Dwarf Angelfish Compatibility Questions

[Cheems]

So im setting up a new 48G tank with a 14G sump. My stocking list so far is just a couple clownfish that I'm going to be moving over from another system (and probably a flametail blenny)

Anyways with that out of the way, I am wondering what the best dwarf angelfish would be for my system. I am a huge fan of multicolor angels and flame angels, are there any notable differences in personality/size between the two? are there any other angelfish I should be considering? Could I potentially fit both in the system?

As far as the question of fitting both in the system goes, I have a 75G with only a couple clownfish in it that I could move a fish over to if any fighting were to occur, so would it be worth attempting to fit them both in the 48 gallon?

 

[littlefoxx]

So im setting up a new 48G tank with a 14G sump. My stocking list so far is just a couple clownfish that I'm going to be moving over from another system (and probably a flametail blenny)

Anyways with that out of the way, I am wondering what the best dwarf angelfish would be for my system. I am a huge fan of multicolor angels and flame angels, are there any notable differences in personality/size between the two? are there any other angelfish I should be considering? Could I potentially fit both in the system?

As far as the question of fitting both in the system goes, I have a 75G with only a couple clownfish in it that I could move a fish over to if any fighting were to occur, so would it be worth attempting to fit them both in the 48 gallon?

If you want to try dwarf angels, why not just put both into the bigger tank? I dont think 48 gallons is enough for two dwarf angels, they are not nice fish. Maybe you could try it in the 75 and see but I think if you try it in the 48 thats a battle waiting to happen

 

[JoJosReef]

My limited experience with dwarf angels comes from wild reefs, where I see them fiercely defend "their rock", and "their rock" usually is the size of a large aquarium, so my thinking is that they will tend toward their aggressive nature when their space is further constrained by a small aquarium. They punch well above their weight class.

Naturally, get advice from others here that keep them in aquariums, but I've decided to stay away from dwarf angels until I put together a system targeted specifically toward them. In my mind, a tank like your 75g with just a couple of clowns (and a butterfly like a pearlscale in my mind) is the type of tank I am planning for the future.

 

[JayM]

I've tried dwarf angels twice. The first time I added a Coral Beauty in with an established Lemonpeel, and long story short, ended disastrously for the Coral Beauty. Fast forward to post-disease that wiped out a bunch of livestock (including the Lemonpeel), I introduced a Lemonpeel and a Flame that were similarly sized at the same time, and all is well over a year later. I will say that they were initially added to a 75g, and shortly thereafter moved to a 100g, so 45g may be a bit cramped as they both swim quite a bit.

 

[RobertK]

Not sure about keeping two in a 48, but I have 3 dwarf angels (coral beauty, purple masked, multibar) in a 4-foot 70 gallon tank and they get along fine with each other. But they are all captive bred and were introduced as juveniles within a couple months of each other, so that might have something to do with it. Check out Biota, I don't think they have the varieties you mentioned but they are breeding several types of captive bred dwarf angels.

 

[albano]

For 50 years, since 1973, I have almost always had at least 1 tank with a coral beauty & Flame angel together.
Tanks from 40-75 g in the ‘old days’ , 120-150 g in the 80-90s and now 120-200 &500g… Flame & CB in 120, pair of shepherds in 500, never a problem

 

[Cheems]

For 50 years, since 1973, I have almost always had at least 1 tank with a coral beauty & Flame angel together.
Tanks from 40-75 g in the ‘old days’ , 120-150 g in the 80-90s and now 120-200 &500g… Flame & CB in 120, pair of shepherds in 500, never a problem

Hmm very interesting. I think I might give it a try with both angelfish, and if they start fighting I will just move one.

If you want to try dwarf angels, why not just put both into the bigger tank? I dont think 48 gallons is enough for two dwarf angels, they are not nice fish. Maybe you could try it in the 75 and see but I think if you try it in the 48 thats a battle waiting to happen

I definitely could put them in the 75 gallon but the tank is in a seperate room im not in as often, hence why im setting up a smaller tank in a place where I will actually see them. What I might do is just do 1 in each or try both in the 48 gallon, then just simply move one the moment I see any aggression.

 

[Cheems]

Not sure about keeping two in a 48, but I have 3 dwarf angels (coral beauty, purple masked, multibar) in a 4-foot 70 gallon tank and they get along fine with each other. But they are all captive bred and were introduced as juveniles within a couple months of each other, so that might have something to do with it. Check out Biota, I don't think they have the varieties you mentioned but they are breeding several types of captive bred dwarf angels.

Yeah captive bred is highly preferable to me, so im going to check out some sources and see what I can find. I know dr reef also has pre-quarantined captive-bred flametails so that seems like a very good source

I've tried dwarf angels twice. The first time I added a Coral Beauty in with an established Lemonpeel, and long story short, ended disastrously for the Coral Beauty. Fast forward to post-disease that wiped out a bunch of livestock (including the Lemonpeel), I introduced a Lemonpeel and a Flame that were similarly sized at the same time, and all is well over a year later. I will say that they were initially added to a 75g, and shortly thereafter moved to a 100g, so 45g may be a bit cramped as they both swim quite a bit.

Hmm yeah a 48G might be a bit cramped then. I could always attempt it if they are both small and then since I have a well established 75G I can just move one. I think it would also be a good experiment to see if it can be done in smaller tanks like that under the right conditions with (preferably) captive bred fish.

 

[Pat's Reef]

So im setting up a new 48G tank with a 14G sump. My stocking list so far is just a couple clownfish that I'm going to be moving over from another system (and probably a flametail blenny)

Anyways with that out of the way, I am wondering what the best dwarf angelfish would be for my system. I am a huge fan of multicolor angels and flame angels, are there any notable differences in personality/size between the two? are there any other angelfish I should be considering? Could I potentially fit both in the system?

As far as the question of fitting both in the system goes, I have a 75G with only a couple clownfish in it that I could move a fish over to if any fighting were to occur, so would it be worth attempting to fit them both in the 48 gallon?

With the extra tank, it’s far less risky. You can probably get by with two dwarf angels in a 48. Both should be added at the same time and after the other fish. More fish, more distractions. I would go for two different colors too. A bright red flame angel with a purple coral beauty, for example. Clowns and blennies are compatible with dwarf angels in size and aggression, so it may never be completely peaceful. But they should calm down once boundaries and territory are established. If not, try the angels in the 75. Introduce the weaker first and once established, try introducing the stronger. It’s separate tanks if that doesn’t work. The two listed species are usually fairly well behaved with corals too.

 

[Cheems]

With the extra tank, it’s far less risky. You can probably get by with two dwarf angels in a 48. Both should be added at the same time and after the other fish. More fish, more distractions. I would go for two different colors too. A bright red flame angel with a purple coral beauty, for example. Clowns and blennies are compatible with dwarf angels in size and aggression, so it may never be completely peaceful. But they should calm down once boundaries and territory are established. If not, try the angels in the 75. Introduce the weaker first and once established, try introducing the stronger. It’s separate tanks if that doesn’t work. The two listed species are usually fairly well behaved with corals too.

Thanks for the input!! Yeah I think thats what I'm going to do. I am going to see if I can find a captive bred multicolor angelfish (although so far I dont think they are captive bred) and if not, consider another type or potentially get a small one so it grows up used to aquariums.

 

[RobertK]

If you are going to try two in the 48, consider a Biota multibar as one of them. It is a different genus (paracentropyge vs. centropyge) and has a different body shape as well as the stripes, so might be less likely to cause aggression between the two. Plus it is a really cool fish, love mine! Here is a pic of mine, it is on the left and the purple masked is on the right. An acclimation box is also a good idea.

 

[Cheems]

If you are going to try two in the 48, consider a Biota multibar as one of them. It is a different genus (paracentropyge vs. centropyge) and has a different body shape as well as the stripes, so might be less likely to cause aggression between the two. Plus it is a really cool fish, love mine! Here is a pic of mine, it is on the left and the purple masked is on the right. An acclimation box is also a good idea.

Oh wow, that is an incredibly beautiful fish! I definitely will consider that as an option as I do heavily prefer captive bred.