Emperor Angelfish in Reef?

M

Mattsaquariums

New member
I have found that a lot of people have asked about if this fish can go in reefs, some say no and yes and I saw a user named Gary have a amazing set up with one in his tank so this leads me to believe you can keep them in reefs under certain conditions, but i still have questions as im new to saltwater.

What corals CANNOT be kept with this fish? As in they have seen or know of an emperor eating this coral. I want to know my options with this fish lol. I wanted to grow easier types of corals like zoas, frogspawn and star polyps and most importantly i want a large RBTA with clowns. Any of those off limits for sure? lol thanks for any help!
 
If you are new to saltwater you should leave fish that need extra care like the big angels alone. They are too precious to be wantonly killed by beginners (no offense intended). There are lots of books on saltwater fish and inverts. I suggest you start your collection now. If you don't have anything I would recommend books by Mr. Saltwater Tank.

The emperor angel is known to eat anything soft, like anemones, soft corals, or large-polyped scleractinian corals. Stick to SPS and you should mostly be okay. This is only for emperors. Other large angels have different tastes. I should mention that each fish is an individual and doesn't always fit the mold perfectly.

Dave.M
 
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Depends on the fish really. I have a 6" emperor in a Lps tank. He eats every food I throw in but never touch any coral even Zoa or hammer or mushroom. Just my experience
 
I've had 2 different emperors with rbta's over the years and I never saw them have any interest in rbta, either as juveniles or adults
 
These fish are individuals. Some will eat corals and some will not. You have to get one and see what it will do. be prepared to loose some corals. Have a way to catch it and some place to sell/trade the fish if it eats a coral you do not want it to.
 
Like Dave mentioned, if you are just new to the hobby.. i'd take it slow ... there is a long learning curve & in the best interests of both the fish/ corals & yourself...I suggest you start planning for the larger angels rather than getting one immediately (if its a new tank).

and btw, what size tank you have / going to have??
 
silentstorm said:
Like Dave mentioned, if you are just new to the hobby.. i'd take it slow ... there is a long learning curve & in the best interests of both the fish/ corals & yourself...I suggest you start planning for the larger angels rather than getting one immediately (if its a new tank).

and btw, what size tank you have / going to have??
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Ive kept freshwater for years now. My discus tank is my favorite of my freshwater tanks and i think im ready to try saltwater. Im thinking i might go with a larger tang like a sohal tang if i can get my hands on one instead of the emperor. I wanted to do mainly the easier corals like zoas and things like frogspawn with a RBTA and maybe some SPS down the road but if the angelfish will eat the easier corals im not so sure if i want one anymore. Theyre just such a nice fish! And i dont have the tank yet, im looking at a 220 i think
 
Mattsaquariums said:
Ive kept freshwater for years now. My discus tank is my favorite of my freshwater tanks and i think im ready to try saltwater. Im thinking i might go with a larger tang like a sohal tang if i can get my hands on one instead of the emperor. I wanted to do mainly the easier corals like zoas and things like frogspawn with a RBTA and maybe some SPS down the road but if the angelfish will eat the easier corals im not so sure if i want one anymore. Theyre just such a nice fish! And i dont have the tank yet, im looking at a 220 i think
Click to expand...

Sohals can be a bit on the aggressive side or well WWWAAAAYYY on the aggressive side, most aggressive tang IMO. Once it gets large (12" or so) it may/will kill pretty much all the fish in your tank. They tend to attack (tail smack and cut flesh) when you put your hands in to do maintenance too, sounds like fun huh!? If you want to be scared to put your hand in the tank, just get a sohal :lolspin:. If I were in your shoes starting out with SW I would take sohal tang and clown tang and keep them off your list, but most all the other tangs will be great tank citizens. Luckily there are quite a few other really cool tangs to choose from that will do great and be much more peaceful.
 
A_CoupleClowns said:
Sohals can be a bit on the aggressive side or well WWWAAAAYYY on the aggressive side, most aggressive tang IMO. Once it gets large (12" or so) it may/will kill pretty much all the fish in your tank. They tend to attack (tail smack and cut flesh) when you put your hands in to do maintenance too, sounds like fun huh!? If you want to be scared to put your hand in the tank, just get a sohal :lolspin:. If I were in your shoes starting out with SW I would take sohal tang and clown tang and keep them off your list, but most all the other tangs will be great tank citizens. Luckily there are quite a few other really cool tangs to choose from that will do great and be much more peaceful.
Click to expand...

Wow! they will hurt other tangs/fish in my tank for sure? Like 100% will happen? What if i get one really small and raise it around the other fish? I want one of those fish so bad lol
 
Stop and consider that you are talking about large fish that swim constantly against ocean currents. A sohal is NOT going to grow well into a shoebox like a 220 gal. Neither is an emperor angel, for that matter. Please get some books on these fish and study up on them instead of just looking at the pretty pictures. These fish get BIG and they live 20-25 years. When you kill one through ignorance or stupidity it is a real crime.

Learn about the different families of fish, their sizes, eco-niche, etc. and only then decide how you will put your tankmates together.

Dave.M
 
I got an emperor in my reef tank since he is 3" juvenile. He is reef safe never touch anything even those cleaner and blood shrimp I have.
he grows up to 5" still reef safe.
so i think it hits or miss.
my emperor is so peaceful that it used to get bit up by those damsels.
 
Where as my 8 inch is a coral murderer, even the ones he won't eat he destroys, he was introduced as a juvenile to a coral reef tank, a friend of mine bought 2 and they obviously didn't much care for each other, so in the dead of night I drove over, scooped this stressed almost to death fish up in a Tupperware container, emptied him into the tank and just want to bed, the next day he seemed like he wasn't going to make it, so I went to work, over the next few days I started noticing that corals appeared to be shrinking in size, zoa's had empty patches, brain corals appeared to have skeleton showing ? Curious I was ........... Toward the end of the week I was called away on business which lasted 4 days, upon my return I was astounded to see that I didn't have a single "whole" coral remaining. I did all the water tests, which came back fine, it was only as I was stood watching the tank that the "forgotten" fish came out of a cave and began grazing on what was remaining of my zoa patch. All remaining corals donated to friends that very same day.

So this FREE fish that I took in as a favour, cost me almost 2k in corals and has since cost me a system upgrade that's is running at 10+k as of today............... But to be honest I wouldn't change it for the world, he is gorgeous !
 
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