bicolor angel nipping sps

[severn]

hi,

i may well have made a bad mistake and put a bicolor angel in my tank. he is nipping at the polyps on my sps..as a result the polyps are not coming out when the lights are on.
is there anyway that the polyps will come out just at night and that the corals will continue to grow ?
[i gather that in the wild sps generally dont display polyps except for at night..though i could be wrong]..
i thought the angel was marginal for a reef with lps not sps..
the sps are frags that have been growing for 6 months ..a couple of hairy acropora that arent sop hairy anymore and some other acros
any thoughts or advice appreciated..

thanks
Jon

 

[OneReef]

I tried one once because it is such a beautiful fish. It started nipping at my SPS after one or two days. I didn't take the time to see if it was going to hurt the SPS or not. I took him out immediately. I now have a female Bellus Angel as they are 'supposed' to be reef safe.

 

[severn]

any advice on how to catch the Angel ?..shame he is a lovely fish

 

[OneReef]

I placed a rectangular specimen container (like they catch fish in at the LFS) in the corner of my tank, and used my hand to slowly guide him towards the container. He went in and I turned it upright and lifted him out. It was easy, but I got very lucky with it.

 

[ChicagoReefOne]

I've got a Flame Angel who is a nipper in my 30G SPS tank. My SPS polyps fully extend at night when he's less active, and during the day though not so much. All my corals are still growing and in fact the nipping induces a more dense growth pattern in the branches, I believe. I wouldn't even say that growth has been reduced in rate. If you like the fish you might want to consider keeping him, plus catching it will be difficult to say the least.

 

[allsps40]

Bicolors and flames are not very reef safe when it comes to angels. IMO lamarck and pygmy angels are the most reef safe. Ebili and rusty angels are usually ok. But it is hit or miss with any.

 

[gofor100]

What are you currently feeding the Bicolor, and how often?

 

[divewsharks]

If you like the angel, keep it. The polyps not coming out during the day will not inhibit growth, it may not be the appearance you want so might have to decide which you want more. Unless you see actual damage to your SPS (tissue being removed, etc) your corals will continue to grow.
Centropyge angels in general have the propensity to be nippers, but each has their own personality. I've had a flame angel that started out as a nipper, then one day stopped and never did it again.

 

[ChicagoReefOne]

If you like the angel, keep it. The polyps not coming out during the day will not inhibit growth, it may not be the appearance you want so might have to decide which you want more. Unless you see actual damage to your SPS (tissue being removed, etc) your corals will continue to grow.
Centropyge angels in general have the propensity to be nippers, but each has their own personality. I've had a flame angel that started out as a nipper, then one day stopped and never did it again.

+1 on that. My Flame was very nippy in the beginning and now much much less so.

However I do think that nipping might be more harmful for certain SPS species than others. I suspect enchinatas and other delicate SPS can't take it like other acros can. That's anecdotal though.

 

[Alex T.]

Well, I've had one of the meanest of all angels (or even fish for that matter) in my 150 sps reef. I had a Passer Angel (Adult) that never bothered my sps or clams. I fed heavily to thwart any propensity to nip. He was removed for the simple reason that all my other fish (especially Achilles Tang) were getting thinner. The Passer was such a pig that he would aggressively outcompete my other fish for food. Polyp extension never suffered one bit. It really is up to the individual fish and their appetite.

Currently, I replaced the Passer Angel with a Coral Beauty. At first, you would think he was a nipper, but upon closer inspection I notice that he's singled out a recovering maricultured SPS piece and actually helps clean it free of algae and excess slime. He's my best rock cleaner in the tank as well. If you can visually see them destroying your corals it's a "no go". My key to angels has worked very well for me:

1. Feed Heavily (Four cubes per day, pellet, and nori twice per week)
2. Skim Heavily (ETSS 900 with Iwaki 55 RLT pressure rated pump)
3. Have so much flow that it almost looks uncomfortable to you (I have 4
Vortech MP 40's on full blast reef crest alternating mode) This amount of
flow can almost keep the most ravenous of coral eaters from staying in
one spot too long)

Either way, angels in reef tanks are toss ups. I love the challenge. I wouldn't even try it if they weren't so damn pretty.