Making a case as to why NOT to bring home a Regal angel
 

My husband bought a Regal Angel two months ago. We have left him at the LFS and he is not home yet. After losing all my large angels to a bacterial infection, which I was told is species specific, I am not comfortable with bring any angel home. However my husband built the system and he buys what he wants to buy for all his hard work. I was also told the bacteria would die off without the angels in a couple of weeks. Of course I cannot find any info that coincides with this info. I actually cannot find anything to state this.

Aside of coral nipping and the usual thing, what can I use as a case to not bring this fish home. He has lived in the LFS for two months and I believe he will survive. He is eating pellets and is healthy at this point. My husband has always wanted one and I don't like to tell him what he can and cannot bring home. He is passionate about the hobby like I am, but I am the one that takes care of everything.

Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated at this time. He is not sure if he wants to fish either, but I just want him to be absolutely positive in his choice to either bring it home or not bring home. It's only fair to him, and myself as well as the fish.

maybe try this:

Tell your husband that there's a chance of this amazing fish dying,
and the fish doesn't deserve to die just because you wanted him.
Then show him a crap load of non-angel fish that are beautiful on the computer and see if he finds something else.

but thats if your sure the disease is still there

I know nothing about Angels but I just wanted to ask if you have a UV sterilizer? If so I would think that whatever bacterial problems you had would be killed off with the UV. Someone can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

HTH

Well we all know there is always a chance of these fish dying in this hobby, sometimes it just happens. He LOVES angels more then anything else. We won't have anymore tangs and he likes those too.

I have to be fair and make a case to make sure he is happy with his choice. I know the LFS will hold the fish as long as we need to but I want to make sure the bacteria is not in the system just in case he does want it. I feel he will decline on it, but I am just making sure he knows why. My hubby is the best and has worked hard to make this system happen. I want him to be happy too.

I sure do have one, and I am on my way to your place as soon as I finish this post, LOL! See you shortly.

If this regal angel is from the red sea and it is eating, buy it.
If it is not do not buy it as it is one of those fish that is virtually impossible to keep.

These fish and many corals are caught from the wild, and you're killing them because you're impatient, have a hard time taking advice, and some amount of you just don't know any better. That's not fair to the fish or the environment, and that ****es me (and likely many others) off to no end. You already have a bunch of livestock in there that doesn't get along with each other. You're digging yourself a hole. If you want a bunch of big Angels, set up a FOWLR tank. I am passionate about this hobby, and when someone comes barging in like a Rhino in a China shoppe, I feel like someone should stick up for the delicate animals who have no choice but to be a part of it.

You and your hubby need to learn about brakes, oh and breaks. Like Time Out. You both need a Time Out from the tank. Leave it alone for awhile. Enjoy it for what it is - so far. Nothing good ever happens fast in a sw tank. Remember that. If it was my tank I wouldn't add a darn thing to it for at least 6 weeks. Not even a snail. You will continue to kill fish, lose money, and be disappointed if you keep carrying on like you are. I know you and your hubby are all excited about it, and want to see it "come alive", but right now the only thing holding your tank back from doing that is you and your hubby.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but you really need someone to give your heads a shake so you will listen better. Or...carry on throwing your money down the drain and killing beautiful animals with your impatience and lack of knowledge. Please learn to respect the animals more.

ouch,
anyway, if you had a bacterial infection bad enough to kill a bunch of fish something else must be wrong sine bacterial infections and similar issues usually are caused by problems with the water or the fish's immune system, id do some checking into the usual amonia,nitrite,nitarte test's maybe ph,and alk if all thats good maybe look at what your feeding

I agree with Myka, patience is a virtue with reef tanks. What is your current list of fish now-a-days? If I remember you have a mix of trigger fish, tangs, puffers, angels.. and ?

Ouch! I know why you say you are being harsh but..... :shocked:

BTW I have a lot of livestock that isn't supposed to get along together and for some reason they do. This of course is not always the case with most fish but sometimes you get lucky and they all get along.

I have to agree with Myka on this. Not to be harsh at all though. It seems to me like you and your husband are struggling in th direction of the tank. Do you want a reef? Or a fowler? I think bringing a large angel into a reef is somethine left to the expert aquarists. And as someone who REALLY loves her pets, i think all you have to do is look at your past experiences and see that it really isn't a good idea. I know your husband spent alot of time with the build, and is infact passionate about the hobby, but how much research has he done into the husbandry and needs of the creatures you are caring for. I think if YOU are the one who is running the tank, YOU should have the final say in what is acceptable and not acceptable. And you do know the answer to that question. When there is two people at odd with regards to the care of creature that really have NO say, it will never end good.

I kind of have to agree. There is no reason to post asking people why you shouldn't buy the fish--I think your posting looking for a reason to buy it. I seem to remember you just recently saying never again to angels. I could be wrong but if thats the case, what do you expect the answers to be?

I would solve that tang problem before anything else. That Sailfin is going to end up dead if you don't. Just because things calm down for a day or two doesn't mean the next 10 years are going to be peaceful.

Why beat around the bush? Just tell me how you feel...:neutral:

If I did not care about my animals I would not come here and ask the questions I am asking. I am asking the questions BEFORE something goes wrong for opinions and help. I buy aqua cultured corals or frags from other canreef people. I did not order this particular fish nor would I ever have a fish taken off the reef for my own desire.

As sad as it is, people can buy whatever they want whenever they want... I have learned some lessons the hard way, so I come here and ask people whom know better then I do. Of course there are so many opinions out there, it is hard to know what the right thing to do really is.:cry:

This fish has been at the store for two months, and can stay there as long as needed. I don't want it to come home, and I believe my husband has decided against it as well. However I would like to be sure on his behalf while he decides. It is only fair to him and the fish. How do you know the next home won't kill that fish?

Perhaps you should reread my post rather then skim through it to see that I am really concerned and do really care. You do not know me, my husband and our love for animals. I have rescued so many animals of all sorts in my lifetime and know they think and feel and hurt. I admit I have made mistakes in this hobby, but can you honestly say that you have not? How many fish have you lost over time?

Patience is a virtue and this fish has been paid for for two months now... My trigger is paid for but has not come home yet either. I do my home work now, and make sure things are right.

My water params are mint, and I check them daily. The only fish to get sick were the angels, that is it. I have gone to almost every LFS in the city one with a body for examination and diagnosis. I take this seriously.

You can be ****ed off at me all you want, but I do care. I care enough to ask here and face being bashed on a public forum for the benefit of my fish. I can take the heat and I will still continue to ask when I need questions answered. I do not consider my fish replaceable and take their losses hard.

I wonder how many people are afraid to ask the questions because of retaliation from members of this forum. I only dare to think. Thanks to all for the numerous PMs, I will answer them all shortly.

Your tank is 4 months old, and what is your stocking list currently? My opinion is it is very irresponsible to be pre-shopping and buying fish before you can get your tank under control. It sounds like you haven't chosen what you want to stock or what your goal is for your tank, but instead act on opportunity of what the LFS has.

Guys Calm down....

1) Yes they have prepaid fish that they think they will want so that no one else buys them - NOTHING worng with that AND they have not brought them home yet as they want to hopefully make sure the problem is rectified first.

2) I have counted dozens of posts from half of the people on here saying I know I should't of but.... or I think I made a mistake.... EVERYONE in this hobbies changes directions from time to time with what they think they want and MANY people try things that they "knew better" but decidied to try anyways.....

She was asking for help and suggestion not a stoning....

I don't personally know them, but I did see the setup pictures they created and they have invested a lot of time and money in their setup so I don't think they are cutting corners, and can respect them fully for putting a fish on hold while they decide. More people probably should do that as well.

Cudos for asking the question, and please don't be discourage from asking more.

I personally have struggled with adding fish once I started going as well....AND I have also added fish that were suppose to be good natured so to speak but they have turned out the exact opposite (and Vise versa) so the norm isn't always what happens.

As far as your angel is concerned it sounds like you have already convinced yourslef not to get it and I would probably stick with your gut, you can always change your mind down the road....

Cheers
TJ

What would be irresponsible is the buy the fish and bring it home... I did that once with my puffer and learned a big lesson from it. Never again I do research and ask questions. SO what I bought the fish and he is on hold... it does not mean I HAVE to take it. I will get a credit from the store. Call me irresponsible, at least I did not brain fart twice and bring it home before doing homework on it.

Thanks TJ, I will always ask no matter what, since I DO CARE, and it is in the best interest to my tank and livestock.

Yes, I lost three angels to disease, I had two jumpers and my puffer ate three fish. Yes, I have made mistakes, and yes I have learned from them... Am I a better hobbyist, YES. Do I ask questions, YES. Do I care what you think of me, not really. I feel bad for any other newbie in this hobby that is watching this. Who would dare to ask a question out of care and responsibility for their livestock? I can take the heat so I don't really take it personally. I do it for my pets which I do love and know very well... each and every one of them.

Can any of you honestly say that you have not lost fish in this hobby, especially in the beginning? Think what you like to think about me, it does not matter in the end. It is easy to judge a person and point fingers from behind a computer screen. Do what you need to do to me, but perhaps have a decent answer to the question so I don't waste my time reading through all the flaming. So... does anyone have actual answers to a question, or just flaming?

Those whom have glass boxes should not throw rocks...:neutral:

Sorry if my post seems rude; it wasn't intended that way. The fact is your tank is not very mature. You want to keep adding more and more fish. You've had several big problems since your tank started 4 months ago. You need to slow down. Let's get to the point though:

What are you currently stocking?

What is your overall plan for your tank?

Yes we have all lost fish by:
1. impulse buying and then trying to find out what it eats and its other needs.
2. buying a fish before we see it eating in the lfs.
3. buying a fish that is not 100% healthy because it was there was only one left in the lfs and we liked it or justifying the purchase cause we would `cure it` (after all our tank is healthier than the lfs` `we are going to `save that fish`)
4. buying a fish that deep down we know it is a difficult fish to keep but we believe that one or two posters `who have had them for months and it is healthy and eating`. Again, a justification.
5. buying too many fish at the same time. (only a newbie mistake)
6. buying a fish that requires a large tank `tangs`, a mature tank `mandarin gobies`

There are many good books like Robert Fenner`s The Conscientious Aquarist, websites like www.wetwebmedia.com and there are many experts on this forum on certain fish and `seasoned` reefers who have already been through it all.

There is a learning curve but we should not be trying to reinvent the wheel or challenging what we already know.

We are all learning!

+1 Well said TJ.

I think some of you are missing the point of her thread. She was originally asking what reasons she could give her husband as why not to bring this fish home.

1. Regal angels will eat corals, probably the nicer corals and not the ugly ones.

2. They are known to be a difficult angel to keep long term.

3. Taking a chance that whatever happened to your other angels might happen to this one.

Other then that I'm not sure. Pretty sure she is aware of those reasons, the idea (I think) was to see if other people could come up with other reasons that make sense so she could share other peoples thoughts and opinions with her husband.

Marriages are supposed to be a partnership... if I told my wife that I was coming home with a pitbull because I work hard and deserve one she would divorce me... why?? ... because I would have not thought about the welfare of my daughter, my existing pets and the health and happiness of the dog, nor her concerns.





(BTW I do not intend to offend any pitbull owners.. I just use them as an example because they are painted as being a mean dog) :)

I have the following fish

- porcupine puffer
- picasso trigger
- cleaner wrasse
- copperband butterfly
- 2 clownfish
- naso tang
- sohal tang
- sailfin tang
- purple tang
- yellowhead sleeper goby
- banana wrasse
- coral beauty angel (still healthy & robust)
- 2 rabbitfish
- 2 chromis

I have had pitbulls and rottweilers for two decades, although you do not mean to offend, this is what causes BSL and the lack of right in ownership. It is the dog's owners and not the breed at all. I have had many dogs of these breeds over my lifetime and had no issues with them being mean or unstable. My only issues with them is they do not live long enough and die of cancer always.

MY hubby has gotten much better but he gets excited in the hobby. He still has not picked up his regal angel to take time to find out about what went wrong with our other angels and take time to research more. Sometimes he does not always listen to me, but he has been fantastic so far.

I just asked the question today because I hate answers like "they are hard to keep" with no real info on as to why they are hard to keep. The other answers usually is "they eat corals", well what corals do they eat? It was more for a learning experience rather then bringing the fish home on impulse. It has been there for two months, and I am in no rush, nor is my husband. I know if we don't take it, someone will but it before we leave the store with our credit...

I know they are hard to keep and eat corals... I( was just hoping someone that has these fish would have chimed in about what they destroyed and what issues they did have. I really did not expect the be told I **** other people off in the hobby. I take responsibility with my mistakes and try to learn from them. I also like to know how things happen, and why they happen. Don't you remember being a kid and asking your parents "WHY" you can't do something, and they say "Because i said so"...

I have not added any fish in a very long time, and yes I have a Sargassum trigger on hold at the LFS... He is not home and I do not know if I even will take him home. They are hard to come by, and I felt I would make sure I did not miss out on this fish, and take the time to ensure he is healthy and eating, and I am ready. The other wrasse I was asking about would not be delivered for another two weeks and I am researching and asking questions about him. I am making sure I can get a positive ID and learn if he can be happy with my other fish.

I have made mistakes and I am doign my best to make sure I don't make the same ones again. However I cannot promise that I will not make anymore, but I will ask ask prior to doing so I am enlightened going into it, or decide not to proceed.

I really do love my fish, they all have names and personalities. I can always account for each and everyone and know their behaviors and quirks. I research diets and do my best to give them the best of everything. I just went and spent over $40 for seafood medley and squid and mussels and such to puree in my blender with supplements for my puffer. He loves it but my other fish eat the scrapes that blow out his gills. I really do my best for these guys, and know I am responsible for them completely. If I have a problem it would be nice to know I can come here for help instead of being bashed for being dumb enough to ask in the first place...

I am sorry that you have taken so much heat over asking a simple question.
There is always more than one way to get a point across. I feel that some people did not handled in a very nice way.
I hope that Diana you will not take those comments to heart. We have all made mistakes in this hobby and I feel that you are very sincere about caring for the fish and doing what is best for them.

Calvin

I'm sure you are a very nice person, and I would much like to meet you some day... heck I'm sure we have been in the same fish stores at the same time without knowing it anyways :p Us fish people are an odd bunch.


With all due respect however, it almost seems like you ask the questions just to get the negative responses. I think you know what most users are going to say on here anyways... angels eat corals, they are hard to keep, that you are over stocked, that your tank is too new and on and on.

If you think people are being harsh here.. give RC a shot ;)


Anyhow... as far as the angel goes.. sure you can try it if your other half insists.. just don't look for sympathy from the canreefers when it dies.

Hi Calvin, when it comes to pets both furry and scaly, I take whatever heat I need to take when I try to speak on behalf of them all. I do not believe there is such a thing as a stupid question to be honest. If someone is asking it, it is important to them to know the answer... even if it is nobrainer.

It's an ongoing joke between myself and a couple of canreefers about me getting beat up for asking questions... I just keep coming back for more:wink:If I need to know, I ask. Yes there are some pretty negative responses, but I filter those out and use the information I need to better myself in this hobby in the end.

If my questions benefit my fish I have and the ones in the future it was well worth the trouble and heat. I just worry about other people that are afraid to ask questions because of the flaming and negativity... They could be having problems and are afraid to seek the help that they really need.

I do know I will get the typical answers, but always hope to get something better then that. I did get many replies with help and insight in my PMs so it was worth asking in the first place. I really don't ask to get a negative response, I do ask my friends that are members of canreef and if they don't know, I stand before the firing squad.

I do not want the angel or any other angel for that matter. They are beautiful but if I have had no luck in keeping them now, I don't want to take another chance. My hubby really has had second thoughts as well, but I just wanted to make sure the info was laid out to him in a way he could learn more about the species in general. Yes, at the beginning he brought home some stuff that made me hit the roof, but he didn't know better. I know if he was treated the way I have been treated, he would never come here again and reply on what the LFS says to him:sad: I did that once with my puffer and have worked super hard to make him work in my system.

When I ask questions I hope for answers from people whom have experienced what I am asking first hand. There are many mistakes we do make in life (not this hobby) that we were advised against doing, and we did it anyways... Sometimes first hand experience is the best, but I don't take any life lightly. IT is hard to come on here and admit to mistakes or talking about them... however it is part of taking responsibility and owning what we have done.

I believe I missed you at Dave's place when he shut his tank down (you nabbed my corals:surprise:). If you see a giant lifted black F350 outside the LFS, my hubby and I are in there...

Well said.

Don't stop asking questions and don't stop expecting answers you don't want to hear.
How many new people have been influenced by your questions and by the answers given? If one aquatic life has been influenced positively. You deserve Congratulations.
Kevin

funny how they are painted as mean dogs, they are not, they are strong dogs that need a proper owner that's all, I work for the humane society and have seen very few pit bulls that are mean, and trust me, I have seen lots of supposedly "nice" dogs that are mean because they have a**holes for owners. Funny stat is that the most bites from a dog in Canada are from Golden Retrievers.

Regal Angels
 

Most large angels are misdiagnosed IMO. The bacterial disease is secondary to the actual culprit, which is flukes. These flukes are very common on larger angelfish and it appears that the regals are more prone to them then the others.

These flukes are tranparent and difficult to see. Generally they attack the gills then start to bombard the entire fish. You can spot them in the eyes as being a little piece of white opaque flesh. The flukes causes the fish to stop eating and flash and scrape themselves on anything sharp to get rid of this pest.

The injury to the flashing is what causes inflammation and secondary bacterial infection. Treating the fish with antibacteria does not destroy the flukes and sooner or later the fish dies from not eating and wastes away. Truly a sad sight to see such a maginificent creature die like that.

My best advise is to quarintine all you fish and treat all angelfish with Praziquantal or PraziPro. Immerse your angel in freshwater bath with a high concentration of PraziPro. I do not condone or recommend a specific dosage but make sure that your PH is equivelant to the tank water's PH and that you are running an air stone. I usually dip the fish for about 20-30 minutes and repeat this process once a day until the flukes are gone.

You will see the flukes begin to lose hold on the fish after a few minutes. Shorter if you are using a higher dosage of PraziPro. They will appear as oval shaped and transparent. Usually, there are about a couple of dozens that will immediately begin to die off. If you find that a couple of fluke are not fully detaching themselves off of the fish; I use a small plastic pippette that is used from water testing and gently scrape the flukes off of the fish. At this time, the fish is usually very stressed and will be easily scared, so be gentle and patient. I believe that a fish can feel your energy just as a dog can feel it as well.

At this time I also use methelyne blue to help with the secondary infection. Methelyne blue is an antiseptic and will reduce the oxygen levels in the bath; this is why I suggest using an air stone in the bath; to combat the loss of oxygen from MB. I would recommend using a variable air pump so that you can control the amount of air bubbles. The more air bubbles the more turbulent the bath water will be and this in turn causes the fish to become more stressed. Find a happy medium and WATCh your fish carefully. If it begins to lay down on it's side; stop the bath. Try it again the next day. The main thing is to not stress the fish and DO NOT put it back into it's original tank as there could be other flukes in the water column waiting to attach themselves to the fish when you place it back.

Once the flukes are cleared the fish you will immediately see an improvement and hopefully it will take to eating right away. Coax it with some clams in a half shell as they are very finicky eaters; but once eating they can be fed anything and everything.

I have imported many angelfish and have lost many as well unfortunately. I too have misdiagnosed and mistreated and fish only to have it die on me eventually. Regals are beautiful animals and they are very difficult to keep. If your set up is only a few months old; I would not recommend you putting it in your system and if you do, QUARINTINE even if it's been at your LFS for some time.


I hope this helps you on your search to the answer of why Regals are so hard to keep.

Ian.

And well put Kevin.

This thread (and the PMs she received) gave an opportunity for 'old salts' to express their frustration in trying to add their experience (they learned the hard way) for the benefit of new reefers.
IMO it also gave an opportunity for new reefers to understand that the 'cautions' we post about unsuitable species and their requirements are not meant to convey a know-it-all attitude but to try to stop unnecessary fish death.
Wayne

I rescued a pitbull from a dog fighting ring many years ago. She was beaten and starved... brought her home and she was terrified of everything in my house. She died of old age in 2007. Never had one problem with her, but I was patient and diligent with her. I have rescued two male rotties both on death row at the pound, starved and abandoned. Beautiful wonderful boys, thrown away. I lost Brodie three years ago to cancer, and Sabre just last fall to cancer. To take these dogs into my home to heal broken hearts was one of the best things I have ever done. I will do it again when there is another I see in need. I have a stafford now which is banned in Ontario because people think they are bad dogs... I do a lot of work fighting BSL and know many dogs come to the SPCA from Ontario. I used to train dogs and I find smaller breeds are the worst b=for biting. But retrievers are always thought to be angelic and you are right about the bite statistics. When I lived in Calgary I would cringe when I saw a pitbull or rottie on the front page of the paper... only those breeds make front page when there are how many bites in the city of Calgary every year?

Punish the deed not the breed. People buy these dogs and they need more care then a marine aquarium to be honest. They cannot be isolated and shoved in a kennel or pen in the back yard. They need a lot of exercise and are smarter them most people...

I see a stupid dog, the stupid owner is not too far away... dogs are amirror imagies of their owners... mine are awesome and well behaved, and I get compliments on how nice and peaceful they are...:wink:

Thanks Kevin... I am not afraid to ask questions... I just need to add boxing gloves and a first aid kit with the flame suit next time.:smile:

BLESS YOU!!! I posted about this very same thing awhile back when I was struggling with the losses of my angels. I narrowed out cyanide poisoning, but was told it was bacterial... then I found a post of RC speaking of flukes. I treated me entire system and I could see the flukes coming off of all my fish. Sadly my last angel was too far gone to save and he died. I did the best I could with the info I could find. I was asking questions when the first angel died, and could find no answers, then the second went, and I started finding info... I did my best for the third and really hoped he would make.

I had never heard of flukes or ever had been advised about them when I started looking for answers. It was too late for my fish but have learned a great deal. I had an angel from an LFS really try to help to get me through this whole thing, but he wants to be unnamed.

I will never add a fish to my system without using Praziquantal or PraziPro. I just wish I knew this before the losses.

Thanks for the insight...

Hi Diana, to tell you the truth I don't really say much on the forum as I have seen this on a number of occasions and I don’t find it very constructive or positive for anyone new to the hobby. Most of us new to the hobby feel dumb enough at times without it being splattered on the forum.

I have been to Diana & Frank’s and seen all their wonderful pets (baby’s) including the 260g reef that I find just amazing. My wife and I were staring in awe when Diana fed the puffer fish by hand and rubbed his belly! Diana really cares for her pets.

Are we all guilty for bringing fish home on a whim? Without research? Rescue? Someone else might buy her? Hell Ya!!......my wife and I looked at each other in the truck on the way home from the LFS after we bought a Fairy Wrasse.........and I said “do we know what it eats?”........we laughed at the time, but we were two researchers on the internet once we reached home. Does that happen now? No it does not. Why? Because as humans we learn by experience......not always by everything you read or are told. The learning curve for this hobby is pretty much vertical in the beggining .....I think some people that have been at this for a while have forgotten that as it is second nature to them now.

I know some very experienced people here are annoyed at some of us newer to the hobby. But understand that we will all learn different things at different rates at different times......and yes we will all make mistakes........and yes we will all lose that fish we loved.

Please be tolerant of each other. I feel like I don’t know much at all when I come here with the likes of the rest of you......but it is a really great forum, with a lot of really great knowledgeable people. I really enjoy this place for the most part.

Thanks for understanding. Brad

Well it's great to see the tone of posts changing and for the better, Good luck with your decision :lol:

I'd love to see some new pictues of your tank as well!

Hey, if a reefer needs some help with a problem or needs advice and your a bit shy about asking online, Private Message someone who you think might have experience with the issue or the species.
To PM you just click on the reefers name and the PM pops up and you are off and away.
Most people would be flattered that you asked them.

[quote=es355lucille;401818]Hi Diana, to tell you the truth I don't really say much on the forum as I have seen this on a number of occasions and I don’t find it very constructive or positive for anyone new to the hobby. Most of us new to the hobby feel dumb enough at times without it being splattered on the forum.

**I feel the same way and do very little posting questions and lots of reading.

bugsy...:biggrin:

The captain who righted the ship!!! Good on you for changing the tone of this thread.

Keith

Its not about being "****ed" or annoyed at new reefers. I don't think many of the experienced reefers here feel that way for asking questions. I do think they get annoyed when their advice is ignored. In this case its not really ignored but she has already been given some great advice and actually said she was done with keeping angels and actually I believe it was just a few weeks back (or less) that she had said shes not adding any fish for a while. That tank is very packed in my opinion.

So I think if people are taking the time to help others but the same questions keep coming up and advice is ignored, they have a right to get annoyed and express this the same way this poster constantly justifies everything by saying she loves her fish.

If you go back and read all the different threads about the problem puffer, death of the dogface, problems with tangs, death of the angels, anemone, ect. you will understand where people are coming from. The tank is a bit of an experiment IMO. Its also very young for so many fish. Its also not a massive tank...ect. ect.

The common response in every thread is about how much she loves the fish and does everything in her power to keep them happy and healthy. I don't doubt this one bit but its a bit of a contradiction to keep adding livestock and buying these fish if you feel that way. Saying one thing but doing differently will annoy some people. Doesn't really annoy me but leads me to believe this whole thing is a real struggle for her. And I do sympathize. But at some point for the sake of the livestock it needs to stop. Heck I have a list of about 20 more fish I would like to keep but I know I am pushing it already or that some are just not compatible with aquarium life.

I recently had an escalating problem between two tangs and had to remove one...It has been very upsetting but these things have to be done. I couldn't wait until one was dead...You have to make choices and I think most people responding just thought this was done in that last thread when the angels died.

I have to say I was pretty surprised to find another thread about this so soon.

I wish Diana the BEST of luck but do think they need to choose a direction for this tank ;)

This is true as well...I have received numerous PMs about Puffers over the years :D