I have a 300g mixed reef with a blueface, regal and imperator angel. Was thinking of adding an anemone but was concerned about the angels trying to eat them. Are there many people out there keeping anemones with large angels out there? If so, what type of anemone? Would hosting clowns help keep the angels away?
anemones and large angels
- Thread starter fourts1
- Start date
Random Aquarist
New member
I think the anemone's more likely to eat the angel than vice versa.
Random Aquarist
New member
I've heard of BTA's eating tangs. Why not angels?
marc price
Active member
i had a blue s. haddoni that cost $40 and was considered expensive in 1984 (the dark ages of marines) , got picked to death by a large blueface angel from the start , didn't last a week . the tomato clown never formed a symbiotic relationship with it . i don't know if the outcome would have been diff. had it been established in the tank or a holding tank with a pair of large clownfish before adding the large angels . i can only guess that at some point depending on size and species of anemone , angelfish and clownfish(es) one or the other will be dinner . i've watched my a. polymnus taunt more than one species of wrasse into the tenticles of it's s. haddoni .
marc price
Active member
i'd have thought the regal would have been eaten but not so surprised to hear that it didn't pick on the anemone . pygoplites d. feed on sponges and tunicates and are usually reef safe . how large where they and what other fish survived the h. magnifica ? did you have a copperbanded butterflyfish with the h. mag. ? did your h. mag. ever damage corals ? my rbta'(s's's's's's....), where a problem , destructive to tissue on contact (got rid of them now the clownfish needs another nem.), whereas i've had s. haddoni and h. crispa in direct contact with sps (porities/xmass tree worms) and lps (wellsophyllia & fungia),for days sometimes weeks, with no harm to either animal .
I have a large Imperator with gigantea and 3 RBTA in a 180. No problems at all. Also had a large Blue face and a smal majestic that also did not bother any of the anemones. I got rid of the angels but the Imperator due to nipping at softies.
My concern is the 14" gigantea eating the Angel.
My concern is the 14" gigantea eating the Angel.
Amphiprion
Premium Member
I have heard of problems before, even with stinging, highly noxious species (S. haddoni) being eaten. I wouldn't recommend it unless you know the angel won't do it ahead of time (i.e. already housed with anemones). Even then, it is too unpredictable for my tastes.
Flighty
Premium Member
The magnificas will kill any corals they touch so I have them up high on pedestals . One has gotten large enough to brush a clam and I don't see any damage.
The magnificas seem to prefer inverts. All of my shrimp have been eaten(expensive cleaner shrimp too
), but only a couple of chromis have been eaten fish wise. In the tank we also have a breeding pair of mandarins, jawfish, rabbitfish, a copperband butterfly, and the regals. Some fish seem to be more effected by the sting. The rabbits don't flinch much and sometimes get stung when competing for food, but the butterfly will jump way back obviously stung. the chromis that I saw being eaten had blundered deep into the tentacles and struggled only briefly before it was paralyzed.
The regals are a male female pair that both started out around 4" and are about 6" and 5". I have spent a lot of time trying to pair the Copperband, so have had many specimens going in and out of the system and have never seen an issue between them and the anemone.
The magnificas seem to prefer inverts. All of my shrimp have been eaten(expensive cleaner shrimp too
), but only a couple of chromis have been eaten fish wise. In the tank we also have a breeding pair of mandarins, jawfish, rabbitfish, a copperband butterfly, and the regals. Some fish seem to be more effected by the sting. The rabbits don't flinch much and sometimes get stung when competing for food, but the butterfly will jump way back obviously stung. the chromis that I saw being eaten had blundered deep into the tentacles and struggled only briefly before it was paralyzed.The regals are a male female pair that both started out around 4" and are about 6" and 5". I have spent a lot of time trying to pair the Copperband, so have had many specimens going in and out of the system and have never seen an issue between them and the anemone.
I had a 90 g with a green and a blue carpet the problem was after getting the new fish in the tank. First Queen Angel lasted one night, next tried getting a Blue Angel it too found its way into the carpet in one night, unfortunately the story continues as I gave up on the Angels I bought a nice Powder Blue Tang lasted a week. The carpets really were not the problem it was the bicolor angel that was a tenth the size of any of the new fish that drove them into the carpets. Needless to say the carpets were well feed. My advice make sure the angels don’t fight each other, and possible have them get tangled in the anemone.
mile sq. reefer
New member
I used to have a Flagfin angel that was a model citizen and then one day decided to tear into my green bubble tip anemone. Sad to say the anemone lost and the saddlebacks lost their home.
[/IMG]
Old photo.
Old photo.
triggerfish1976
New member
I have three BTA's in my tank with two Personifer, one Asfur, 2 Red Sea Regals and I have not had any problems but that doesn't mean that you won't. I know some angelfish eat certain jellyfish in the wild and may pick at Aneomones as a substitute. I would not buy any large show size angels as these thend to be the ones that are prone to invert predation.
