Potter's angel and corals

[brett559]

Considering pulling the trigger on a potter's angel. Appears to be eating pretty well. Now, the question is - who's had these in reef tanks? I don't want the standard "50/50" response. Are these more like flames/coral beauty (high chance of success) or lemonpeel/bicolor (low likelihood of success).

Let me know if you've successful kept these in reef tanks (LPS, mushrooms, softies, etc.)

Thanks!

 

[ca1ore]

It's an unanswerable question ..... There are a bazillion threads here and elsewhere on the 'reef safe-ness of dwarf angels. Some people have good experiences; some people have bad experiences. I have no idea what differentiates the former from the latter. My own experience with these fish is that given enough time and enough opportunity they all nip. That's why they're 'reef safe .... with caution'.

I have kept many dwarf angels in my reef tanks, including potters; but I don't fuss overly because I like the fish more than I like the corals. I only had one lemonpeel be so destructive that I had to get rid of it. The potters is an almost continuous grazer, so if there's a continuum of 'better' to 'worse', I'd be inclined to say more potential for 'worse'.

 

[starkii]

As above I have one that has been fine with the corals I have, eupyllias, blasto, stylo, hystrix and assorted others. This same fish was rehomed from a friends tank as it was eating his lps. I put the change in behaviour due to an increase in the food I feed compared to him, the fact I don't worry about the numbers as much (although they run pretty similar low levels for nitrate and phos) and I have ten year old live rock covered in sponges whereas he went the dry rock route. Coral wise we pretty much run the same as we trade frags with each other but I think when he had it that it was either bored/hungry/lacking something in its diet. My bicolor is also well behaved apart from with favias (so I don't keep them).
I very much agree with SIMON above in that if you like angels then a "prefer the fish more than the corals" attitude is normally a good thing.

 

[snorvich]

Good advice above. It is a roll of the dice.

 

[fabrizio55]

I have kept few "non reef safe" fishes in my reef tank (with LPS and SPS, no clams): Pomacanthus Imperator, Euxyphipops Xantometapon and even a Baliastoides Conspicillum.
Last one was really a gamble.
I always kept them well feed with frozen and dry food and dry algae. Well feed means 2 meals a day and fishes with round belly.
No problem also with all the pigmy angelfish I tried.
Instead I had to remove a moorish idol that was eating very well : frozen and dry food but also bit of coral tissue.
Bottom line: start from a fish that feed well, keep it well feed in your tank and...cross your fingers

 

[scooter31707]

I agree with all the advice given above. I have a Lawnmower Blenny and a Mimic Tang that will nip at my coral, and trust me they are nipping very good.

 

[vhuang168]

I have a potter's that's been with me about 6 months. Model citizen in my tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[makers marc]

Vhuang,

It would help the OP if you at least explained what corals, if any, you have in your tank. Its these one liner responses that make finding more relevant responses tiring

 

[brett559]

I just tried a yellow heraldi, and it didn't work out. I knew going in that lemonpeels (false and otherwise) were prone to nip. I also know that some dwarfs like flames and coral beauties seldom nip. I was just wondering what kind the potter is....

 

[brett559]

Found this thread, very helpful:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1661153

Seems like a potter's is on the safer side, i.e. higher likelihood of success....

 

[michaelg]

Have a mated pair of potter's angels in a 60 cube that is largely SPS, but also gonipora, elegance, and bubble corals along with acans and chalices. No interest in corals (never had zoanthids in the tank though so can't comment on them). I feed 3-4X a day and put dried algae into a holder every day. First one was introduced last June, and the other in August.

 

[vhuang168]

Vhuang,

It would help the OP if you at least explained what corals, if any, you have in your tank. Its these one liner responses that make finding more relevant responses tiring

Sure. I didn't specify because I have a mixed reef with a little bit of everything.

Acropora, Montipora, Acans, Scoly, Trachy, Hammers, Torch, Blastos, Favia, Chalice, Various Mushrooms, zoas, Palys, leathers, elegance, nps like sea fans, dendros, I'm sure I'm missing some. That enough?

 

[makers marc]

Sure. I didn't specify because I have a mixed reef with a little bit of everything.

Acropora, Montipora, Acans, Scoly, Trachy, Hammers, Torch, Blastos, Favia, Chalice, Various Mushrooms, zoas, Palys, leathers, elegance, nps like sea fans, dendros, I'm sure I'm missing some. That enough?

I dunno, ask the OP? But it surely is more of a help I'm sure you would agree. Its like someone asking if 2 tangs are ok in a 4 foot tank, and someone responds " My 2 tangs are best buds, it should work!"

:facepalm:

 

[eastlake]

I have mine in a 150 with a little bit of everything, chalice, zoas, palys, mushrooms, acros, montis, lepto, stylo, clam, ect. Been a perfect little bugger so far but you really just don't know. In the example of coral beauty angels being safer than other, I've never had a problem. However, when I was working at a LFS someone brought one in that had eaten an entire tank worth of coral. So roll of the dice every time.

 

[brett559]

My LFS owner has a bunch of doctor office reef tanks that he services and he's been putting coral beauties and flames in them for 25+ years.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[hobbzz]

Angels are guaranteed to eat at least some coral. Some will eat everything. I have a potters in my 120 reef. He/she nips at a few zoas and lps. What he and the Moorish idol eat, gets put into my 29g reef. Everything they don't eat stays in the 120. The more often you feed the less likely they are to graze, but this can be harder in smaller tanks. I feed a minimum of three times a day and the potters eats everything I feed.

 

[snorvich]

Angels are guaranteed to eat at least some coral. Some will eat everything. I have a potters in my 120 reef. He/she nips at a few zoas and lps. What he and the Moorish idol eat, gets put into my 29g reef. Everything they don't eat stays in the 120. The more often you feed the less likely they are to graze, but this can be harder in smaller tanks. I feed a minimum of three times a day and the potters eats everything I feed.

Algae Grazers, if hungry, will eat the Zooxanthellae found in corals.

 

[hobbzz]

Algae Grazers, if hungry, will eat the Zooxanthellae found in corals.

Yes they will, which is exactly why I started the first sentence by saying they are guaranteed to eat somethings. And some will eat everything. At no point did I say they are reef safe so I'm kind of confused...

 

[snorvich]

Yes they will, which is exactly why I started the first sentence by saying they are guaranteed to eat somethings. And some will eat everything. At no point did I say they are reef safe so I'm kind of confused...

I was agreeing with you and explaining why.

 

[hobbzz]

LOL gotcha. Just making sure what I typed didn't give a message other than what I had intended, but I often over-analyze things.