Anyone have any experience with potters angel? I'm thinking about getting one. Are they hard to keep? Do they eat well? I've heard they are hard to maintain. I'm also thinking about getting a valentini puffer. Pros/cons?
Potters angel
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Lovemyreef2015
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We have owned potters in the past. Very pretty. If you have any corals there is always a chance it will pick at them. We have never had a problem keeping them.
Lovemyreef2015
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We really never had a issue with them eating. We do feed a variety of food. We feed LRS Reef Frenzy, and Dr G's caviar. Among many others but both of those should do the trick.
Lovemyreef2015
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Yes we did. He started nipping at corals. I don't remember which ones. He was a great fish for over 5 months before he started nipping. Every fish is different. Some people say it's not if they will nip, it's when.
Potters are notoriously difficult to get eating, you'll even find 2 on here that lost recently. If you qt, putting a mature rock with micro algae on it for grazing helps. Resorting to live foods like black worms, brine shrimp, or pods also helps. They may even respond to clams on the half shell or masstick the food that you can smash into a rock for them to pick at. If they 1st don't take to the clam, put one in daily for a few days in row and they may eventually take to it. Other foods are hit or miss, brine shrimp and mysis is usually a couple of the 1st ones they eat.
Lovemyreef2015
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Wow I guess we got lucky with the ones that we have had. We never had any problems getting ours to eat.
CoralNerd
Valuable Member
Plus one on.
May pick at corals, mine likes digitata lol
He moves around so quick it's hard to tell if he's nipping at anything else...maybe my encrusting monti too.
Plus one on.
Masstik it's the bomb for fish food [emoji106]
May pick at corals, mine likes digitata lol
He moves around so quick it's hard to tell if he's nipping at anything else...maybe my encrusting monti too.
Plus one on.
Masstik it's the bomb for fish food [emoji106]
The Potter's that I have pictured above was initially at the fish store. I was reluctant to buy it due to my initial failure. It sat in the store for a couple of weeks and it always appeared to be fat and healthy. I decided to give it a shot, but when I went in the store the angel was on hold for another customer. Five months later that same customer posted that he was breaking down his tank and was selling his fish. I ended up buying a huge Tomini Tang, a Mimic Tang, and of course the Potter's all for $110.
This particular Potter's is an absolute football. He holds his own with the larger tangs and has no problem feeding. Its funny watching the Tomini (3x larger) and the Potter's chase each around the tank. Incredibly beautiful fish. Also my Potter's hasn't touched any coral and I keep all types. The only thing I don't know is how he will react to a clam when I eventually get one. Hoping it will work out fine since he doesn't bother my fleshy LPS.
If I have any advice, it would be to scope one out and watch it at the store and monitor how it does. If it appears fat and healthy over a few weeks time, go for it! If you don't have that luxury, I would highly recommend setting up a quarantine tank for it.
Best of luck!
Labridaedicted
Wrassetastic
They are incredible little fish but can be delicate. In order to maximize your chances of success, do 2 things....
1. Make sure it is eating at the store (or at absolute minimum interested/ picking at food)
2. Make sure your tank is mature.
They tend to be picky eaters and will sometimes waste away. I have successfully kept them in the past, but won't even consider them unless they are large and I see them eating. Having a mature tank gives then plenty to pick on as they do like to graze on the rocks.
Bear in mind, while they are one of the less likely coral pickers of the Centropyges, they ARE still Centropyges so clams and meaty LPS are at risk of nipping.
1. Make sure it is eating at the store (or at absolute minimum interested/ picking at food)
2. Make sure your tank is mature.
They tend to be picky eaters and will sometimes waste away. I have successfully kept them in the past, but won't even consider them unless they are large and I see them eating. Having a mature tank gives then plenty to pick on as they do like to graze on the rocks.
Bear in mind, while they are one of the less likely coral pickers of the Centropyges, they ARE still Centropyges so clams and meaty LPS are at risk of nipping.
KJoFan
Valuable Member
I've had one for..probably close to two months now. So not real long term but it's growing and getting thicker so seems to be doing well. The LFS I purchased from tends to put the date they received the fish on a tag on the tank, which is nice. It'd been at the store for I believe around 3 weeks when I purchased it and I watched it eat LRS frozen food at the store.
It now seems to eat most things I put in the tank including pellets and also likes Masstick, but spends a lot of tip picking around on the rocks as angels do.
It now seems to eat most things I put in the tank including pellets and also likes Masstick, but spends a lot of tip picking around on the rocks as angels do.
Fish Biscuit
Community Member
I just lost my potters this weekend when the power went out for 22 hours 
Definitely make sure they are eating at the lfs & have a mature tank. Mine was in a mixed reef & never had any problems with nipping. I fed twice a day. Ate anything I put in, frozen, flakes, & pellets along with grazing the rocks & glass.
They are shy at first but soon was cruising all over & boss of the tank. I would get another one in a heartbeat but will be moving next year & the less I have to move the better.
Definitely make sure they are eating at the lfs & have a mature tank. Mine was in a mixed reef & never had any problems with nipping. I fed twice a day. Ate anything I put in, frozen, flakes, & pellets along with grazing the rocks & glass.
They are shy at first but soon was cruising all over & boss of the tank. I would get another one in a heartbeat but will be moving next year & the less I have to move the better.
mfinn
likes zoanthids
I got a Potters Wrasse about 3 weeks ago and he was a little tough to get it eating frozen.
I started out with 2 bottles of Tigger Pods. It was the only thing it would eat for the first 5-6 days. Wouldn't touch live brine or black worms.
I even had to go get a 3rd bottle of Tigger Pods. ( probably could have gotten away with not getting it, but I wanted to be sure)
Then on about day 7, I noticed it would eat a little nutramar ova, then a day or so later it would pick at ROE.
It was going around the tank picking at the walls of the quarantine tank and other items in the tank.
Then a few days ago it actually started going after frozen brine and mysis.
So I wasn't sure for a week or so I wasn't sure if it was going to survive.
I started out with 2 bottles of Tigger Pods. It was the only thing it would eat for the first 5-6 days. Wouldn't touch live brine or black worms.
I even had to go get a 3rd bottle of Tigger Pods. ( probably could have gotten away with not getting it, but I wanted to be sure)
Then on about day 7, I noticed it would eat a little nutramar ova, then a day or so later it would pick at ROE.
It was going around the tank picking at the walls of the quarantine tank and other items in the tank.
Then a few days ago it actually started going after frozen brine and mysis.
So I wasn't sure for a week or so I wasn't sure if it was going to survive.
I bought one for my biocube. It was really small, and very shy. It started to come out more often, and started to nip on algae. For some reason, within two weeks it was gone. Never found it again. I think it starved and my CUC finished it off. Very sad.
sgp4411
New Member
I have had one in my tank now for, few months, I don't keep a lot of coral, only softies, I feed mysis, brine shrimp, copepods, I also have a small area of calerpa growing, For the fish to graze on, and I keep it pruned, and give it away to other hobbyist. So far no problem with the Potters.
JasPR
Active Member
I've owned many potters over my 40 plus years in the hobby. They ARE individuals and behavior and feeding interest varies. But like any breed or species they all do seem to have certain 'same' general traits -- they are shy, especially at first. But gain confidence as they find their place in a community ( as long as they have hiding places to retreat to). They are slow ( cautious really) to eat- but given half a change ( less competition) and time, they will all come around. That is, unless you bought a weak on, a poorly shipped one, your tank is 'raw' new or you let NitrAtes get out of hand. One thing- they will live as long as a flame angel will, BUT if you have a power failure, a crash in pH or mishap with copper they are definitely one of the first that will go. The same is true of bicolors which are definitely finicky eaters unless you get a really good one from the start
I picked up two potters yesterday. They were eating in the bucket I dumped them in. Came from AquaBox. They are just amazing. I paid a lot for the fish but they are healthy and spent 2 months in QT at AquaBox. (which is closing down-moving to CA for bigger and better things)
That's a nice photo BrandonP.
That's a nice photo BrandonP.
