non reef safe fish...

[jweed9379]

So just curious who all has kept fish that were said to not be reef safe in a reef tank? Reason im asking is because people always freak out when the find out what is in my tank, i have a decent amount of corals and i have a 6" porcupine puffer and a 4" bursa trigger in the tank with the corals...both fish are said to not be reef safe. Neither one of the fish show any interest in my corals or the coral banded shrimp that is with them, nor do they try to eat any snails

 

[maxxin69]

People have kept plenty of things that are considered "non-reef safe" fish and found out that they don't even touch corals or inverts. Porcupines have been kept in reefs with a better success rate than the dogfaces. Triggers will sometimes bug corals (depends on which species you get). I had kept a regal angelfish in a reef with zero problems whatsoever, didn't even nip at my zoas or plate.

 

[jweed9379]

Its a bursa trigger, i just got him today he is about 4" and he is pretty shy right now because the new environment but he seems really calm i had watched him a couple days at my lfs and he seems to have a good personality, but my puffer i have had for a while and he doesnt bother anything...i did.have a six line however that killed 5 fish

 

[tyler1503]

I had zoas in with a Valentini puffer with no issues. He was more interested in chasing the shrimp around the tank which he couldn't eat either :)

 

[Humblefish]

I keep several dwarf angels and one large angel that nip in my mixed reef. It basically comes down to figuring out which corals they will nip vs. which they will leave alone, and then modifying your reef accordingly. For example, I can't keep clams, zoas, acans, candy cane because of my fish - but I can keep all the softies I want, plus euphyllia, Favia, Favites, etc.

 

[3dees]

some fish like hawks are listed as non reef safe because they attack shrimp and cuc and not corals.