Best dwarf angels

[Bruce17]

i has one for years, it was with much more aggressive and bigger fish, and it was still a jerk. Plus, it was an SPS nipper.

Oh. So you wouldn’t recommend the lemon peel angel?

 

[Bruce17]

I have a pair for over 3 years, but they are not captive bred.

No issues with them? Bali has captive bred ones now. I might go that way with one. At least I’ll know that it’s eating. Thoughts?

 

[IKD]

Joculator might be a good choice. They are hardy and beautiful, IMO.

I was interested when I saw this post, then nearly fell off my chair when I saw the price! Holy moly...

 

[Bruce17]

I have had 2 pygmy angels in 11+ years. Both did well and neither have been bullies. They can be obnoxious with a new introduction to the tank, but they usually back off and quickly go back to their rock picking ways. I have introduced a flasher wrasse and a fairy wrasse with my current pygmy angle. Very pretty dwarf angels, too.

Good to know. I’m looking at getting some wrasse and anthias as well. I’ll put those fish in the tank before the dwarf angels then.

 

[Bruce17]

I have a pair for over 3 years, but they are not captive bred.

Do you have any yellow tangs? Just curious if there would be any territorial issues because of the colour?

 

[hllb]

I’m setting up a 32 gallon and would love a Pygmy angel (cherub, flameback, etc). Do you guys think this would be possible? Other tank mates would just be a pair of clowns, firefish, and maybe a Pygmy hawkfish or yellow watchman goby

I put a beautiful cherub in my biocube. He was doing great until someone murdered him (I think it was my Sally Lightfoot). Only had him 2 weeks though. You wouldn’t want to go any bigger than a cherub or flameback.

 

[Steelersfan]

I was interested when I saw this post, then nearly fell off my chair when I saw the price! Holy moly...

Lol. You didn’t specify price.
I hear you, but they really are very cool fish.

 

[hllb]

For the OP, my favorite is a flame. Bicolors are beautiful too but I’ve never had one. They remind me more of a full size angel in body shape.

 

[Steelersfan]

No issues with them? Bali has captive bred ones now. I might go that way with one. At least I’ll know that it’s eating. Thoughts?

I am a fan of captive bred fish, but wild caught Joculators are very hardy as well. I don’t have any yellow Tangs.

 

[Bruce17]

For the OP, my favorite is a flame. Bicolors are beautiful too but I’ve never had one. They remind me more of a full size angel in body shape.

No issues with aggression from your flame? Is it a captive bred one?

 

[Bruce17]

I am a fan of captive bred fish, but wild caught Joculators are very hardy as well. I don’t have any yellow Tangs.

Ok good to know. I think the Joculator will be on the list with Conspic. Who knows, I might copy you and get two conspics as well . Any thoughts or experience with other dwarf angels?

 

[ca1ore]

Depends on your definition of ‘best’ I suppose. I have quite a bit of tolerance for fish that nip, so even in my reef tank I keep a bunch of them. Currently I have a pair of flames, a potters, an Eibli and a lemon peel. The flames regularly spawn. Hoping the eibli and lemonpeel will produce a bunch of tigerpyge hybrids for me.

Some are highly cryptic, golden and purple masked. They can be kept, but mostly not in an aggressive tank. Others are just crazy expensive. Multibar is really tough to get eating.

Coral beauty and Bicolors would be good choices too.

 

[btmedic04]

I had a flame angel in my 40b who only gave my royal gramma a bit of grief. I ended up taking it back to the LFS once it started nipping my sps. Maybe I'll revisit a flame angel one day when I have a larger tank with more established colonies.

Shortly after I pulled him and my bottle trap out

 

[Bruce17]

Depends on your definition of ‘best’ I suppose. I have quite a bit of tolerance for fish that nip, so even in my reef tank I keep a bunch of them. Currently I have a pair of flames, a potters, an Eibli and a lemon peel. The flames regularly spawn. Hoping the eibli and lemonpeel will produce a bunch of tigerpyge hybrids for me.

Some are highly cryptic, golden and purple masked. They can be kept, but mostly not in an aggressive tank. Others are just crazy expensive. Multibar is really tough to get eating.

Coral beauty and Bicolors would be good choices too.

Thank you very much for your input. How is your Potter angel? It’ll be a fish only tank, so the nipping won’t be an issue. How big is your tank? Does your flames team up against the other dwarfs?

 

[hllb]

Have you

No issues with aggression from your flame? Is it a captive bred one?

i don’t recall having any issues but that was a long time ago - more than 12 years.

 

[mattzang]

i have a flame and it has been awesome. when i added it i was worried the other fish would pick on it, but he went to work quickly deciding he would be dominant fish. my female clown and the flame went at it off and on for a couple of weeks, but now they're cool.

personally, if i were doing a fish only tank and it didn't have dwarf angels in it, it wouldn't be worth doing. the only fish only i'd ever consider doing is some kind of angel/butterfly tank

coral nipping doesn't seem relevant to this thread, but worth mentioning mine has been fine with sps/lps (no acans/zoas/clams)

 

[ca1ore]

Thank you very much for your input. How is your Potter angel? It’ll be a fish only tank, so the nipping won’t be an issue. How big is your tank? Does your flames team up against the other dwarfs?

You’re welcome! Potters is fine. An obsessive grazer though so needs live rock. Not the easiest of the dwarfs though. My tank is very big at 450, so plenty of space for hijinks. Plus my larger angels and tangs mostly keep the little guys in line .... mostly.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Bicolor Angel, hands down. That bright yellow and royal blue will knock you socks off.

 

[Bruce17]

i have a flame and it has been awesome. when i added it i was worried the other fish would pick on it, but he went to work quickly deciding he would be dominant fish. my female clown and the flame went at it off and on for a couple of weeks, but now they're cool.

personally, if i were doing a fish only tank and it didn't have dwarf angels in it, it wouldn't be worth doing. the only fish only i'd ever consider doing is some kind of angel/butterfly tank

coral nipping doesn't seem relevant to this thread, but worth mentioning mine has been fine with sps/lps (no acans/zoas/clams)

Mine will be a fish only. I want some bigger angels and butterfly fish in the tank

 

[SMSREEF]

I have a flameback that I got 2 weeks ago.
It’s in a 10 gallon quarantine with a cardinal and a tailspot blenny.
He has not bothered anyone. I’m hoping it will be the same for my Large polyp corals, but I have a feeling I’m probably wrong... he’s always hungry...
please excuse the algae... my tailspot loves it and I want to keep him used to eating it.