KyOsIBa515
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2019
- Messages
- 173
- Reaction score
- 236
Dwarf angelfish
- Thread starter KyOsIBa515
- Start date
- Tagged users None
ca1ore
10K Club member
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
CTARS Member
Article Contributor
R2R TV Featured
Dwarf angels will get cranky with each other, particularly if cramped. I have a mated pair of flames (very cool to watch the mating dance as the lights go down) but the tank is a 450. Even there it was touch and go when I added the second one. I’d stick with just one in a 65.
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2018
- Messages
- 859
- Reaction score
- 2,353
A 65 is probably around the minimum to house a mated pair of either of Flames or Multicolors. Both are sort of medium sized in the dwarf angels, and full grown may be a little cramped for two. There is a large element of lucky having angels from seperate species coexist long term, in ideal circumstances, in all but the largest tanks. There is a good deal of difficulty in successfully creating a pair of angels as well. There is some difficulty in just keeping a mated pair of angels long term, and a smaller tank can exacerbate some of these issues.
@ca1ore gave great conservative advice, and if you want to do it "right" to avoid problems and extra fuss, pick one of the two species and get only one. More liberal advice is that it is possible, but perhaps not ideal, to house a pair of a single species. Should you want to keep a pair I would recommend spending some time looking at what, people in the hobby, aquaculture, and researchers have to say on the process; there is a fassinating body of information on it out there, though it is all somewhat disjoint. For Flames @ca1ore , @OrionN and many others here have experience selecting and forming pairs, couple quick searches will tell you about the sexual dimorphism and the debate over ideal sizing. Multicolors are a bit rarer generally, however photos and video of pairs are actually surprisingly rare, only came across a few in my brief searches. I do know one pair was on Divers Den a while ago, and you see them singly in the fish stores, enough that you wouldn't think pairs are that rare. There is not to my knowledge, or in the regarded sources, known sexual dimorphism. If I got any of that wrong please I would love to see your pair pictures and videos, and any evidence of sexual dimorphism. They are on the shortlist to try, after my last brief and unsuccessful adventure with Chaetodontidae. (Who I am now convinced are actually gonochoristic, Trust the literature!)
Sorry that turned into a wall of text quick, TL;DR:
Good advice: Ca1ore Medium advice: Maybe look into pair of one species Bad advice: Send it
An idol fantasy of mine, in a "future" fish room, a line of 60g cubes and 120g's, to solve this exact problem: too many beautiful species of Centropyge, not enough tanks.
@ca1ore gave great conservative advice, and if you want to do it "right" to avoid problems and extra fuss, pick one of the two species and get only one. More liberal advice is that it is possible, but perhaps not ideal, to house a pair of a single species. Should you want to keep a pair I would recommend spending some time looking at what, people in the hobby, aquaculture, and researchers have to say on the process; there is a fassinating body of information on it out there, though it is all somewhat disjoint. For Flames @ca1ore , @OrionN and many others here have experience selecting and forming pairs, couple quick searches will tell you about the sexual dimorphism and the debate over ideal sizing. Multicolors are a bit rarer generally, however photos and video of pairs are actually surprisingly rare, only came across a few in my brief searches. I do know one pair was on Divers Den a while ago, and you see them singly in the fish stores, enough that you wouldn't think pairs are that rare. There is not to my knowledge, or in the regarded sources, known sexual dimorphism. If I got any of that wrong please I would love to see your pair pictures and videos, and any evidence of sexual dimorphism. They are on the shortlist to try, after my last brief and unsuccessful adventure with Chaetodontidae. (Who I am now convinced are actually gonochoristic, Trust the literature!)
Sorry that turned into a wall of text quick, TL;DR:
Good advice: Ca1ore Medium advice: Maybe look into pair of one species Bad advice: Send it
An idol fantasy of mine, in a "future" fish room, a line of 60g cubes and 120g's, to solve this exact problem: too many beautiful species of Centropyge, not enough tanks.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,518
- Reaction score
- 2,854
I agree that mixing dwarf angels in a tank of less than 6 feet in length is not advised. My Coral Beauty is a near model citizen in my 90 gallon but put a mirror up and it goes nuts trying to attack it's reflection. I definitely wouldn't attempt another dwarf angel in my tank as long as it's in there.
65 gal is OK to keep a pair of Flame angels, but you may want to have more rock with a lot of crevices in it. This Flame Angel pair will pretty much prevent you from adding any other fish into the tank. I have a fully (over)stock 65 with a small PBT (which was re-home in my 320) replaced by a small Yellow tang given to me from a friend who broke his tank down, a pair of Flame angels, a pair of A. percula and that is it (plus a Magnifica and Haddoni/Gigantea Hybrid and a few corals).
I think this tank is over stock. In the future, I will remove the Yellow tang and just leave the 4 fishes in it. The Percula with the help of the anemones will hold their own, but other fish without such powerful friend will fall victim to the Flame angels.
I think this tank is over stock. In the future, I will remove the Yellow tang and just leave the 4 fishes in it. The Percula with the help of the anemones will hold their own, but other fish without such powerful friend will fall victim to the Flame angels.
Agree above my coral beauty is tank boss. If there was the added territorial behavior from a pair i would not have other fish.
And the spot he claimed as his cave is quite large compared to his size.
And the spot he claimed as his cave is quite large compared to his size.
I feed my fish very well. My PBT was sick and emaciated when I got him 4/2018 at 2.5 inches, full of Ich. He is 5+ inches now in less than 1 year. He is a picture of heath in my 320 gal DT. I only moved him to his new home about 3 weeks ago.
I know that 65 gal is not to small for my Flame angels because they are fat and spawned all the time.
My PBT 4/22/2018 when I just got him and now on 3/15/2019. Slightly short of 11 months.
I know that 65 gal is not to small for my Flame angels because they are fat and spawned all the time.
My PBT 4/22/2018 when I just got him and now on 3/15/2019. Slightly short of 11 months.
In the video below, my Flame Angels were in a pre-spawn ritual. This was about 1 year ago. The PBT was newly added to the tank, still small, only about the size of the Flame angels as you can see. I eventually removed all the wrasses because they were abused by the angels. The PBT hold his own and the Clowns were protected by the anemones. Even the two damsels, were removed.
OP
OP
KyOsIBa515
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2019
- Messages
- 173
- Reaction score
- 236
I feed my fish very well. My PBT was sick and emaciated when I got him 4/2018 at 2.5 inches, full of Ich. He is 5+ inches now in less than 1 year. He is a picture of heath in my 320 gal DT. I only moved him to his new home about 3 weeks ago.
I know that 65 gal is not to small for my Flame angels because they are fat and spawned all the time.
My PBT 4/22/2018 when I just got him and now on 3/15/2019. Slightly short of 11 months.
Wow, what a beautiful, healthy PBT. You have taken very good care of him. This tank of mine is as stated fish only. No inverts, no coral for the time being. My thought process is instead of quarantine which I do have an old 28g cube that would be a perfect quarantine tank. Just another tank I would have to worry about.
Wout corals or inverts I can medicate directly into the display if need be. I wish the tank was slightly bigger because I would of wanted something like a PBT strictly to help w algae control on rocks and what not.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2017
- Messages
- 3,518
- Reaction score
- 2,854
Really interesting. My Coral Beauty is a great community fish and shares it's long cave with multiple outlets with my Foxface and doesn't seem to care when my wrasses periodically swim through it. The cave is about 2 feet long.
Its also the largest fish,
Hes not aggressive per say to the clowns and wrasses, just assertive? Get too close or tries to eat before him gives a small chase than back to his normal business. No nipped fins and the other fish are free to swim and eat. Just lets them know hey im bigger.
Hes not aggressive per say to the clowns and wrasses, just assertive? Get too close or tries to eat before him gives a small chase than back to his normal business. No nipped fins and the other fish are free to swim and eat. Just lets them know hey im bigger.
