Are foxfaces reef safe?

[kingfisher62]

I Picked up a Foxface for my 55g FOWLR tank and he has done a great job stripping the tank of all the problem algae in a very short time.
Recently I noticed some hair algae algae choking out some button polyps in my biocube and I am actually thinking of placing the piece in my 55g temporarily in hope that the foxface would give it a good safe cleaning!

Good or bad Idea?
Any one have a foxface in their reef tank?
If so have they bothered any corals?

 

[happyface888]

Yes they are reef safe.

 

[usmcsgt]

Sounds like a good idea to me, many people have them in their reefs.

 

[tkeracer619]

It will be fine, when it gets larger it will probably need a new home. These fish eat and poo like horses.

Be careful moving the fish. It would be no fun trying to untangle his poisonous spines out of a net.

 

[Jimw369]

My first post here. Glad to meet you.

Got a mixed reef with about 25 corals in it along with a Foxface. He nipped at a Gorgonian a little bit but I keep a seaweed clip up most of the time and he pretty much stays on that all the time now. No problems with him. Yes like the post before me said...eats and poops a horse.

 

[NanoGurl]

Kinda funny, I just asked this same question. This will be an interesting thread.

Thanks for the info everyone!

 

[skriz]

Yep, totally safe. they'll grave on algae all day long.

And yeah, they do poop like a champ!

 

[Bebo77]

i really like my golden spotted... very cool looking fish.. and reef safe to boot...

 

[kingfisher62]

Sounds good people! The only thing I am concerned with Is my FOWLR 's nitrates run at about 20ppm and my biocubes nitrate run at at 0 ppm and the fact that I just have basic flourescent on my large tank .
Should I concern myself with that ? I am sure the foxface will have it cleaned in two days if not sooner.

 

[AndyB4784]

they are as reef safe as tangs, so reef safeish i suppose. I'd not put one in your biocube even a small one will be too big.

 

[gregg@AMS]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10533512#post10533512 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jimw369
Got a mixed reef with about 25 corals in it along with a Foxface. He nipped at a Gorgonian a little bit.

that's about the only trouble i've ever had w/ foxfaces. i've sen more than a few go after gorgonias, and if it happened to be a new gorgonian in a tank that already had a foxface in it, and the coral was going through the normal stress, it seemed like the foxface was even more inclined to nibble on it....oftentimes to the detriment of the coral.

however, other than that, i would say that the foxface is about as reef safe as you can get for a grazing-type fish.

 

[andrewkw]

mine ate a huge piece of xenia bigger then the fish in a matter of 2 days. I don't believe he has eaten any other corals.

 

[WingnutSr]

I have had mine for several months and have not seen him eating or nipping at any of my gorgonians, zoo's, paly's, star polyps or other corals.

 

[DW62]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10534030#post10534030 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kingfisher62
Sounds good people! The only thing I am concerned with Is my FOWLR 's nitrates run at about 20ppm and my biocubes nitrate run at at 0 ppm and the fact that I just have basic flourescent on my large tank .
Should I concern myself with that ? I am sure the foxface will have it cleaned in two days if not sooner.

If all you have on the rock is button polyps, you will be fine for a couple of days. Nitrates at 20ppm won't kill them, but they probably won't be able to sustain for an extended period of time with that lighting.

 

[kingfisher62]

OK everyone I just moved the button polyps to the 55g . It has been an hour and the polyps have opened not completely but basically what they looked like for the last two months.
After an hour or so I noticed the foxface nibbling a bit but not going nuts on it now. Whoops, I take that ,back he diggin it now.
I really hope this works!!

 

[Peter Eichler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10539153#post10539153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DW62
If all you have on the rock is button polyps, you will be fine for a couple of days. Nitrates at 20ppm won't kill them, but they probably won't be able to sustain for an extended period of time with that lighting.

The toxicity of nitrate is often highly exagerated in this hobby. In fact 20 ppm nitrates for zoanthids might make them do better than if they were undetectable.

 

[kingfisher62]

I think they are actually a variety of paly but I agree I believe that some nitrates seem to help zoo's and paly's and some other corals too IMO. Here is a picture of the specimen before it went down hill and here is the cleaning crew. Don't mind the ragged tail on the foxface that was from my tomato clown showing his superiority but now they are best of buddies. I swear they think they are mates.

 

[gregg@AMS]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10553565#post10553565 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Peter Eichler
The toxicity of nitrate is often highly exagerated in this hobby. In fact 20 ppm nitrates for zoanthids might make them do better than if they were undetectable.

i tend to agree with this sentiment, especially when dealing w/ non-SPS. in fact, i think that people create more stress for their corals trying to fix nitrate problems.

 

[discocarp]

I've had two foxfaces. The first ate leather corals. The second is a model citizen and my favorite fish. IMO they are not totally reef safe, but there is much less chance of a problem than from say, a dwarf angel.

 

[kingfisher62]

Success! The button polyp rock is about 90 percent cleaned but I will keep it there a couple more days to make sure it is really clean.
I'll tell ya it is a lot less invasive than trying to scrub the coral or trying to pick it off with my fingers.
Has anyone else had a problem with hair algae on their paly's?
The rest of the tank is fairly clean of problem algae.