Adding flame angel and coral beauty in 30g?

Peach02

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So I've got my 33g Reef chugging along well and the current stock is.
2x clownfish
1x BTA
2x flame fish (dart fish)
1x coral beauty
1x bicolour blenny

So I've got a itch to add a flame angel and try to pair with the CB or just have it tolerate the CB.
Ive done some research and found lots of mixed opinions, most say to ether add them at the same time or to have one medium sized and one small trying to ensure that one is male one is female. Also that lots of rock work helps, do you think this is good?
FA18DEFB-7232-4C1C-8F18-750245F93B28.jpeg

What do you guys think?
 

Dilan Patel

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Honestly I have kept both of the angels you are talking about. The main issue I would be concerned about is coral. If you plan to put coral I highly recommend staying away from angels. I tried my luck with a potters,flame and lemonpeel. They were all beautiful and showed tons of personality with no fighting(180Gallon) but I could never get good growth. Turns out the flame and the lemonpeel were doing a number on them. Another issue I see is the territory in a 30gallon tank. They will most likely fight as they were not added together as well as the limited space to swim and pick at the rocks. But this is your tank and you will do as you please, I am just handing you my experience to hopefully help you make a decision :)
 
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Peach02

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In a 33 gallon, one will most likely end up dead. I would highly recommend not going that route. Also, your coral beauty should be in a bigger tank. Live Aquarium says 70 gallons minimum.
My LFS said its all good in a 30 gallon and he has been in the industry for over 20 years so ill go with his advice plus I plan on upgrading
 

Pbh-reef

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I think you’ve gotten good advice here in terms of the likelihood of coral nipping, aggression and fish health. If you decide to try it based on your LFS advice I would ask them if they will be willing to cover coral
Losses and take back the flame if the two fish don’t tolerate each other.
 

Dilan Patel

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Again just going to give you personal opinion and u can take it or leave it. Most LFS are out to sell coral and fish to a consumer no matter what. Some of them are after money and some actually keep the fishes health and the consumer in mind when selling them/providing info on fish and coral. Your LFS owner may have been in the industry for 20+ years and have great knowledge and giving you his experience. But they possibly just want the sale of the flame angel and are really not looking out for you. We as a community on here are trying to warn you about more than likely problems you will encounter with your current setup as well as if you were to add the other fish.
 

Marco S

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My LFS said its all good in a 30 gallon and he has been in the industry for over 20 years so ill go with his advice plus I plan on upgrading
My apologies mate. It's hard to argue with an LFS with over 20 years in the industry so it must be good.

Did your LFS also tell you to try and "pair" a Coral Beauty with a Flame Angel?
 

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My LFS said its all good in a 30 gallon and he has been in the industry for over 20 years so ill go with his advice plus I plan on upgrading
When I first started, the owner of my LFS sold my fiancé a sailfin for my 72g. I had ich at the time and was getting ready to go fallow. She told him about the white spots on the other fish and he said it’d be fine. Not to mention no concern for the tank size. He too has apparently been in the industry 20 something years
 
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Peach02

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Honestly I have kept both of the angels you are talking about. The main issue I would be concerned about is coral. If you plan to put coral I highly recommend staying away from angels. I tried my luck with a potters,flame and lemonpeel. They were all beautiful and showed tons of personality with no fighting(180Gallon) but I could never get good growth. Turns out the flame and the lemonpeel were doing a number on them. Another issue I see is the territory in a 30gallon tank. They will most likely fight as they were not added together as well as the limited space to swim and pick at the rocks. But this is your tank and you will do as you please, I am just handing you my experience to hopefully help you make a decision :)
Thanks for the advice :) Ive seen the beauty pick at the clam once but no damage done and the shell a few times but thats harmless.
Territory is a good point, thats why I'm interested in pairing them
Thanks again ill defiantly take that into account. How much territory do they usually like?
 
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My apologies mate. It's hard to argue with an LFS with over 20 years in the industry so it must be good.

Did your LFS also tell you to try and "pair" a Coral Beauty with a Flame Angel?
I didn't ask about the compatibility then but researching today recommended that ill ask him tonight on my shift and all good don't be sorry
 
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When I first started, the owner of my LFS sold my fiancé a sailfin for my 72g. I had ich at the time and was getting ready to go fallow. She told him about the white spots on the other fish and he said it’d be fine. Not too mention no concern for the tank size. He too has apparently been in the industry 20 something years
Fair enough but I know he has been in the industry for at least 10 years or so as my parents bought their first tank from him and he's my boss so I have to trust him. Sorry t hear about that experience
 

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There’s a lot of opinions, but it really just depends on the fish. No two are alike. I’ve seen dwarf angels do just fine together in a tank about your size. They were young, and moved into a bigger tank when they got bigger. But still most people will tell you it can’t be done. An acclimation box makes a world of difference. And they’re not expensive. Look into to it if you want to and see what you think.
 

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Peach please keep in mind when seeking opinions or researching not to run with what you want to hear.

I know I'm guilty of this also at times. I may find multiple sources that tell me what I don't want to hear but as soon as I find the lone opinion/source stating what I wanted to hear that's what I run with. Typically I end up regretting the impulsive decision.
 

that Reef Guy

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Time is does not really mean anything.

I knew more about keeping Saltwater Tanks in my First Week than Multiple People I know with 20 Years Experience.

One Guy I know always Brags about doing this for 20 Years.

Yet he Kills EVERYTHING.

He cannot even Test His Own Water !!!! He has the LFS do it for him.

And as others said he is selling fish so probably just wants the sale.

LFS are Going Out of Business Left and Right and Many are Doing anything and Everything to Stay Afloat.

Not All are Bad but many want to get the sale ASAP in case it dies on them and to pay their bills.
 

norfolkgarden

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As a "professional tank stuffer" the answer is heck no.

Your tank looks nice and it is off to a good start.

But it's a cube. At first I thought it was a 30 long where they could each sort of pick an end and stick to it.

If they are both tiny they will be ok for a while. Same as they would be tolerating a QT tank.
Has a QT discussion come up?
They will never breed, the way a horse and a donkey will to create a mule.
They are to far apart. The most you can hope for is they will tolerate each other.

If you are guaranteed to upgrade within 6 months to your 75 gallon tank, well, they probably won't kill each other in that time frame.
Not guaranteed...

It was probably just at the time of the picture, but your clam mantle looks horribly retracted. In time, staying closed like that will eventually cause its death. You may need to put it in a flow through box or net and see if it stays open there.

Will the flame teach the CB to enjoy the taste of clam (if it's not happening already)?
Better chance of that happening than them coexisting peacefully in that size tank. [emoji17]
They are both natural grazers and pickers all day long.
You might be the one in a 1000 that makes it work. But 1 in a 1000 seem reasonable odds.

The only positive you have going for you is the coral beauty is generally much more peaceful than the flame.
Adding a flame to a pre existing coral beauty has slightly more positive potential.
Adding a coral beauty to a pre existing flame would generally be a disaster.

What size are the 2 fish?

Your tank looks like it's off to a nice start. Easiest way to maintain that is to wait a month and see what you think in that time.
 
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Peach02

Peach02

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Time is does not really mean anything.

I knew more about keeping Saltwater Tanks in my First Week than Multiple People I know with 20 Years Experience.

One Guy I know always Brags about doing this for 20 Years.

Yet he Kills EVERYTHING.

He cannot even Test His Own Water !!!! He has the LFS do it for him.

And as others said he is selling fish so probably just wants the sale.

LFS are Going Out of Business Left and Right and Many are Doing anything and Everything to Stay Afloat.

Not All are Bad but many want to get the sale ASAP in case it dies on them and to pay their bills.
I see where you are coming from but this shops been here forever, we don’t get commission so not much point rushing a bad sale plus this guy is like a library for fish tanks. This store has little to no competition in the area aswell but thanks for the advice
 

Form or function: Do you consider your rock work to be art or the platform for your coral?

  • Primarily art focused.

    Votes: 20 8.2%
  • Primarily a platform for coral.

    Votes: 44 18.0%
  • A bit of each - both art and a platform.

    Votes: 163 66.5%
  • Neither.

    Votes: 12 4.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 6 2.4%
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