pygmy angel and reef tank - safe/experiences?

[Perched Urchin]

IMO and IME, no such thing as a reef safe dwarf angel. Any thread you read about them will have multiple posts saying it is "pot luck" and varies by animal and to an extent, this is obviously true. But I think all the evidence leans to "it isn't IF they will nip/eat a coral or clam mantle, but WHEN". I think some folks with larger tanks and a lot more corals may tolerate nipping more than other folks will which is much different than the fish not exhibiting the behavior, but I don't think you can have one without eventual eating/nipping soft tissues.
I had a flame angel in my DT with gorgonians, euphyllia, polyps, blastos, acans and 2 clams for 18 months with no issues whatsoever. A month ago, I noticed the polyps on my gorgs weren't extending as normal, then found 2 polyps picked cleanly out of the center of one of my larger acans. One day, as I was FEEDING, I watched the flame gorge on food (always has been a hog), then swim directly over to one of the gorgs and nip at it. Then from there he swam directly to the acan and took a bite. I think if he had fingers he would have flipped me the bird, too.
Fortunately, as he is such a pig, he was easy to catch in my fish trap and he is now in "time out" in my sump until I find someone with a FO who wants a beautiful NON-reef safe fish.

 

[bullitr]

Jerry
COPPS have tons of angel on reef
He probably the best person to ask
http://vimeo.com/13564370

Also catching angelfish , tangs and other fish are very easy at night
I just catch a yellow tang with my bare hands last night it took a less than a minute.

Sand sleeping wrasse are almost impossible to catch of your don't know where they sleep.

How's the rhomboid mine are pigs !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gig]

I recently got a African Flame back that was sold to me as "reef safe", the little bastard loves to pick on SPS

now I have to catch him

 

[Reef264]

Had a Centropyge Argi in my old reef, was good behaving for 8 months.When I started doing SPS it sure took a liking to them!I couldn't catch it at the time, then it picked my clam to death, and overnight caused an Ammonia spike which killed all but about 3 corals in my tank.The day before that I had purchased about 15 frags, all dead.

Angels are 1 species that really varies on whether or not they have an appetite for corals...

 

[Paris_Wiley]

I have a flame angel that has been in a reef tank for many years with no problems. Not sure if it helps but he stays well fed with other foods (along with the rest of the tank inhabitants) and does not pay any attention to any of the LPS or SPS corals in the tank.

 

[gig]

Paris, I think that is the key mostly....I feed once a day and likely not enough, then I went out of town and my wife forgot to feed for two days and he started picking on everything! so he's got a taste for SPS now, brutal

 

[Reef264]

I tried feeding mine about 5 or 6 times per day, as much as it would eat.It would turn around immediately after the feedings and go to munching away at my colonies of Acro's...I don't know what makes them desire them.Sure wish they didn't though.I suppose thats one of the things that makes them so special.


-Ray

 

[Angel*Fish]

The particular fish's proclivities, the fish's species, which corals you have, how many corals you have, how much rock you have, tank size, how your rock is arranged are all factors. Since they all constant grazers, I would think you'd have to keep the fish gorged to keep him from sampling, so I'm not sure that's as important as other things.

The way I achieved having reef safe Centropyges, was that if I added a coral and it was nipped, the coral was removed. Very simple method, worked great!

 

[Empty Bottles]

I read somewhere that they are primarily planktivores as juvis, but when they mature they start to eat corals. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it lends some credence to those "mine was a model citizend for two years then one day...." stories we've all heard.

 

[29144u]

Have you looked at any of the Genicanthus -I've had great luck w/ them

 

[rssjsb]

The particular fish's proclivities, the fish's species, which corals you have, how many corals you have, how much rock you have, tank size, how your rock is arranged are all factors. Since they all constant grazers, I would think you'd have to keep the fish gorged to keep him from sampling, so I'm not sure that's as important as other things.

The way I achieved having reef safe Centropyges, was that if I added a coral and it was nipped, the coral was removed. Very simple method, worked great!

This has been my program as well. I've got 5 angels (majestic, multibarred, singapore, and a pair of potters) and also a pair of orange spotted files in my tank.

So I've been experimenting with what they'll eat and what they'll leave alone. So far, any bushy SPS are file fodder, but smoother SPS, like suharsonhoi, montipora, and staghorn corals (which the files sleep in) have been ok. No great polyp extension, but they're largely left alone. Big leathers, gsp, and torch corals have also been ok. The angels occasionally peck at things, but don't do any damage. My tank is a 185, and not full (yet) of corals. I'm about to try some gorgonians, riccordia, and some sponges to see what happens. I guess my tank is a fish tank with corals.

 

[Angel*Fish]

I read somewhere that they are primarily planktivores as juvis, but when they mature they start to eat corals. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it lends some credence to those "mine was a model citizend for two years then one day...." stories we've all heard.

Centropyges are not fishes you'd usually call planktivores except in the sense that if you throw food in the tank, they will eat it out of the "water column" and certainly would also do so as opportunity is presented in the wild. But they don't go hunting out in the water column for food. They are grazers that stay close to the rocks.

This has been my program as well. I've got 5 angels (majestic, multibarred, singapore, and a pair of potters) and also a pair of orange spotted files in my tank.

So I've been experimenting with what they'll eat and what they'll leave alone. So far, any bushy SPS are file fodder, but smoother SPS, like suharsonhoi, montipora, and staghorn corals (which the files sleep in) have been ok. No great polyp extension, but they're largely left alone. Big leathers, gsp, and torch corals have also been ok. The angels occasionally peck at things, but don't do any damage. My tank is a 185, and not full (yet) of corals. I'm about to try some gorgonians, riccordia, and some sponges to see what happens. I guess my tank is a fish tank with corals.

A tank with every inch covered in coral is not going to be ideal for a Centropyge as it would need plenty of non coral area to graze. Since you're raising orange spotted file fish, I probably don't have to explain that.

 

[rssjsb]

A tank with every inch covered in coral is not going to be ideal for a Centropyge as it would need plenty of non coral area to graze. Since you're raising orange spotted file fish, I probably don't have to explain that.

Yes, the files will likely prevent that from happening. I've got plenty of live rock and I doubt very much I'll ever have enough corals to fill it all up. I also rarely clean off the back wall of the tank, and only then the part that's readily visible from the front. It may be unsightly, but the Potters looooove it.

 

[Angel*Fish]

Yes, the files will likely prevent that from happening. I've got plenty of live rock and I doubt very much I'll ever have enough corals to fill it all up. I also rarely clean off the back wall of the tank, and only then the part that's readily visible from the front. It may be unsightly, but the Potters looooove it.

I like the way you think. To me a diatom bloom just means angel chow party.