fish/coral compatability

Reef_Obsessed · Nov 2, 2014

Hello to everyone! We have all heard what types of fish are NOT reef compatible; ie., Angels, Triggers, Butterflies....Is there specific corals that these fish eat, do they leave some types alone or do they devour every coral?

I am thinking into the future about what kind of setup I want to build. I love the reef, but some of the fish, like the Angels, I love too. I am not one to "try" to see if a fish works out in a tank. If it is said to be not reef safe, then I will not get it if I decide a reef. This is why I ask:

Let's just say for example, I had a 125 gallon with mostly live rock, but put in some Acropora, Monti's, maybe some Frogspawn, Favia, basically an LPS/SPS mix, would they get picked on by Angels, Triggers, and Butterflies, or do they just enjoy the soft kinds (mushrooms, soft corals, polyps).

I'm interested in what my fellow hobbyists have to say...1smile1

tyler1503 · Nov 3, 2014

Some fish species are more inclined to eat certain coral species, for instance some may prefer SPS over LPS or something.
But in saying that, I read a post ages ago asking about a coral beauty in a reef. Some people had no issues at all, some people said LPS got eaten, some said SPS got eaten. This leads me to believe it comes down to the individual as opposed to the species as a whole.
I guess at the end of the day it will always be a risk, but some species will be more of a risk than others, but there is ALWAYS an exception to the rule

dantimdad68 · Nov 5, 2014

Agreed, Tyler. I had a clownfish nip at LPS and a trigger leave everything alone in the same tank at the same time. PLUS they got along with each other. Go figure...

dodgerblew · Nov 5, 2014

If you want coral and don't want to worry about coral getting nipped on then stay away from cautionary reef fish. Simple as that. Fish will all adapt differently. You can put in three of the same fish in your reef. One might leave corals alone or eat Zoas, one may get a taste for sps and the other LPS. In the last few months I've tried a genicanthus Watanabei which is an angel that is a planktivore and considered reef safe....it picked on acans. I tried the Heniochus diphreutes, also a planktivore and considered reef safe...within a week, picking on coral. I recently removed a small foxface which I put in to eat bubble algae I had in my tank...it loved acans. Last night I found an emerald Mithrax crab which are considered reef safe standing and feeding on an acan polyp when lights were off. It's all hit and miss. And even if the fish leaves coral alone at first or even for a long time doesn't mean they won't eventually start to pick.

tyler1503 · Nov 5, 2014

dodgerblew said:
If you want coral and don't want to worry about coral getting nipped on then stay away from cautionary reef fish. Simple as that. Fish will all adapt differently. You can put in three of the same fish in your reef. One might leave corals alone or eat Zoas, one may get a taste for sps and the other LPS. In the last few months I've tried a genicanthus Watanabei which is an angel that is a planktivore and considered reef safe....it picked on acans. I tried the Heniochus diphreutes, also a planktivore and considered reef safe...within a week, picking on coral. I recently removed a small foxface which I put in to eat bubble algae I had in my tank...it loved acans. Last night I found an emerald Mithrax crab which are considered reef safe standing and feeding on an acan polyp when lights were off. It's all hit and miss. And even if the fish leaves coral alone at first or even for a long time doesn't mean they won't eventually start to pick.

Wow that's some bad luck!
I've even heard stories of our beloved tangs eating corals. Interestingly enough most people complained about the same species. This would be a much better post if I could remember which one though......

dodgerblew · Nov 5, 2014

Not bad luck. As Dr. Malcolm said in Jurassic Park, "life finds a way"

I tried riskier fish when it comes to comparability, it didn't go my corals way (or my wallets). Do I want a dwarf angel and butterfly, yes. Is it worth it to me, no. I have some very nice fish that want nothing to do with coral. Fairy wrasse, Coris wrasse, clown, Masuda hogfish (awesome fish), Blenny and Bangghai. Plenty of color, movement etc and coral polyps not irritated and fully extended. That's worth it to me. You might have better odds then I due to you having a larger tank meaning more surface area to graze. I have a 24" cube

Marta · Nov 5, 2014

I agree it depends on the fish itself. We have a coral beauty that doesn't bother anything and a flame angel in the same tank that nips at everything, and the two of them get along eventho they're not supposed to. In our other tank we have an angel and a trigger along with a couple others. In that tank we have hairy mushrooms and no one bothers them at all. So, I think it's just a 50/50 shot for the most part. We would probably pull the flame angel and put it in the other tank, but we haven't been able to catch it yet...

Tankd · Nov 5, 2014

My flame angel only eats Pulsing Xenia. I have tried it several times months even a year apart and each time that is her dinner choice. Thankfully she leaves everything else alone.

Big Wave · Nov 5, 2014

Some people keep what would otherwise be completely non-reef-safe fish with gorgonians. The gorgonians are so nasty tasting and toxic that many fish will leave them alone after the first bite. Granted, most gorgonians are not easy corals to care for, so best left to advanced reefers.

There is also the question of what makes a particular fish non-reef-safe. With some fish, the issue is simply that they eat corals. With others, the fish may not eat the coral per se, but they will turn rocks over and crush things (I'm looking at you, triggers). Some fish eat the slime off of corals, irritating the coral (angelfish).

If you're looking for a reef-safe angelfish, check out the Japanese swallowtails. They are some of my favorite fish. The males look nothing like the females and make for a stunning pair!

Big Wave · Nov 5, 2014

dodgerblew said:
If you want coral and don't want to worry about coral getting nipped on then stay away from cautionary reef fish. Simple as that. Fish will all adapt differently. You can put in three of the same fish in your reef. One might leave corals alone or eat Zoas, one may get a taste for sps and the other LPS. In the last few months I've tried a genicanthus Watanabei which is an angel that is a planktivore and considered reef safe....it picked on acans. I tried the Heniochus diphreutes, also a planktivore and considered reef safe...within a week, picking on coral. I recently removed a small foxface which I put in to eat bubble algae I had in my tank...it loved acans. Last night I found an emerald Mithrax crab which are considered reef safe standing and feeding on an acan polyp when lights were off. It's all hit and miss. And even if the fish leaves coral alone at first or even for a long time doesn't mean they won't eventually start to pick.

There's just something about acans! Many people also report the acans were the only coral that their peppermint shrimp ate.

fishroomlady · Nov 5, 2014

+1^^ I was thinking that dodgerblew must have some mighty fine tasting acans

dodgerblew · Nov 5, 2014

More like dodgerblew had some mighty fine tasting acans! I lost many colonies from the foxface because I didn't know it was eating them for three wks. Many of the the colonies I believe expelled their zooxanthellae leaving them virtually bleached out or just a single color. Most of my acans can be sourced back to Cherycorals, Sexycorals and All Delight so you can figure they were top of the line acans. I guess the more expensive they are the tastier they are....like Kobe beef

The acan in my avatar must've really tasted good because it was one that was eaten

tonymission · Nov 5, 2014

dodgerblew said:
More like dodgerblew had some mighty fine tasting acans! I lost many colonies from the foxface because I didn't know it was eating them for three wks. Many of the the colonies I believe expelled their zooxanthellae leaving them virtually bleached out or just a single color. Most of my acans can be sourced back to Cherycorals, Sexycorals and All Delight so you can figure they were top of the line acans. I guess the more expensive they are the tastier they are....like Kobe beef

The acan in my avatar must've really tasted good because it was one that was eaten

Just took mine out yesterday when I caught him munching on a couple pieces in the frag tank. Sold for $10. Also have the bleaching on a number of pieces and couldn't explain it.

dodgerblew · Nov 5, 2014

tonymission said:
Just took mine out yesterday when I caught him munching on a couple pieces in the frag tank. Sold for $10. Also have the bleaching on a number of pieces and couldn't explain it.

now you can. It's been a month and I'm just starting to get color back. Hopefully they'll regain their former beauty