Best way to add a Potter's Angel?

[arc eye]

I have a nice 80g up and running (48×20×21). The only current residents are a small kole tang, one clam, one sps frag, and one rbta.

I plan on doing an sps dominant reef with clams.

Do you think I should add the potters first before there are tons of coral and get it used to fish food and then add coral?

Or should I wait for the coral to get established and then add the potters so that the coral will be better able to withstand some nipping?

 

[RayL]

I don't have any experience with this but my thought would be, if you are getting a baby potters, I would add him first and get him trained on food, as a baby he might have never experienced eating corals and this would be a great way to train him not too. If you are going to get an adult potters, I would think add the corals first so they get established and can with stand some picking.

 

[albano]

IMO, Potters are not the best choice for a reef tank ... many people have a problem with their long term success. Even when feeding and appearing to be fine, they can die overnight for no apparent reason.

 

[nikon187]

My potters ate clams

 

[arc eye]

My potters ate clams

Did it pester them to death or literally eat them?

 

[nikon187]

constant picking, removed the potters after he killed a squamosa i had for 3 yrs

 

[ca1ore]

All dwarf angels are a risk. I have a Potters in my 265 reef and it doesn't pick on anything. Maybe it never will. But then again, maybe it will become a problem. Luck of the draw I think.

 

[arc eye]

I recognize they are risky. Just thought I'd see if there might be away to increase the odds of success. I may not do it, but they are very tempting!

 

[ca1ore]

Just thought I'd see if there might be away to increase the odds of success.

I think there is! Keep your fish well fed, and in a 'robust' environment so they have less of chance to sample your inverts. Has generally worked for me with dwarf angels, with the exception of a Lemonpeel.

 

[Browncoat]

My two cents are this: Potters are one of the most delicate Pygmy Angels. They require a mature tank to thrive that has some algae present. I'd suggest waiting at least six months for adding a Potters. With any of the larger pygmy Angels two inches is the minimum recommended size to purchase. Anything smaller than that will quite delicate.

 

[arc eye]

Thanks for the advice. The more I've been reading the more I realize that getting and keeping a healthy fish should be a higher priority than worrying about the nipping that may ensue.

 

[bfin3]

When you guys got your potters did they immediately hide or did they act naturally. I got one sunday. I would have preferred to add it down the road but I know they are more difficult to come across and my lfs had a 4 incher for 60. I got it and it has spent the whole time going back and forth between my two mounds of rock. I expected this for the first couple days but now it is day 3 and I haven't seen it for longer than 5 seconds at a time. There are no other fish or corals in the tank just clean up crew.

 

[ilikefish34]

Theory only and zero experience with this fish in a reef: I think to better your odds, it would be beneficial to add the Potter's after the majority of your corals. If you add the fish first, the corals you add would get its undivided attention rather than being spread out and corals can handle, some say benefit (sps), from occasional nipping whereas a small frag could be decimated after that first tasting. The downside of this is that there are a lot more coral$$$ at risk, so while I think this would improve your odds of success, it would also potentially make the consequences worse if it fails. And the smaller/younger the Angel, the better the odds but the more fragile the fish. Also, the definition of "success" make take years to determine since these fish can switch their diet on a dime.

IMO - I would leave a tank that size with the one Dwarf Angel and look for other fishes to finish it up.

The good news is that you're asking the questions today so that you don't have the regrets tomorrow which sounds to me like your on the way to having a very nice Aquarium.

Good Luck
Mike

 

[ken6217]

I have had a potters angel since 2008. I would say for the first couple of months, he never ate anything I fed the tank. I guess he got enough from the rocks etc. Once he started eating, he ate anything including pellet.

Btw, he never picked on anything in my tank.
Ken

 

[arc eye]

Thanks guys. I've decided to pass on this beauty. Maybe in the future with a large established tank.