Is a Chrysurus angel reef safe ?
- Thread starter McCrary
- Start date
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Generally, large angelfish like this will usually munch and nip at many corals, but need a variety of sponge-y food in their diet. In general, I wouldn't consider it very reef safe.
McCrary
Can't Stop Time
What can I expect him to pick at or destroy. I haven't had good luck with angels in my reef. My blueface destroyed everything in his path. My goldflake picked at everything, but didn't eat anything (polyps not included). The navarchus was a pretty big picker as well. Could I not be feeding enough? would increased feedings help them to not pick?
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
A few thoughts. One of the problems may be the size of angel you have been choosing as smaller angels and juveniles are usually a lot more reef safe than large 5-7 inch specemins. Angels aquired at a smaller size may be easier to "train" not to eat corals. Angels in the wild dont eat corals but as reef pickers many will tend to sample them in home aquaria. Having a lot of natural food options for them to pick at through out the day will definately help. I feed a lot of nori and gel based foods served up in those feeding grids and this seems to allow the angels to pick at their food instead of sampling corals. More frequent, smaller feedings also seem to help. If you have a lot of older, established live rock this may help as well as it also affords some natural feeding opportunities. Of the corals you mentioned the LPS are the most at risk along with zoo's and clams. HTH
