cherub angelfish opinions???

[Vince272992]

hi just got a lamarks angel in my 65gal reef tank and i want a chrub angel as well now, and was wondering is it ok if i add one now that my lamarks is in the tank, my lamarks is about 2in if any body was wondering, and also is his little angel completely reef safe, if not wht will he most likely pick at, also if you have had or have one of these please tell me how his temperament is and if he was completely reef safe and how he was overall in your tank.
THANKS

Also i know the lamarks will out grow the tank so i already have a new home waiting for him at my work in my office, its a 150gal so dont be worried about him haha

 

[Wolverine]

The argi complex of angels is among the most reef safe. Unfortunately, they're also among the most aggressive. Even though they're tiny, they can really beat on other fish.

 

[Vince272992]

wht type of fish could they beat up, all types or wht....

 

[Wolverine]

Many will attack pretty much anything that moves.

 

[snorvich]

The argi complex of angels is among the most reef safe. Unfortunately, they're also among the most aggressive. Even though they're tiny, they can really beat on other fish.

I agree. I would suggest the Flameback Angelfish (African) (Centropyge acanthops) instead.

 

[Vince272992]

ok ill look into those but i alrwady have a lot of red in my tank so would a bicolor be ok as well...

 

[johnc99]

He said "Flameback", not "Flame". Different fish.

 

[Vince272992]

ya i just looked it up and hes beautiful haha my bad....

 

[wakesetter]

I agree. I would suggest the Flameback Angelfish (African) (Centropyge acanthops) instead.

I have used both of these fish extensively over the last 20 years. Many tanks with harems of either flamebacks or cherubs. IMO their behavior is almost identical. As I often say, they are pretty much the same fish with a different paint job. Same personalities and propensity to munch on corals or clams. I really like both species and consider them both to me 95% reef safe. Most won't touch anything, but you get the occasional butthead that wants to munch on stuff. They can be aggressive towards other fish, but rarely beat things down too hard.

 

[rssjsb]

Cherubs are adorable, easy to keep, and about as reef safe as dwarf angels get. But inch-for-inch they can be pretty nasty, as others have mentioned. That's not a very big space (in fact, it's really too tight for your lamark's long-term), so it's a bit risky. I doubt it would give a lamark's any special problems because they're from different genuses (geni?), but it could become a general pain to all other tankmates.

Bicolor angels get much bigger (6-7") and are among the most non-reef-safe "dwarf" angels.

 

[alton]

I guess I have been lucky, my cherub has been great with it's tank mates

 

[ReefTeacher]

I have found the argi complex to be ok with other fish EXCEPT other angels. I one time saw a tiny argi viciously attack a regal angel easily 5 times his size! There were separated after a few minutes or it would have been death by a thousand cuts. They are so fast and so furious that the larger fish cannot see the onslaught. The argi was great with corals...but it was an all softie tank. IME

 

[Sheol]

Ahem, unless I am mistaken, C. acanthops is also an argi complex fish. My A. Flameback is a great fish, but he holds his own against a GSM Clown, A Lunare Wrasse, A Yellow tang, and a C. bicolor angel. If they were not all bigger than him, well...
I have owned an C. argi. They are NOT Reef-safe (no fish really is IMO) but are much less potential coral munchers than most Centropyge angels. Mine got along with the fish he found living in my (then) 36 gallon Reef. Afterwards, though it would be rough on any fish I nintroduced that was not much larger. I had a Sankey's dottyback & a Flame Hawkfish that survived him, but the Flame hid on some piece of filtration or on a Skimmer pump top!
They do not tolerate new intros. If you feel inclined to do this, make sure the Lamarck's is there first. That would be your only ( and far from sure bet) to make the two work.

Sincerely,
Matthew