Best & Worst "Reef Safe" Angelfish for Your Reef

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Angelfish are so beautiful and so..........unpredictable! Just forget about housing a "non reef safe" angel in your reef tank. But what about those considered to be "reef safe" with caution? Let's talk about your experiences today!

In your experience, when it comes to being "reef safe"......

1. What's the BEST behaving reef safe angelfish?

2. What's the WORST behaving reef safe angelfish?

image via @3dees

 

[blaxsun]

I have two: a Coral Beauty and Midnight dwarf angel. The Coral beauty is 100% reef safe but the Midnight is only about 95% safe as it will eat any acans I put in the tank (I always thought I sucked at growing them, but now I suspect why).

Personally I don’t think either of these angels are the worst behaving (YMMV).

 

[davidcalgary29]

I have a tibicen and a multicolor angelfish in my RSM250, and a coral beauty in my IM40. Both tanks have a variety of coral, but I haven't seen any of the angels eat them. I have seen them pick at the occasional polyp, but that's only been to snag some detritus or eat some type of arthropod off of them.

I have other fish (the filefish shall go UNNAMED) which are far more destructive to my LPS.

 

[Catnip885]

No don't have a reef big enough to put one in but would probably try a coral beauty past one's we had were always pretty peaceful just didn't have corals with them really

 

[KevPool]

I have a Coral Beauty that is doing great in my tank

 

[astiesi]

I had a pygmy cherub angle in my old 65g that was a model citizen. Very cool fish.

 

[i cant think]

I have a Genecanthus melanospilos - I found an image of before he was in my reef and after so I may aswell show both however, I would LOVE a lamarks, shame I have no room because it’s filled with wrasse now

I would also love to bring his pattern back because at the moment it’s almost a random type of checkerboard at the top and bottom of him

 

[LouisianaReef]

I have had great luck keeping a coral beauty in a mixed reef for the last 3 or 4 years. Never seen it nip at anything

 

[fishkeepersaltnfresh]

I have a Coral Beauty in my 29G tank. This is my 2nd coral beauty and both of them have been model citizens.

 

[14 foot reef]

The best behaving Angel is my Holo Holo ( Bandit Angel )

 

[REEFTIDE]

I absolutely fell in LOVE with Bellus angels a while back.... the first two I got loved to eat corals

I'm on my 3rd now and she's actually behaving. I will add, I got the last one considerably smaller than the other two so maybe it just didn't learn bad habits in the ocean

 

[atomos]

i haven't run into problems with a flame or coral beauty....in fact, they are model citizens--no nipping at corals, they are pretty chill--the coral beauty is buddies with the hector goby and court jester goby too

 

[carbasaurus]

My regal angelfish is a model citizen and leaves all my coral alone. I have a wantanabe in QT right now so too soon to tell but she does not graze at all (open water feeder). She should be ok. My experience with dwarf angels (centropyge and paracentropyges) is mixed. Soft coral and most sps are fine. LPS are another story. Elegance corals are virtual salad bars to them and other fleshy corals do get grazed. Still would rather have the dwarf angels so I limit my LPS corals

 

[moz71]

I have a Regal angelfish as well and model citizen fingers cross stays that way!

 

[carbasaurus]

Regal angels are awesome but can be difficult to acclimate and are somewhat shy. Mine looses all “arguments” with the venustus angel but is otherwise well settled in a large community tank that includes two tangs, a fox face and scribbled rabbit fish. He still hides a bit more than the others but I have lots of bolt holes and caves for shelter. When getting a new regal, A patient period of acclimation in QT is key IMO. I run my QT like a mini reef with live rock and some soft coral, plus Plenty of algae and little sponges to graze on while it gets used to captive care. My go to feed initially is clams on the half shell which usually works. My current regal likes reef caviar as well.

 

[tautog83]

A bellus that ate corals ? I've never heard of that but I guess anything is possible .

 

[Griev]

I absolutely fell in LOVE with Bellus angels a while back.... the first two I got loved to eat corals

I'm on my 3rd now and she's actually behaving. I will add, I got the last one considerably smaller than the other two so maybe it just didn't learn bad habits in the ocean

This is actually the first I've heard of Genicanthus angelfish not being 100% reef safe. What sort of corals did they go after? My Spotbreast Angelfish would pick at algae infrequently, but I never saw them going after any corals.

 

[Dolphins18]

Flame: Success
Flameback: Fail
Coral Beauty: Success
Lamarcks: Fail, but does not do too much damage

It's been luck of the draw for me.
Sometimes they will only be interested in certain types of coral. Some like elegances, some like acans, some like everything under the sun lol

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Ive never had an issue with genocanthus angels, and ive had 5 dwarfs over the years and only 1 was a coral nipper.

 

[Grumblez]

The best behaving Angel is my Holo Holo ( Bandit Angel )

Is that 5 yellow tangs? How's thay going? I really want to try 3 if I ever upgrade to a 100+ gallon