Angels in reef tanks?

[Noah Hemingway]

Do any of you have experience in keeping dwarf angels in reef tanks? Are there certain corals to avoid? I’m talking like flame angels, coral beauty, etc.

 

[JGT]

Seems to be hit or miss. Some are fine. Others are not. But if they are not, then you have the issue of having to get them out which is never easy.

 

[Rickybobby]

Good question. I’m thinking about a flame angel myself. But it’s such a 50-50 thing.

 

[Waters]

I have tried pretty much every species of dwarf over the years.....and have had to remove every species of dwarf due to coral picking. For what its worth, the fleshy LPS would normally get hit first but eventually everything was fair game in my case. If you want to try it, you are better off with mature SPS colonies and avoid some of the more appetizing LPS corals.

 

[mattzang]

 

[najer]

As mentioned it is a bit of a lottery, mine is in a mixed reef and I have never seen him touch a healthy coral.

 

[NanoBoxes]

Flame Angels are a definite no, I’ve seen and had them peck the flesh right off sps. Coral Beauty Angels I’ve never had an issue with. I have Cherub Angel currently in my reef that is packed full of mixed corals and two clams with zero issues. He pecks at the rocks and corals sometimes but that’s their natural behavior. Never damages anything.

 

[LeftyReefer]

I have a Coral Beauty that has been a model citizen, but I've only had it a few months..... so far so good.
It hasn't so much as nipped at a single coral. I have SPS, LPS, and softies. If anything, the CB picks at algae growing around my frags, but has never nipped at any coral that I have seen.

 

[stanlalee]

I had a coral beauty which selectively nipped at various corals. Can't remember which corals (long time ago) but it was bad enough that he went into quarantine until somebody volunteered to take him.

 

[PicassoClown04]

Hi! Absolutely do NOT get a lemon peel angel for a reef. Haven’t heard a 100% success story yet and many (if not all of them) are voracious coral eaters. The most safest ones seem to be cherub, flameback, and coral beauty. Live Aquaria has helpful little bios about each fish, and some are explicitly listed as not reefsafe so avoid those for sure

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a flame in each of my mixed reefs. No issues or concerns with them
Coral beauty is hard to trust around softies and potters has been a model citizen

 

[Roosterjack]

Hi! Absolutely do NOT get a lemon peel angel for a reef. Haven’t heard a 100% success story yet and many (if not all of them) are voracious coral eaters. The most safest ones seem to be cherub, flameback, and coral beauty. Live Aquaria has helpful little bios about each fish, and some are explicitly listed as not reefsafe so avoid those for sure

+1 to this. Also the meanest fish I ever had. No fish was safe from its aggression, even those considerably larger.

 

[dennis romano]

Lemonpeel a definite no. Mine used to beat on every fish in the tank. It was ok with corals for a while then went on a rampage and attacked every LPS. Always had a cherub in my reefs.

 

[Deep]

Has anyone kept a Fishers angelfish ( centropyge fisheri) in a reef ? I have one in my refugium , havent had the courage to move him to the display tank.

 

[ApoIsland]

I have not had success with the flame or the potters. On multiple occasions they will be fine for a few months but eventually start eating certain lps and sps. Some they leave alone.

fwiw...the guy I knew with the most experience and one of the nicest tanks I have seen (packed with sps and a few angels) swears they are all reef safe if you meet their dietary requirements. I don’t remember his feeding regimen exactly but do remember mentally checking out of the conversation when I realized there is no way would I want to dedicate the time and effort he does. And no way do I have the filtration to handle it.

 

[PicassoClown04]

Has anyone kept a Fishers angelfish ( centropyge fisheri) in a reef ? I have one in my refugium , havent had the courage to move him to the display tank.

If youre worried, throw a couple frags in there with him. Do like a duncan, acan, zoa, and a cheap sps that should cover all your bases. If he does well the next couple months Id say that he's probably fine to go into your dt

 

[MONTANTK]

I’ve had numerous angels in Reef tanks and never had an issue. They key is to keep them well fed. Keep in mind the occasional pick at a coral isn’t bad (generally as long as it’s a decent size colony) but avid picking is an issue. A lot of it comes down to luck of the draw though

 

[biecacka]

I think it is a toss up. I have 2 in my tank and have had them for years. I also get NO polyp extension on my sps. I haven’t seen them nipping at the coral so I can’t blame them specifically but at the same time I don’t know what else it could be. I have seen others with great PE on tanks and it’s full of angel fish. Luck of the draw I guess

corey

 

[Biokabe]

As others have said - it's always going to be a bit of a risk. Some of them will be fine, others will devour every coral in your tank. There are some species that are worse than others, but the only way to really know for sure is to try it... and by the time you realize it was a bad idea, they've killed half your corals, and will kill the other half while you try to get them out of your tank.

That said, I really can't blame anyone who wants to try, they're absolutely gorgeous fish.

 

[biecacka]

They are beautiful fish. I have 2 in my 240 and I can’t catch them to save my life! I’m getting ready to move and when I do I will probably go to a 100 gallon stock tank as my sump. Then when I drain my main tank I will catch them and relocate both of them to the sump.

corey