Poll: Have you kept a Flame Angel pair?

[Areeflover]

Have you kept a pair of Flame angels?

 

[theMeat]

Yes. They can change sex quick, even so quick as they change during shipping. So the trick is to find a young one that is newly arrived that hasn’t changed yet. Put them together in a small qt tank so there’s no avoiding each other for a month or so. One bigger, one small and unchanged. Then you should be good to go

 

[rockstarta78]

I'd be happy to keep just one. But I have zoas so haven't risked it yet. They used to be a must have fish for me. One day I'll get one.

 

[Ardeus]

I saw a small one that I was pretty sure it still a female. I brought it home and I got a bigger one as soon as I could.

They get along most of the time and from time to time the bigger one chases the other. I already saw the bigger one gently pecking at the ventral area of the smaller one a few times.

Both of them still have round dorsal and ventral fins.

One of the main online shops in Europe says in their website that they are reef safe when kept as couples, which is strange.

 

[Areeflover]

I'd be happy to keep just one. But I have zoas so haven't risked it yet. They used to be a must have fish for me. One day I'll get one.

The key to keeping angels in reef tanks If you are afraid of coral nipping is to feed them often

 

[eatbreakfast]

The key to keeping angels in reef tanks If you are afraid of coral nipping is to feed them often

That doesn't guarantee no nipping. I've seen my fair share of angels that were well fed still nip.

 

[ca1ore]

I kept a trio many years ago, but they came as a harem (which seems like cheating). Kept them for quite long time.

 

[Areeflover]

I kept a trio many years ago, but they came as a harem (which seems like cheating). Kept them for quite long time.

That would be amazing I wonder if I can do that

 

[eatbreakfast]

Do you have something bigger than a 25g? A harem would need 150+g.

 

[Areeflover]

Do you have something bigger than a 25g? A harem would need 150+g.

Just a 56g. Im not going to attempt it in the 25g. Of the 56 for that matter

 

[Flexin]

Two angles to clear a path through select corals, I'm good

 

[Ardeus]

I kept a trio many years ago, but they came as a harem (which seems like cheating). Kept them for quite long time.

How did the 2 females get along?

 

[ca1ore]

They got along fine - but as I said they were an established harum when I bought them. Have never seen a trio for sale again like that.

 

[LVE]

Very interesting to hear of people having success with this. I'm setting up a new tank and this might just have to be something I try out down the road.

 

[clsanchez77]

No, I never have. However I am keeping a new pair of Cherub angels right now. Just moved them from QT to DT yesterday. They were acclimated in a 20 gal QT for 4 weeks with no issue.

I have tried keeping three in the past to form a harem, but that never worked. I guess they are Christians

 

[mike werner]

Yes. They can change sex quick, even so quick as they change during shipping. So the trick is to find a young one that is newly arrived that hasn’t changed yet. Put them together in a small qt tank so there’s no avoiding each other for a month or so. One bigger, one small and unchanged. Then you should be good to go

I totally disagree with this.no way to tell sex of flame angels that I have ever heard of.even when I had a pair spawn you still could not tell the difference between male and female.not size,shape or color
I have almost always kept a pair of flame angel as well as bicolor,flame backs and potters angels.i've done it two ways.i have bought two similar size angels and popped them in the tank.sure they fight at first but NOT TO THE DEATH.sometimes it stops in a few days some times it takes a week or two.but it does stop!second I have had on several occasions one of the pair die.when this happens I get a new one as soon as possible.i try to get the new one smaller than the old one but have also added a similar size one in as well.again they do scrap but NOT TO THE DEATH.
people come over to see my tank and say "I thought you could not keep two flame or other pairs pigmy angels together"i say you see them don't you.i do have a 200 gal system but I do keep a pair of flames and potters in my 54 corner.you just need to be able to stand the initial battles.it is hard to watch but in my experience (10 + different times in the last 20 years) it has always worked out in the end.yes i'm sure some reefers have had different results.i don't believe I have just been lucky over the years however.i may just be a little more patient with the process.
I do have sps dominated tanks with lots of acros some high end but most no names or names I don't know.i have never had a problem with them "eating" corals.yes they do nip alot but so do my other fish.to me it's just a cleaning type thing.i do feed heavy three or more times a day to avoid any possible problems like aggression and eating corals.again i'm sure people will say they have had different experiences.but I have not had any negative ones doing pigmy pairs for the last 20 years

 

[ca1ore]

So I am actually hoping to be able to get a flame pair in my 450. I have two already, one smaller one (2 1/2" in social acclimation box) and one larger (3" recovering in HT from what appears to have been velvet). Latter is really twitchy though, so we shall see.

 

[theMeat]

I totally disagree with this.no way to tell sex of flame angels that I have ever heard of.even when I had a pair spawn you still could not tell the difference between male and female.not size,shape or color
I have almost always kept a pair of flame angel as well as bicolor,flame backs and potters angels.i've done it two ways.i have bought two similar size angels and popped them in the tank.sure they fight at first but NOT TO THE DEATH.sometimes it stops in a few days some times it takes a week or two.but it does stop!second I have had on several occasions one of the pair die.when this happens I get a new one as soon as possible.i try to get the new one smaller than the old one but have also added a similar size one in as well.again they do scrap but NOT TO THE DEATH.
people come over to see my tank and say "I thought you could not keep two flame or other pairs pigmy angels together"i say you see them don't you.i do have a 200 gal system but I do keep a pair of flames and potters in my 54 corner.you just need to be able to stand the initial battles.it is hard to watch but in my experience (10 + different times in the last 20 years) it has always worked out in the end.yes i'm sure some reefers have had different results.i don't believe I have just been lucky over the years however.i may just be a little more patient with the process.
I do have sps dominated tanks with lots of acros some high end but most no names or names I don't know.i have never had a problem with them "eating" corals.yes they do nip alot but so do my other fish.to me it's just a cleaning type thing.i do feed heavy three or more times a day to avoid any possible problems like aggression and eating corals.again i'm sure people will say they have had different experiences.but I have not had any negative ones doing pigmy pairs for the last 20 years

That’s just bad info. Angel fish aren’t like clown fish which can change back and forth. Once it starts to change male that’s it, it’s male.
Males have pointier dorsal and pelvic fins, not rounded as with females.
Males have an extra black stripe. Which can get confusing since flames that come from dif parts of the world can have dif markings. But if they came from the same place in the same shipment, easy.
There’s also subtle coloring dif, males are brighter.

This in no way means that if you put them in a small tank together to “pair” that it’s 100% it will work. Or that you won’t at least have a few days of bickering

 

[mike werner]

That’s just bad info. Angel fish aren’t like clown fish which can change back and forth. Once it starts to change male that’s it, it’s male.
Males have pointier dorsal and pelvic fins, not rounded as with females.
Males have an extra black stripe. Which can get confusing since flames that come from dif parts of the world can have dif markings. But if they came from the same place in the same shipment, easy.
There’s also subtle coloring dif, males are brighter.

This in no way means that if you put them in a small tank together to “pair” that it’s 100% it will work. Or that you won’t at least have a few days of bickering

please post the article(s) you found this info in.i would love to read them.

 

[pcon]

I totally disagree with this.no way to tell sex of flame angels that I have ever heard of.even when I had a pair spawn you still could not tell the difference between male and female.not size,shape or color

This is blatantly false. Almost any reputable reference publication will list sexual dimorphism in centropyge; My favorite reference for this is Scott Michael's Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Flame angels have by far the most distinctive and obvious sexual dimorphism in the genus. It being obvious in size, colartion, and fin structure. Males have clearly pointed anal and dorsal fins at the caudal area, are more yellow, and have more blue on the dorsal and anal fins. If you can't tell the difference between the male and female during spawning you need to research more, or they aren't actually spawning; centropyge have distinct roles during copulation.

Also Keeping Flame angel pairs is very doable. Pairing is easy once sexed, I introduce both angels to a tank at the same time, and observe closely for several weeks. Almost always works out if you sexed them right the first time. I would not recommend a pair of flame angels in anything under a 75g though breeders typically use a 60g cube, or a 55g drum.