Reef-safe Bicolor Angel

[DrSoussou]

So I've gotten tired of hearing from one hobbyist that a dwarf angel is reef safe only for someone else to tell me it's not. I've seen flame angels pick on acroporas and others than never give a zoa a second glance. I really want a bicolor angel and my 150gal has 90% softies in it. Frag hammers mostly, a torch, an octospawn, large cabbage leather, large Aussie toadstool, purple mega mushrooms, xenias, a very small monti, couple acans, and then other stuff like a flame scallop and dragon's breath.

I tend to over feed an would be fine with adding Nori so the bicolor wouldn't be hungry. I'd like to hear your guys' experience with these fish, especially anything that would rationalize treating them any differently from other pygmy angels.

Thanks!

 

[3dees]

all dwarf's are 50/50. my coral beauty doesn't touch any of my softies or lps. I feed once per day and hang nori every day. cb's are supposed to be one of the safest, but none are absolutely reef safe.

 

[Dmorty217]

Dwarf angels are a toss up like mentioned above but if picking is a no no for you I would pass on one

 

[hogfanreefer]

I had a flameback which is also thought to be one of the more reef safe dwarf angels. He was fine for about 6 months and then became an acan/zoa eating machine. Picked at some SPS too, just never saw any damage there.

Any species can have a rogue individual or a reef safe one. I had a combtooth (Tribal) blenny that was an SPS eating terror!

 

[Moort82]

I recently got a bicolour (two weeks ago) and have a few corals in the tank, 3 bubbles, lots of finger corals, zoas and a few single polyps of nps stuff like suns which spawned in the tank before I moved them on. The tank is 10 years old and full of sponges and mature liverock and its the first angel I've had in there. I was planning on just letting it mature as a large macro algae display with a few corals and have always wanted a few risky fish, hence the change.
So I would say that it is possibly the best sort of tank for an angel to be safe, due to all the natural food available like sponges on the liverock. For the first week the angel was very interested in tasting everything with it mouth (like a puppy in some ways) but didn't touch any of the corals. As it settled it has now started picking on a favia, picking a couple of the polyps out but leaves everything else alone apart from nibbling occasionally at the fingers (no damage is done). So in my experience their reputation as non reef safe is likely very disserved but I knew that from the start and don't regret trying it for one minute but I am prepared to move the corals out. If your not in the same situation I would avoid them tbh as its much easy to catch a coral than a fish that doesn't want to be caught.

 

[RDtrack]

I love my angels However I know that any of them may pick at any time. It really depends on the individual fish.

My reef is similar to yours. Gsp, xenia, leathers and anemones.

For the most part my dwarfs leave everything alone.

I don't have a bi-color but do have two joculators that I believe are similiarly related. They pick but not really my corals.

I'd rather have my angels than the corals. So I'm fine if the do have a snack from time to time

 

[Oldude]

Many fish are hit & miss regarding their being "reef-safe" - especially angels. You can get lucky but sometimes not so much. I have seen more than once where one badly behaved fish can actually train other fish in the reef to start picking at corals/clams too.
Also some fish like angels, foxface, Regal tangs, rabbits, pyramids butterflies, etc. can be model citizens for years but then one day they take a nip at a clam or corals and get a taste for it and they never stop.

 

[OrionN]

If you feed the tank well, they may do well without problem. I have three Flame, one Regal and two Watanabe angles in my 320 and they are all doing well. I keeps a mix reef but to Polyps or Acan. Just other LPS and SPS.

 

[DrSoussou]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I've only ever housed coral beauties and flame angels in the past, and I've never witnessed anyone eating coral. I guess I just don't want more of the same if it's gonna carry the same level of risk...