is better to equalize the temperature and remove them quickly from the bag. A situation like this is different from a short hop from the LFS with the fish in the bag for a short time.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Didn't know that and that is probably what helped them succumb, stress and lack of oxygen when I first put them in the tank....I won't do that again!


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