Coral options with Angels

[ZombieEngineer]

I am setting up a 60 cube to house livestock that can't go into my 65 mixed reef. What corals would you consider 99% safe with this setup? My livestock plans are

For Certain
- Flame Angel
- Engineer Goby
- Longnose Hawkfish
- Blue Spotted Puffer
- Starry Blenny
- Hawkfish safe cleanup crew

Maybes
- Royal Gramma
- Ornate Leopard Wrasse
- Coral Beauty
- Banghai Cardinal

 

[Goaway]

Awesome fish list. Hope someone can get you answers.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Genicanthus angels best option

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Anything else ur rolling the dice

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Anything else ur rolling the dice

The question is not which angels are safe with corals (I have a mixed reef for prized corals). The questions is which corals are as close as possible to 100% safe with a flame angel.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I've heard pretty much anything that could be considered invasive, i.e. GSP, xenia, kenya trees, leathers, etc. I think I've heard that they're okay with some SPS too, but I don't remember for certain.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Any others with experience?

I already know from personal experience and videos on the topic that most slower growing fleshy LPS and softies including acans, open brains, candy canes, zoas, etc are definitely on the menu. I know SPS is generally safe if the colonies aren't small frags, but I don't intend on dosing this tank, so outside of a little montipora, SPS are off the list anyway.

It's the middle of the pack things that can be maintained with purely water changes and not require dosing that I am interested in adding, but I am not sure of what is a coin flip vs very safe. Examples include chalice, anemones, lepto, chalice, euphyllia, toadstool, etc.

 

[Marine Iguana]

The most important thing you can do with a non-genicanthus angel is keep it well fed, and keep your corals healthy- if an angel is well fed, it will be less inclined to eat corals (an auto-feeder is a good investment), especially if those corals are healthy and growing. Like you said above, avoiding fleshy LPS can increase your odds of success. SPS, euphyllia, goniapora and leathers are generally less palatable.

I think another thing to consider is the blue spotted toby- I know some people have success with them in reefs, but I would consider it more of a risk than the angels. It will also likely consume any small inverts you add for CUC. If you like that slow, deliberate demeanor of a toby puffer, a captive bred aiptasia-eating filefish could be a beautiful replacement that in my experience almost never munch on coral.

Overall, I believe the beauty of angels are worth the risk, but you have to be the one to decide if you want to risk it yourself. If your angel decides it has a taste for a particular coral, will you remove the fish, or keep it and recognize you can't keep that type of coral with that individual? Having a plan beforehand and weighing the cost will make it easier on you in the future!

 

[dedragon]

flame angels can pretty much nip at any fleshy corals and mushrooms and zoa polyps, but will also nip at polyps of sps too and hurt extension and may damage small frags. No clams as well.
Not really worth the risk to me with other angles as an option but honestly i do also love bellus and watanabe angels
I have a captive bred aiptasia eating filefish that went into the sump as it immediately started eating acans and sps polyps
The toby as mentioned also isnt a great idea for a reef tank

 

[davidcalgary29]

Genicanthus angels are stunningly beautiful, but I don't know that they're a great fit for a 65g tank. I've had g. semifasciatus in a four foot tank, and it was too active for it -- they dart around the tank. A Lamarck may be a slightly better choice, but mine is hugely fat and pretty aggressive, so you should give plenty of room for fights over the nori.

None of my dwarves have gone after my coral. I have, however, rescued quite a bit of coral from other aggressive angel tanks.

A definite no:

turbinaria (devil angel at fault: coral beauty)
long-tentacled plate coral (juvenile delinquent bicolor)
gorgonians (polyps collect detritus, which attracts angels, which encourages nipping)

Are you a gambler?

Acans
zoas
stylocoeniella
fox coral (I have a growing, plump, and juicy colony in a 65g with a tibicen and a multicolor -- but no nips after 18 months)

"Safe" (translation: you probably want your fish to eat them)

Kenya trees
nepthea
xenia
mushrooms
leather coral

 

[davidcalgary29]

The most important thing you can do with a non-genicanthus angel is keep it well fed,

A great point, and I think people underestimate the value of feeding nori, as well. All of my angels will at least peck at it, and most of them will graze on nori throughout the day. I think that a lot of angels end up pecking at polyps because they are first attracted to algae growing in complicated folds, and then just develop a taste for coral from there.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Any others with experience?

I already know from personal experience and videos on the topic that most slower growing fleshy LPS and softies including acans, open brains, candy canes, zoas, etc are definitely on the menu. I know SPS is generally safe if the colonies aren't small frags, but I don't intend on dosing this tank, so outside of a little montipora, SPS are off the list anyway.

It's the middle of the pack things that can be maintained with purely water changes and not require dosing that I am interested in adding, but I am not sure of what is a coin flip vs very safe. Examples include chalice, anemones, lepto, chalice, euphyllia, toadstool, etc.

My lemonpeel nipped at mushrooms... my boss's juvenile emperor angel ate his brain coral. He also has a flame angel and a rock beauty that have been well behaved though. You just never know.

 

[dedragon]

small mushrooms def unsafe

 

[blaxsun]

I am setting up a 60 cube to house livestock that can't go into my 65 mixed reef. What corals would you consider 99% safe with this setup? My livestock plans are
- Flame Angel
- Coral Beauty

60 gallons isn't enough for a pair of dwarf angels - pick one (they'll most likely fight otherwise). My coral beauty has been 100% reef safe; my midnight 99% reef safe (does have a thing for acans). No experience with the flame but it's a coin toss whether any dwarfs will be reef safe or not.

 

[blaxsun]

small mushrooms def unsafe

I've got six really small ones - none of my angels have any interest.

 

[dedragon]

I've got six really small ones - none of my angels have any interest.

ur very lucky

 

[blaxsun]

ur very lucky

I have a juvenile emperor angel too. So far, reef safe. He's a very good fish.

 

[Grsfish]

I never see my coral beauty pick on any corals. I have a mixed reef with mainly soft corals. My Valentini puffer was nipping at one of my bounce mushrooms when I first put him in but now I don’t see him pick at anything anymore