Dwarf Angelfish together

[Lgara1303]

Hey guys,
Just curious on experience or how you feel about 2 angelfish together in a 75 gallon. Like a flameback and bi color or flameback and coral beauty or regular flame angel, I was originally planning on a small bristle tooth tang or tomini however tangs have a bad rep for illness and they still get some size I have seen the angels don't get as big and they would add a lot of color, I would go with one if I have to but would like to see how two would do since I would not be getting the tang and I plan on keeping up on my maintenance really well and everything. Also when would be a good time to add these to a tank and would I need to do them together or anything like that if I decide to go with two of them. Also which Dwarf angels do you prefer.

And I want to add I always try to get the smallest fish and let it grow to my tank or in my tank.

 

[homer1475]

@OrionN

He has kept multiple dwarf angels together, and could give you some solid advice.

 

[alton]

Your best be would be to get a male and female Flame Angel, then add a second female. Males have pointed fins, females rounded. The hardest part today is finding Flame Angels. Biota had baby Flames, but are now sold out. You could get a pair of Golden's, but that would set you back $1500

 

[OrionN]

In a 75 gal tank, if you want to you can keep harem of dwarf angels. I keep harem of 3 Flameback angels (a thread somewhere) and, not at the same time, pair of Flame Angels in the past.
You want to introduce at most 1 male in small tank like this. Two males will/likely will fight.
All dwarf angels are protogynous hermaphodites, so you will end up with one male over time. This is a bidirectional changes so if you accidentally introduced two male, world war will happened and the looser will reverted back to female if he survive until the change.
All Dwarf angels are dimorphic so if you research into it, you can get information about this for the specific species, however if you get smaller ones, they will be most likely females. Flameback and Flame angels dimorphic characteristics are well know (to me) and easy to see with just a glance at the fish. I don’t keep Coral beauties so I don’t know, so cannot help you regarding this species.
I like to keep harem of same species but to each his own.

 

[Lgara1303]

Your best be would be to get a male and female Flame Angel, then add a second female. Males have pointed fins, females rounded. The hardest part today is finding Flame Angels. Biota had baby Flames, but are now sold out. You could get a pair of Golden's, but that would set you back $1500

So you do not recommend getting different species

 

[OrionN]

Either way is fine. If behavior is what you like to observe then keeping harem is great. Also fish has best color with nuptial rituals. If you want the numbers of species then one each species. You can even keep 3 species.
Nothing beat seeing the flame Angel male bring two females to climax then spawn with one then the other.
Base color and nuptial color of a male Flame Angel.

 

[alton]

I tried keeping a Golden with a pair of Flames once, and although the Flames didn't hurt the Golden he only came out to eat until one of the flames noticed it and it was back in it's hole. The tank was 200 gallons

 

[Big E]

@OrionN
What are your experiences with flame backs or flames as better citizens in reference to corals.

I would prefer to keep my acro polyp extension intact.

 

[Lgara1303]

@OrionN
What are your experiences with flame backs or flames as better citizens in reference to corals.

I would prefer to keep my acro polyp extension intact.

I’d also like to hear as I will be having a mixed reef tank

 

[OrionN]

My tank do not have great PE if the SPS, other than at night. I have a lot of fish that people consider pickers. When I said a fish is fine in my mixed reef, I mean that they don't kill any coral or cause significant harm to the corals. I am sure they pick at coral here and there which cause my SPS extended decrease.
I guess I am very tolerance to fish occasional picking.

 

[homer1475]

@OrionN
What are your experiences with flame backs or flames as better citizens in reference to corals.

I would prefer to keep my acro polyp extension intact.

Pretty sure you know my experience with SPS and dwarf angels. DON"T DO IT!!! You have awesome polyp extension.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a flame, coral beauty and Potters together. The coral beauty was an issue at first but now keeps to itself and could not care less about coral , however every fish will have its own behavior and response to coral

 

[ca1ore]

My tank do not have great PE if the SPS, other than at night. I have a lot of fish that people consider pickers. When I said a fish is fine in my mixed reef, I mean that they don't kill any coral or cause significant harm to the corals. I am sure they pick at coral here and there which cause my SPS extended decrease.
I guess I am very tolerance to fish occasional picking.

I think this is exactly right. I have often said that somebody who will get nuts over some picking shouldn't keep angels. I had a mated pair of flames, a potters and a lemonpeel in my prior 400. Coral did fine, but I also had reduced SPS polyp extension. In my attached frag tank polyp extension was very good. Same lights, same water .... just no angels. I still have the lemonpeel, but in a softie tank and those corals couldn't care less.

 

[JayM]

Long story short, my well established, non-coral eating Lemonpeel murdered a Coral Beauty that I attempted to add to the tank. Tried every trick in the book to stop the aggression and absolutely nothing worked. I wasn't successful in catching either one to stop the war before the CB died.

Fast forward through a battle with Ich, loss of the Lemonpeel (among others) and a months long fallow period, I'm attempting it again with another Lemonpeel and a Flame. Both less than 2", and currently sharing a QT with no signs of aggression. It's only been a few days, but hopefully it stays that way.

Here's Lemon Zest aka "Zesty" and Swim Shady (names courtesy of the wife and grandkids):

 

[BZOFIQ]

I have 6 dwarf cherubi angels - no problem at all. Wish I had gotten 9 or 11

 

[alton]

For me I care more about the fish than the coral. My 300DD was the best growing coral tank I ever owned.

 

[Troylee]

@OrionN
What are your experiences with flame backs or flames as better citizens in reference to corals.

I would prefer to keep my acro polyp extension intact.

I have a coral beauty in my sps tank with zero problems… when it was in my little 60gal cube it would nip at digis here or there but once I moved it to the 300 with some big tangs it minds it’s business and doesn’t mess with any acros and I have crazy pe!

 

[jft]

I have two coral beauties one Singapore one half black and one bicolor for over two years together in 125.First week was hell now they all swim together and even school without any aggression.I feed Four times daily.

 

[tigre44]

I keep a flame, as African flameback, lemon peel together in 52 gal. They all get along. My only problem is the lemon peel attacks trachy and crocea clam but leaves derasa clam and lobophila alone

 

[radav88]

I currently have a pair of flame angels in my 150. I'd really like to add a couple flamebacks when I upgrade to my 250 in a few months. Any chance of two dwarf angel pairs coexisting in that size tank?