Dwarf Angel Alternative

Darth_Tater

Darth_Tater

Member
Hi all!

I've got a 40 Breeder that I'm looking for a "centerpiece" fish for. Current inhabitants are the following:

9 Red Spot Glass Catfish (these little guys are super awesome and have a lot more color than Diver's Den's pictures show!)
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
3 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
LPS Corals
SPS Corals
Will be adding clams in the future

So I'd really like to get a Flame or Coral Beauty angel, but in my opinion my tank is too small. And I don't want all my corals eaten. So I'm looking for a similar alternative. I want something really brightly colored, active, lots of personality, and on the larger size to try to get the Cardinals to shoal more tightly (obviously not big enough to eat them though). This will probably be the last fish I add to the tank. Obviously the new fish must be invert (not Sexy Shrimp small, but probably a Pom Pom crab) and coral and clam safe.

Any recommendations are appreciated!
 
I plan to put a pair of C. bispinosus into a 40 gallon tank and don't see an issue as long as the tank is setup appropriately.
Though C. loricula may be getting a bit too large for 40 gallon.

A good alternative would be a group of Pygmy Angels like Centropyge acanthops (though might not be too good with tridacna clams)

One thing I would not do is keeping just one. They should be kept in pairs or harem groups or otherwise they may develop abnormal behavior downright to psychosis.
Also being busy with each other keeps them from doing damage just out of boredom - at least that's my experience with dwarf (and large) angels.
 
No it didn't kill two mollies, it tried to kill them and I moved them to the sump. So I can't add anymore fish because of him. If he was the last fish I put in my tank he would be fine.
 
So... thanks for the replies, but the whole point of this thread has apparently been missed. I'm looking for an alternative to a dwarf angel. So something brightly colored with good personality. I saw some Coral Beauty angels at my LFS and almost grabbed one, but I had a rare moment of self control. I had a Combtooth Blenny that made a meal out of most of my Birdsnest corals and just don't want to go through that again. They're just now starting to recover.

albano said:
Get a fairy or flasher wrasse...many to choose from!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion! I had a McCosker's wrasse and he was really neat. He hid a lot though and seemed pretty cramped in my tank. Plus I can't find females in this area. Now that I think about it, I'm kind of contradicting my statement that the fish I'm looking for should be active...

I've thought about basslets, but I'm afraid they'll end up making snacks out of my cardinals.

Any other ideas?
 
Starcki damsel. It looks very much exactly like the resplendens dwarf from Accession.
It is one of the peaceful damsels and 100% reef safe.
 
Taahirs said:
Midas blenny?
Click to expand...

I saw one of these at the big public aquarium last week. I was surprised how active and outgoing it was. I'm worried it would have issues with my Yellow Watchman Goby though, since they look very similar.

ThRoewer said:
Starcki damsel. It looks very much exactly like the resplendens dwarf from Accession.
It is one of the peaceful damsels and 100% reef safe.
Click to expand...

Oooh, I like the look of this one very much! Gets a decent size, less aggressive, active, eats some algae. Will have to do some more research. Doubt I can find any locally, wonder if the LFS can order one in.

Thanks for the good suggestions! Any others?
 
Springers damsels are very peaceful in my experience.

But for me fairy wrasses take the cake. Brilliant fish. Can even get a pair or a trio. Walindi or lubocki are my favorites.
 
Taahirs said:
Springers damsels are very peaceful in my experience.

But for me fairy wrasses take the cake. Brilliant fish. Can even get a pair or a trio. Walindi or lubocki are my favorites.
Click to expand...

Springer's damsels are one of the most well behaved. I *have* noticed my solid blue "true" Springer's seems to be a bit moodier than the typical Springer's I've kept in the past though
 
Darth_Tater said:
Oooh, I like the look of this one very much! Gets a decent size, less aggressive, active, eats some algae. Will have to do some more research. Doubt I can find any locally, wonder if the LFS can order one in.

Thanks for the good suggestions! Any others?
Click to expand...

Ask them to do an order with SDC or ERI. They commonly have them in stock....
 
What about a Flameback, I had one that lived for almost 4 yrs and was a model citizen with clams,LPS and Softies?
 
Darth_Tater said:
...
Oooh, I like the look of this one very much! Gets a decent size, less aggressive, active, eats some algae. Will have to do some more research. Doubt I can find any locally, wonder if the LFS can order one in.

Thanks for the good suggestions! Any others?
Click to expand...

I just ordered a pair of Starcki damsels from Blue Zoo as they are even around here somewhat hard to find.
They should arrive Saturday.
 
AJ69 said:
What about a Flameback, I had one that lived for almost 4 yrs and was a model citizen with clams,LPS and Softies?
Click to expand...

If my tank was bigger, say 75+ gallons, I'd be willing to try a dwarf angel. However, a questionable fish in questionably small confines just seems like asking for trouble to me.

I think next time I make the journey to my favorite LFS I'll ask if they can order a Starcki Damsel. I'd go to the one that's only a couple miles away but I don't like that store and doubt any fish I special ordered would last more than a couple weeks. I haven't had a good track record with their livestock...
 
Well, luckily I can't find any Starcki Damsels around, because I'm having second thoughts on getting any damsel at all. I talked with a LFS owner yesterday and he said he had a Starcki quite a while ago that was one of the meanest fish he's ever owned. I'm just not sure I want to risk my little Glass Cardinals with one.

I'm thinking again about trying a Coral Beauty, Flame, or Flameback Angel. The thought is that if I can get one small enough that maybe it won't have learned yet that corals can be food. Are they as hard to catch as a Wrasse if I had to get one out?

I'm also thinking again about Fairy Wrasses. I'm slightly hesitant about that though because I have very little micro-life (pods, worms, etc.) in my tank and they might decimate what is there.

Too many non ideal options out there!
 
Darth_Tater said:
Well, luckily I can't find any Starcki Damsels around, because I'm having second thoughts on getting any damsel at all. I talked with a LFS owner yesterday and he said he had a Starcki quite a while ago that was one of the meanest fish he's ever owned. I'm just not sure I want to risk my little Glass Cardinals with one.

I'm thinking again about trying a Coral Beauty, Flame, or Flameback Angel. The thought is that if I can get one small enough that maybe it won't have learned yet that corals can be food. Are they as hard to catch as a Wrasse if I had to get one out?

I'm also thinking again about Fairy Wrasses. I'm slightly hesitant about that though because I have very little micro-life (pods, worms, etc.) in my tank and they might decimate what is there.

Too many non ideal options out there!
Click to expand...

Fairy & flasher wrasses are more water column feeders from what I've seen, as opposed to leopard, possum, Halichoeres (Hoeven's etc.) , and Pseudocheilinus (sixline etc.) wrasses. They won't make any more of a dent on microfauna than your average clown or cardinal. My personal favorites (that are fairly affordable) would be Naoko's fairy, yellow fin fairy (Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis), and Lubbock's fairy (Cirrhilabrus lubbocki). Good luck :dance:
 
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