Reef Safe With Caution Fish (best and worst)

[Tom Robinson]

Foxface and a pair of blue throat triggers,, no issues with either been in there about a year

 

[arussellnsg]

My valentini puffer is a model citizen

 

[nicksreefs]

Fox face… eats nothing but flake not even frozen or live mysis but guessing I’m just lucky with him…. Current approach is ssssshhhhh don’t tell him

 

[Wild1]

I usually have a Flame Angel and a Coral Beauty in my tank. I tried a Red Hawk fish, but yad to get rid of it, it liked my CUC way too much!

 

[Trouble1375]

I had a African Flameback. He was great with all types of coral until I introduced a Scolymia. I had to drain the tank completely to get him out. He is now in my FOWLR tank. I just added a Bi-Color Blenny. From what I read they can be a menace but this one is good so far.

We had a menace of a BiColor Blenny - thought there was something wrong with our chemisty, lighting, etc that we couldn't keep the easiest of SPS then I caught him munching polyps off a fresh "try this one" freebie frag from a local reefer that I had purchased some other items from. I thought he was just checking it out but watched him pull the polyps off it. Into the sump he went and off to a new home and now no issues keeping SPS.

 

[Trouble1375]

Melanurus Wrasse pair - bonus they eat vermitid snails - bad news they eat feather dusters (still in the tank)
Foxface - went rogue and started eating zoas mostly just just the expensive blue ones ( once he ate his cost in zoa frags I traded him for a sun coral at one of our LFS)
Matted Filefish - ate aptasia and hydroids - then went after the CUC (donated back to the LFS we bought him from - he doubled in size in the 5 months we had him)
Bicolor Blenny - absolutely loved SPS polyps (rehomed and now we can keep SPS)

 

[SaltySam113]

I keep a foxface but havnt had any issues so far.

 

[0scarofthesea]

Had Valentini puffer didn't bother corals, sadly it got spooked overnight and blew up subsequently passing away.

 

[BiggestE22]

Many non reef safe fish are coral safe. If you take away inverts, many of those fish will not eat corals. If you can live without shrimp, some crabs and stupid snails (the smart ones can keep from being eaten), then many fish will do ok in tanks with coral.

Additionally, nearly all species have counterparts that are totally reef safe. The Xanthichus triggers are planktivores and totally reef safe (sargassum, crosshatch, bluethroat) and should not be compared to other kinds. Same with the Genicanthus angelfish which are the same way. Nearly everybody seems to get this with wrasses where the flasher and fairies are good and other types are nightmares, but it applies to other fish too.

For the photo - I have a cuban hog in my reef right now and it is fine with everything.

I love inverts. Shrimp. Crabs and snails. So I would not do those reef safe with caution fish

 

[Mjl714]

I must be the outlier when it comes to a foxface... Had a magnificent for a month or so, but he decided that trachys were his favorite snack and ate my 2 nicest (interpret expensive) large trachys. Let's just say he ate more than he was worth, so back to the LFS he went.
I currently have a coral beauty, which has been a model citizen!

Hey, how’s the “model citizen” doing?

 

[VanDalsenReef]

Most of my tank. Mystery wrasse, peppermint hog. Pair of blue throats. Surprisingly my leopard wrasse pair. All nip at my clean up crew except my cucumbers

 

[jassermd]

Hey, how’s the “model citizen” doing?

He and the flame angel have been doing good.
I've seen both of them nipping at a dying cynarina, but that's not unexpected.
I also have a juvenile emperor that's been a model citizen. I haven't seen him nipping... yet, that is.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I have a lemon peel angelfish, and I knew going into it I was taking a chance. Well, can't prove it, but I think he nipped at a rock that WAS covered in disco mushrooms... one day, almost all the shrooms on the side closest to the angel's "cave hangout" were gone and the rest were looking closed and angry. I had seen him pick at algae around them, but never actually saw him nip at the shrooms directly. They've been fine ever since I moved the rock away from his cave though. All was good until I added some clove polyps... I literally watched him swim by and take a bite out of one! Immediately retreated though when the polyp released some brownish substance. I haven't seen him try since, so maybe he learned his lesson. Fingers crossed. Gorgeous fish with a really cool personality though (although shy) - so I'm keeping him. Hasn't bothered my hammer, toadstool, xenia or ricordia shrooms so far. I think adding a sheet of nori to a feeder helped distract him too - he devoured a whole sheet by himself in like 3 days! Only other fish are a pair of clowns (and mine don't like algae), so I know it was the angel. At least he's looking fat and happy, lol!

 

[MnFish1]

I have a lemon peel angelfish, and I knew going into it I was taking a chance. Well, can't prove it, but I think he nipped at a rock that WAS covered in disco mushrooms... one day, almost all the shrooms on the side closest to the angel's "cave hangout" were gone and the rest were looking closed and angry. I had seen him pick at algae around them, but never actually saw him nip at the shrooms directly. They've been fine ever since I moved the rock away from his cave though. All was good until I added some clove polyps... I literally watched him swim by and take a bite out of one! Immediately retreated though when the polyp released some brownish substance. I haven't seen him try since, so maybe he learned his lesson. Fingers crossed. Gorgeous fish with a really cool personality though (although shy) - so I'm keeping him. Hasn't bothered my hammer, toadstool, xenia or ricordia shrooms so far. I think adding a sheet of nori to a feeder helped distract him too - he devoured a whole sheet by himself in like 3 days! Only other fish are a pair of clowns (and mine don't like algae), so I know it was the angel. At least he's looking fat and happy, lol!

They are nice fish - IMHO - once they finish off one type of coral - they move onto the next. I would watch very carefully. Ask how I know....

 

[Labridaedicted]

Oh, absolutely. I have hawks mixed with shrimps and multiple angels in my reef. Honestly having angels is worth the risk since they usually pick and not fully consume like butterflies and they're such iconic reef fishes.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

rswc fish ive kept: bicolor blenny, hawkfish, filefish (aptasia eating & harlequin), dwarf angel, pufferfish, scorpionfish. IME, blennies, hawks, filefish, angels, & scorps have done no harm to my tank. puffer will nip coral but that isnt a problem anymore

 

[MnFish1]

Oh, absolutely. I have hawks mixed with shrimps and multiple angels in my reef. Honestly having angels is worth the risk since they usually pick and not fully consume like butterflies and they're such iconic reef fishes.

Believe me - I love angels - I never had a problem with any of them - large/small/medium. Until the Lemon Peel. It was one of those situations where all the sudden, corals weren't extending in some places. I couldnt figure it out - parameters were all 'great'. Then I sat by the tank for an hour or so - until the fish decided to come out (he was also a 'shy one') - and literally take bites out of an LPS. He was extremely difficult to remove - and I lost about 50% of my LPS in a week.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

They are nice fish - IMHO - once they finish off one type of coral - they move onto the next. I would watch very carefully. Ask how I know....

Oh believe me, he's on probation now - I'm checking in on him every chance I get. Sorry yours enjoyed itself a bunch of snacks! I guess we'll see how this one goes for a bit, and if he keeps nipping, may have to think about rehoming the sneaky little punk.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Believe me - I love angels - I never had a problem with any of them - large/small/medium. Until the Lemon Peel. It was one of those situations where all the sudden, corals weren't extending in some places. I couldnt figure it out - parameters were all 'great'. Then I sat by the tank for an hour or so - until the fish decided to come out (he was also a 'shy one') - and literally take bites out of an LPS. He was extremely difficult to remove - and I lost about 50% of my LPS in a week.

Unfortunately that's the risk with them. Sorry you had that experience.

 

[design.maddie]

I have to state that over the past 2 years I have advocated that Yellow Clown Gobies are reef safe. I hadn't had a single issue with mine nipping at my SPS. I wouldn't tell people they were wrong just that I had not experienced anything like what people were stating. I bought a few Acros and Millies. My clown goby dang near killed all 6 in under 2 days. Goby is gone, but I need to clear the air.