Angels in a mixed reef

[JTL]

Anyone successfully keeping a small angel like a flame or a coral beauty in mixed reef tank? I have a 100g tank with lots of corals and I am afraid it will nip at everything.

I currently only have a pair of Darwin Ocellaris clowns so I need to stock up. I am also thinking of:
African Midas Blenny
Royal Gramma
Tang...Kole or something that would fit size wise
I am trying to stay away from jumpers.

 

[Cliving1]

I have a coral beauty in my 40. The only thing it wont tolerate is brains/acans. Everything else it ignores. I think its a hit or miss.

 

[JTL]

Unfortunately I have a few acans.

 

[zooman72]

There is a good thread here on RC where the OP kept a running tally of members experiences with dwarf/ pygmy angels and their "safety" in reef aquariums. While it is often stated that for many species it is a 50:50 chance that they will be "safe", it turns out that most species were closer to 75-80% "safe" (i.e. not picking at or eating corals).

I have had several species of dwarf angels over the years (coral beauty, flame, Eibli's, cherubs), and none of them have ever eaten a coral or damaged one. However, I have acquaintances that have lost various corals to flames, beauty's, potter's and rusty's. It is commonly believed that keeping them well fed will reduce problems, but the rusty that caused issues was in a large 100+ gallon display and extremely well fed (i.e. fat).

Unfortunately, they is still a risk, no matter the species - to be honest, even "safe' fish can pose a problem every now and then. I once had a large female clownfish eat an open brain coral!

I currently have a small coral beauty in one of 40B's, and it has touched nothing to this point over 2+ months. I also have a mated pair of cherubs on my 50 cube with wall to wall gorgonians, flower nems, zooanthids and mushrooms, and they have touched nothing over 2+ years. I would like to keep a flame in my other 40B, but I have an open brain that I really like in the tank and don't want to risk it.

 

[this is me]

I have 3 regals angelfish and a pair of Interruptus(dwarf) angelfish. I used to have acans, acanthrophillias, open brain, close brains, candy cane, chalice, euphillia, and mainly SPS on the rocks.
Now, the tank is SPS and euphillia only. The rest of the LPS was moved to a secondary tank as they were being bothered by the angels.

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[JTL]

Good information all around. I did find the angel fish spreadsheet and it was also very informative. Here is the link if anyone is interested.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1661153&highlight=pygmy+angel&page=8

I think I am going to give it a try with either a Flame or a Coral Beauty. If it doesn't work out I will have to trade him in. I only have a 100g and while I have a lot of coral they are frags or very small colonies at this point. My plan is to only have 6-7 fish.

 

[scooter31707]

I would do a Flameback or Brazilian Dwarf angel.

 

[paal]

My Flame nips at most of my sps. She ignores my hammer, acans and zoas.

She very rarely stops at the sps to "feed"; only a gentle nip or two as she passes by. But I would say every minute she is nipping 2-4 corals.
She is fat and eats everything I put in the tank, but even after a huge meal, she goes right back to grazing on the rock and nipping sps.
My tank is quite young and sps are small; so although she does not "devour" them, I fear she does some damage or at least prevents growth.
(Also, I miss seeing the polyps :/ )

If it wasn't for the fact that she is everyone else' favorite fish, I would have removed her. :worried2:

 

[JustinM]

My Potter’s had a taste for my Deresa

 

[reefteaser]

I recently added a Spotbreast Angel because it was noted as "reef safe" It spent 3 days hidden away, but has come out and now is quite social with my other fish. Eats nori, pellets, Rod's frozen, just about whatever I've put in and so far hasn't touched any coral.
I got it while shopping for a Lemark's Angel, recently lost to hurricane Irma. That fish was also a model citizen.

 

[Dmorty217]

Angels in general can't seem to resist the meaty LPS that many of us love.

 

[alton]

My angels will pick on SPS, but have never killed it. In saying that I did have two blueface juveniles that kept picking on a frag till they killed it, they went back to the LFS. Acans, meaty LPS are a not a great idea.

 

[JustinM]

My acans are still alive but defiiitley do not look as good as they used to since adding mine. They may end up in the same tank I moved my deresa to. My euphylia seems unbothered.

 

[scooter31707]

I got a Multicolor, Brazilian, Mutlibar, and Black Nox dwarf angels and have been ok so far (knock on wood). 80% of my corals are LPS, ranging from acans to hammers, to favias. All of my SPS are Montis. Like I mentioned, I do not have any problems are of these 4, but angels are hit or miss. I have had some in the pass that would nip. I am trying to catch a lawnmower blenny cause he is nipping at my SPS.

 

[ca1ore]

There are an almost endless number of threads on this topic ..... advice is always about the same :lol: My view is that 'given enough time and opportunity, they will all nip'. You just have to decide which you like better.