View Full Version : Help Me Pick a Dwarf Angel
drobes
03-12-2007, 5:06 PM
The suspect list:
Coral Beauty Angel
Flame Angel
Lemonpeel Angel
Bicolor Angel
Which one of these would be best for my tank? In addition to activity and personality, I'm hoping for low aggression and coral compatability (plan to make this a future reef someday...).
So please, help me pick the winner from this suspect list! I'm particularly interested in which ones you have owned in a reef tank and your experience with them!
My tank info: 80gal long w/ 125lbs live rock. Only tank inhabitant so far is a true percula, but will be adding several green chromis soon and also have a blenny, six liine wrasse, hawk fish and tang on my to get list.
blackwolfXKAV
03-12-2007, 5:11 PM
The suspect list:
Coral Beauty Angel
Flame Angel
Lemonpeel Angel
Bicolor Angel
Which one of these would be best for my tank? In addition to activity and personality, I'm hoping for low aggression and coral compatability (plan to make this a future reef someday...).
[/B] Good news, and bad news, see, the thing withn angels is that you really can't predict whether a certain species will be coral aggressive or not; it really has to be done on a fish-by-fish basis.
So please, help me pick the winner from this suspect list! I'm particularly interested in which ones you have owned in a reef tank and your experience with them!
My tank info: 80gal long w/ 125lbs live rock. Only tank inhabitant so far is a true percula, but will be adding several green chromis soon and also have a blenny, six liine wrasse, <hawk fish and tang> ,It gonna depend on which specie syou choose, IE, some tangs/hawks get huge/aggressive.[B] on my to get list.
I hope this helps you.
B.W.
Reefscape
03-12-2007, 5:13 PM
eh...i dont get that last post?????
Niko
lotuskid
03-12-2007, 5:28 PM
The answers were inserted into the quoted post. Not quite sure it was meant to come out that way lol.
Reefscape
03-12-2007, 5:32 PM
ha ha ha..oh yes....spotted now....np....
Niko
drobes
03-12-2007, 5:37 PM
Yeah I've heard the 50/50 rule on dwarf angels being reef safe, I was hoping this was more of a generalization and that there are some of these species in particular that people have had positive or negative experiences with.
If it helps, on my wish list I was leaning towards a flame hawkfish and one of the smaller tangs, probably a yellow... maybe a powder brown (japonicos, not the delicate gold rim nigerians (sp?) species). Both are listed as a max of 8" in aquaria.
blackwolfXKAV
03-12-2007, 5:55 PM
Sorry about that, my code was off.
Anyhow, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible to tell whether or not a particular dwarf angel species will be aggressive towards corals or not. It most likely will have to be determined on a strictly individual basis.
Also, listing that you would encorporate a "hawkfish" and a "tang" is non-specific and, depending on what you choose, can affect the species of angels you will or will not be able to house.
Hope this helps :D
drobes
03-12-2007, 6:07 PM
Hi blackwolf, thanks for the input. I listed that I am leaning towards a flame hawkfish and a yellow tang in the post above. I'm interested in hearing which species of dwarf angels you would rule in or out based on these tankmates.
Also, I want to hear from all of you dwarf angel owners out there (I know you're there...). What have your experiences been?
Thanks!
Hey Drobes, flame angel owner here. I have an adult and he is very reef safe. Further he shares his space with a blue tang and purple tang. The only thing he has ever taken a hack at were my Green stars and that was a one time thing. I think he thought they were something else as it was during our daily feeding frenzy. I hear the flames from the Marshal islands are more reef safe then the ones from Hawaii but that may be just some LFS lore. (mine is apparently from the Marshals). Otherwise he's been great. Family favourite actually as he circulates through out the tank, through every hole, crevas. One note: he is not crazy about new comers. Although my blue tang is smaller he was in the tank first so they were fine when I added the flame. I added a yellow and he was a little aggressive as the yellow was just slightly larger. The yellow got eaten by my elegance coral anyway so that was that. The purple tang is larger than the yellow and immediately became king of the tank so no conflict there. (My purple has no fear as it will hack at my cleaning wand). I recently added a female neon goby and the flame didn't even blink. Hope this helps:)
Germanman
03-13-2007, 1:42 PM
my flame angel has never even touched my corals the entire time ive had him. he at all my expencive sponge though.....
my buddy got a coral beauty and it would attack his star polyps ramdomly,( i think he didnt feed it enugh). i also had a coral beauty in the 550 gallon reef tank i serviced as well as a lemmon peal and a flame angel and they all left alone the corals asfar as i could tell. good luck man sometimes u can get the store to test the angel out for ya....but best thing is have a fish trap at ahnd if things go for the worse. ive noticed if u feed them a combo of meaty food, angel formula(or sponge), and algae they tend to leave alone corals.
johansonp
03-13-2007, 11:03 PM
I'm a sucker for Lemonpeels. Mine does a little light grazing, hardly worth mentioning.
Paul
Catch23
03-14-2007, 9:21 PM
I recently purchased a flame angel over the coral beauty and have not regretted it. I had the latter in a FO for many years and enjoyed it - but really wanted the intense color of the flame angel. Anyways, the flame has not touched my corals yet and doesn't seem to be interested...I hope it stays that way. Good luck.
Catch23
i_limantara
03-22-2007, 6:48 AM
well... i have bicolor angel.. and it's not touch any of my coral.. and it's said "GENERALLY SAFE, MAYBE NIT AT THE CORAL" * from marine center
The suspect list:
Coral Beauty Angel
Flame Angel
Lemonpeel Angel
Bicolor Angel
Which one of these would be best for my tank? In addition to activity and personality, I'm hoping for low aggression and coral compatability (plan to make this a future reef someday...).
Well what did you decide??? :D
I have a Flame and he's awesome. Super friendly, not afraid of me, not aggressive (put in my FOWLR over the reef as to avoid any possible coral nips). He eats flakes and frozen foods- still trying to get him to eat seaweed.
Since one of your choices is the Lemon Peel and I also see you eventually want a Tang, you may want to consider the Mimic Lemon Peel Tang (Acanthurus pyroferus). They get slightly larger but look almost identical to the Lemon Peel Angel and may be "safer" for your reef...besides the fact it's a Tang!
Let us know what you decide! Really like your pictures by the way- coming along nicely.
drobes
03-26-2007, 11:31 AM
Well in short I decided to put off the decision for a bit and make the dwarf angel the last fish added to my tank. I've read some stuff on these guys being less likely to eat coral if they are introduced to a system with established coral rather than introduced to a system with just live rock and having coral added later. I don't have any coral in my tank yet so I'd like to get at least a few pieces in before I look at a dwarf angel.
Personally I think the lemonpeels are the sharpest looking with the flame angels a close second. I like the flame angels size a little better though and I also like the coral beauty. Have to say that those are my top 3. We've gotten some positive experiences with all of these fish posted in this thread, especially the flame angel it seems.
Hi drobes. Im getting a 4 year- old-coral beauty as soon. The guy im buying it from, never had any problems with it in his reef. It is advised not to start out with a bi-color angel. they are a bit more fussy to acclimatization. Any how i would like to get a flame angel as well, But here in SA they cost the same as a clown trigger or a yellow tang ( roughly R 800 or $100):mad: Good luck though:)
Germanman
03-26-2007, 9:36 PM
my flame angel was $15...lol
so thats like $45-60 mark up
drobes
03-26-2007, 9:49 PM
Yeah that sounds like some price gouging there spinx. I think I'd be ordering online with LFS prices like that!
I think I'd be ordering online with LFS prices like that!
Haha, I would too. Actually I've been ordering more online nowadays than ever. With the shipping sometimes it's more expensive than my LFS...but with 7-14 day "arrive alive/stay alive" guarantees, it may save money in the long run. Also, at least compared to my LFS, there are so many different varieties and rare fish online.