One thing I have noticed in this hobby is that everyone has an opinion (or two). Most LFS :crazy1: will tell you that triggers and puffers are not reef safe and yet I see them in folks' pictures. Can people please share their experiences with puffers and triggers along with soft, LPS, SPS and invertebrates such as snails, hermits, peppermints and CBS, starfish, etc.? I would love to have a puffer and a trigger of two but not at the risk of my other livestock.
Reef Safe?
- Thread starter Foody
- Start date
Veganbrian
New member
Id say its not worth the chance if you have alot of money into your tank right now. They are known to not be reef safe. SOMETIMES people have "docile" ones in their reefs, but it seems rare.. Thats all i know, im sure others can chime into it deeper for you.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
'Reef safe' is a horrible name slapped on compatibility.
Suggestion: research compatibility.
Food for thought: if an animal occurs on or around a reef it eats something on or around a reef.
Suggestion: research compatibility.
Food for thought: if an animal occurs on or around a reef it eats something on or around a reef.
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Plus one to Gary. "Not reef safe" means dozens of different things to different people, and there is always variability from one fish to another.
Compatibility with broad categories of typical livestock is probably better though not exactly accurate in every case. Does the fish eat other fish? Cleanup crew? Stony corals? Softies? Clams? And so on. If you care about any of these types of livestock, focus on compatibility with it. Also, try to focus on a specific fish species, not a broad family.
Examples: Butterflies are sometimes considered not reef safe but specific species, ie copperbands, are generally fine except for specific conflicts that most people won't care about (they will probably eat any tiny featherdusters you have). Triggers are another good example. Several species will likely be fine (nigers, blue throats, sargassums, etc) though they'll eat snails so you'll need to restock your cleanup crew from time to time.
So decide what types of reef life you don't want eaten in your tank, then research your target species based on compatibility with that stuff.
Compatibility with broad categories of typical livestock is probably better though not exactly accurate in every case. Does the fish eat other fish? Cleanup crew? Stony corals? Softies? Clams? And so on. If you care about any of these types of livestock, focus on compatibility with it. Also, try to focus on a specific fish species, not a broad family.
Examples: Butterflies are sometimes considered not reef safe but specific species, ie copperbands, are generally fine except for specific conflicts that most people won't care about (they will probably eat any tiny featherdusters you have). Triggers are another good example. Several species will likely be fine (nigers, blue throats, sargassums, etc) though they'll eat snails so you'll need to restock your cleanup crew from time to time.
So decide what types of reef life you don't want eaten in your tank, then research your target species based on compatibility with that stuff.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
bottom line
bottom line
do not waste time researching whether or not a reef animal is "reef safe".
Rather, research it's COMPATIBILTY with other species.
Be specific... down to species level.
bottom line
do not waste time researching whether or not a reef animal is "reef safe".
Rather, research it's COMPATIBILTY with other species.
Be specific... down to species level.
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