Any large angels reef safe?

[MBVette]

Trying to decide what fish to add next to my 220g tank, currently I have:

Sailfin Tang
Naso Tang
Chevron Tang
2 Oc clowns
mystery wrasse
5 bangaii cardinals
2 chromis
Watchman goby
diamond goby

I would like to add maybe 1 more bigger fish to the tank and then work on adding wrasse's or anthias. Is it possible to add a large angel?

I do not plan on adding a lot of corals mostly zoa's and some soft corals, maybe some lps. I know emperor angels will mow through zoa's, is there any large angel that has a good/decent chance at being reef safe?

 

[Grebex11]

I dont have experience with them but alot of people keep Emperors in their reefs

 

[nikon187]

I dont have experience with them but alot of people keep Emperors in their reefs

usually in sps tanks...

no large angel is reef safe.. even the so called reef safe genicanthus angels have been reported to nip coral from time to time

 

[twelvejewelz]

usually in sps tanks...

no large angel is reef safe.. even the so called reef safe genicanthus angels have been reported to nip coral from time to time

Is this fact? I was under the impression that any genicanthus angels are planktivores and feed in the water column and they do not "pick" and ive never heard of them picking. Do you have proof? Not saying your lying i just like to see the facts . Most large angels will devour your corals and i woudlnt do it. But there are some people that have success with them in reefs. If you see COPPS Reef it is amazing absolutely stunning and it is a full reef with TONS of angels. Probably my favorite tank ever try to search for it.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

if it lives on a reef it feeds on a reef

if it lives on a reef it feeds on a reef

"reef safe" is the problem here- it's a bad term. Use "reef compatibility" instead.

 

[SDguy]

Just depends what corals you have... I almost have at least one of everything, practically speaking. So ya, a large angel would probably eat something in my reef. It's all about trial and error.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Is this fact? I was under the impression that any genicanthus angels are planktivores and feed in the water column and they do not "pick" and ive never heard of them picking. Do you have proof? Not saying your lying i just like to see the facts . Most large angels will devour your corals and i woudlnt do it. But there are some people that have success with them in reefs. If you see COPPS Reef it is amazing absolutely stunning and it is a full reef with TONS of angels. Probably my favorite tank ever try to search for it.

Yes, this is a fact. There are numerous threads here about this exact event. Its not common, but is definitely factual.

"reef safe" is the problem here- it's a bad term. Use "reef compatibility" instead.

Just depends what corals you have... I almost have at least one of everything, practically speaking. So ya, a large angel would probably eat something in my reef. It's all about trial and error.

Agreed. Its a term Ive grown to hate.

 

[A sea K]

I cant offer first had experience with Zoa's or softies but I do have a lot of LPS and a few SPS as well. My Majestic (Pomacanthus navarchus) does pick from time to time but no damage so far.

 

[Jdbrine]

I dont have experience with them but alot of people keep Emperors in their reefs

I have a 7 inch Emperor in my mixed reef tank.... he has nipped at my zoas a few times but other than that he hasn't bothered anything..... I did however remove all my clams to another tank before added him, because I'm sure those would have been devoured..... but I would definitely recommend this fish....

 

[MBVette]

but is your emperor the exception? I like my zoas and dont want to come into them one day and all of them be gone.

 

[Jhuff]

Best to stay away from angels. The only angel I would consider is the flame angel and they pick at coral at times.

 

[RBU1]

If you really care about corals then stay away from angels. If you don't mind them picking on corals then get whatever angel you like.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

threads such as this one are ripe for disputing.

I know emperor angels will mow through zoa's, is there any large angel that has a good/decent chance at being reef safe?

time to revise what you "know"?

I don't think I've ever heard of Emperor Angelfish preferring the taste of Zoanthids.

Will a hungry imp take a zoa? Probably!

I've always had some type of Angelfish in my living coral aquarium so it's no longer good advice to post that if you care about your corals stay away from Angelfish- you simply need to do some research on compatibility.

JMO: but a 220 aquarium containing a Naso Tang, Sailfin Tang and large Angelfish will be a tough place to keep corals healthy even if the fish DO NOT pick at any corals. I hope you have a good skimmer!

 

[SDguy]

If you really care about corals then stay away from angels. If you don't mind them picking on corals then get whatever angel you like.

Probably just a poor choice of words, but I don't think it's fair to suggest people that keep angels don't care about their corals.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I agree with Peter.

tip: when researching compatibility conduct searches using specific species.

 

[RBU1]

Not a poor choice of words, just maybe it was taken out of context.....See, I am not a coral person, so I could really care less if the fish pick on the corals. I like fish so I could care less if the fish snack on corals in my tank. I have a tank loaded with soft corals, Zoanthids and anemones. If your a coral person an angel is not a good fish choice because you never know......Hope that clears things up.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Queens, Blues and Regals are well known for eating zoanthids like popcorn.

There can be nothing clearer than using scientific names and doing your homework. Generalizations should be avoided. Research credibility of advice.

An Angelfish can be an excellent choice for a reef aquarium as long as you educate yourself about the requirements.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

For what its worth Gary, I have owned two emperors, and they have both eaten zoanthids like they are going out of style. In fact, of the corals I keep (which do not include LPS), zoanthids are almost always the first targeted by my angels.

 

[skibum9884]

Gary and others,

I have not tried this, but I thought that if you keep the angel in your QT, and put some of the corals in question (be it zoas, lps, sps) to see what happens (after completion of meds), it might be a safer way to experiment that just adding to your DT after an appropriate QT length.

I know that the fish is likely to behave differently in a QT vs. DT, and can change over time, but would allow you to see if adding the angel to your DT is a risk worth taking. Just easier than trying to remove the fish from your DT if it decimates corals you can't live without, and puts cheap commonly available corals at risk instead of your most beloved priciest corals!

Any opinions?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

every fish is an individual in it's behavior.
every fish's behavior can change over time as it matures.

I've never had any of my Angelfish (many species) target Zoanthids.
If I had to make any generalization about Angelfish and corals I'd have to say that fleshy LPS (especially RED fleshy LPS) are at extremely high risk.
If your Angelfish isn't well fed any coral is fair game- including Acropora.

That's about as far as anyone can go on compatibility- risk percentages. The smaller the aquarium, the more any one coral is at risk from an Angelfish picking at it. Place a large hungry Angelfish in a small aquarium filled with living corals and you're asking for trouble.

My personal approach for introducing a large (Emperor) Angelfish into my 220 gallon reef aquarium involved obtaining a late stage juvenile that was held and observed at my LFS before being placed directly into my display aquarium.
My Emperor has grown increasingly less likely to bother anything in my aquarium. This is opposite the norm.