SPS pygmy angel dominated reef

[9thwonder]

can it be done? if so, what are the best suitors?

 

[stunreefer]

Yes. How big is your tank and what kind of angels do you like?

 

[9thwonder]

48x30x20. centropyge angels. potters, african flamebacks, etc...

 

[ghstrider]

Yes thats more than enuff but keep it to SPS to be on the safe side.

 

[Sardaukar]

Its doable but you should decide before hand who takes priority - your sps or your angels. I.E. Are you going to stock it with the angels you want and then then, if some of them nip, allow the fish to do what they want, or will you remove any angels that nip/eat corals? It can work both ways but its probably better to start off knowing.

 

[9thwonder]

I'll keep them. I'm aware of the possiblities of coral nipping. I'm planning on about 98% SPS. How many would i be able to keep? Which angels are less prone to nip SPS? Does anyone have any experience with c.nox or c.eibli with SPS?

 

[Anthrax15]

Its a hit or miss with each indivedual. Some will nip. Some will be a model citizen for months then one day turn on the whole tank, destroying hundreds of dollars in coral.

I have read some reports that allowing a fish to nip at SPS will stimulate growth of the the SPS coral.

Feeding often will also reduce the chance of nipping.

 

[MikeandNicole]

I had a multicolor that went through my SPS like it was his job. He is no longer a citizen of the tank. You can look at angels like the bellus, wanatabie, or lamaracks that are considered the most reef safe. Any of the centropyge is a mixed bag, but if I had to choose I would go with the flameback. I had one with SPS and LPS and he was not a problem.

 

[Supasalty]

YA the bellus angel is very nice and supposedly 100% reef safe.

 

[Wolverine]

Its doable but you should decide before hand who takes priority - your sps or your angels. I.E. Are you going to stock it with the angels you want and then then, if some of them nip, allow the fish to do what they want, or will you remove any angels that nip/eat corals? It can work both ways but its probably better to start off knowing.

I agree. If you're going into this, have a plan in place to remove either the fish or the corals. You may never had to implement the plan, but you don't want to be scrounging to figure something out if you run into problems.

 

[jnc914]

I have come to the realization that if you intend to keep an angel, be it any size, that your corals are always at risk. Case in point, I had a trio of Bandit Angels that started off great in my LPS/SPS mixed tank. That was until I started to add new SPS frags, which seemed to awaken something in all three of them. The pretty much started to nip at my LPS and pick at the SPS consistantly and the corals had noticeable damage to them. I wound up having to remove them; sold one and the other two are in a QT for the last month. I hate having to give up the angels, but I am pretty invested $$$ in the corals I have.

 

[jaa1456]

I heard the Eibili and lemonpeels are the worse nippers. Meaning more of them nip than don't. But I had a Hippo tang that loved my Acans.

 

[THEDLO]

i have 2 angels and i have no coral nipping.

 

[Angel*Fish]

How many are you planning on having?

 

[9thwonder]

How many are you planning on having?

Don't know yet. How many do you think I can get away with?

 

[9thwonder]

Does anyone have any experience with c. vroliki in a reef?

 

[wayne in norway]

That would rate risky to me. You can try this, but try, in my opinion, to get them all small and let one become male and boss the harem. I currently have a male flame, and female potters and multicolor in my reef and it works just fine. No nipping, and regular spawning displays.

I have mostly SPS, but also some zofties, zo's, stars, a couple of LPS and a clam. I feed a lot - I think that's key to calming aggression and reducing nipping, so get a skimmer to match