Pigmy Angels and Corals

knockout · May 6, 2010

what seem to be the corals less bothered by these type of Angels... I am setting up an Pigmy's tank and would not mind having a couple of corals in there nothing crazy...

how about Leathers, Xenias, Clove Poyps, Zoanthids, Torch, Hammers...??? all experiences welcome!

inactive · May 6, 2010

They will nip everything IME.

ficklefins · May 6, 2010

Do you have certain angels in mind? I've got experience with a pygmy and a flameback. Neither of the two did any "damage" to montis but they did like test them from time to time (again no damage to the polyps or structure).

Wy Renegade · May 6, 2010

I kept an Atlantic pigmy in my zoa dominated 65 without any nipping issues - it also has a couple monti caps, some trumpets, gogorians, and ricordia.

650-IS350 · May 6, 2010

I had the pacific and Fisher's, never had a problem with them. I actually want to try the flame back or multicolor, when I clear some of the fish in my 37cube. I've heard some potters do nip but can't confirm that.
http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/angelfish/flamebackpygmyangelafrican/
http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/angelfish/multicolorpygmyangel/

out of my price range but very sweet looking pygmy's

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/angelfish/japanesepygmyangel/

Surf&turf · May 6, 2010

I have a flame, ate all my clove polyp's, pick's at the SPS some.

Joezreef · May 6, 2010

I have had one for 6 months..they nip everything but don't seem to do any harm! If I had to do it over I wouldn't put one in!

650-IS350 · May 6, 2010

I have had one for 6 months..they nip everything but don't seem to do any harm! If I had to do it over I wouldn't put one in! which one did you have?

I have a flame, ate all my clove polyp's, pick's at the SPS some. I don't mess with Flames or coral beautys as they are known nippers.

Joezreef · May 6, 2010

Japanese pygmy angel!

knockout · May 6, 2010

There will be no SPS in this tank...
Flame Angel
Pacific Pigmy Blue
Coral Beauty
Fishers
Rusty
Bi-Color
Lemonpeel

knockout · May 6, 2010

I am not so much concerned in which nip and pick but instead what are they picking at?, this will be their tank and corals are just a secondary thought, will be nice to have so swaying in the tank, are LPS picked at? will love to have a couple of nice torch and hammer corals in there!

650-IS350 · May 6, 2010

from what i've heard or read

Flame Angel (nipper)
Pacific Pigmy Blue
Coral Beauty (nipper)
Fishers
Rusty
Bi-Color (nipper )
Lemonpeel (nipper )

as to what they can possibly nip on, I don't know if they would go after Z's and Ps, but more the meaty corals and clam mantles.

inactive · May 6, 2010

knockout said:
There will be no SPS in this tank...
Flame Angel
Pacific Pigmy Blue
Coral Beauty
Fishers
Rusty
Bi-Color
Lemonpeel

Are you planning on keeping ALL of these together? It will not end well.

stunreefer · May 6, 2010

All angels are prone to nipping. In the wild (most) do not feed out of the water column much, if at all. They feed off of the substrate and rocks. What else resides on the substrate and rocks? Corals of course! Most Centropyge won't eat corals completely, rather they pick here and there. Certain corals take it much worse than others, and of course there are instances where the fish straight up eat the coral. Generally speaking "fleshy" corals are very enticing to them, like open brains, acans, etc. Zoanthids are also tend to be high on their list, but again there's no "rule".

I have two angels righ now that I'm keeping with "flowy" corals, and they cause no harm:

Pick a species that you really like, find one that's healthy and eating, and QT them. They're amazing fish that will bring you years of enjoyment.

650-IS350 said:
out of my price range but very sweet looking pygmy's

Japanese Pygmy Angel

Joezreef said:
Japanese pygmy angel!

GL getting one

Centropyge interruptus are very hard to come by, even for those who know where to look, and finding a small one doesn't happen. They're collected in Japan (also exist in NWHI where collection is prohibited) and there's literally a list of prepaid people whom reside in Japan for these fish that are willing to pay more than 99% of US aquarists. Why risk shipping a fish halfway across the world for less profit when you can collect it and keep it in the same country? Generally, they don't risk it

On occasion a 4-5" specimen will be brought in, and at that size they're VERY difficult to acclimate to captivity (accept prepared foods). They're also a temperate fish and need to be kept cool, 72°F on the high end. With that said, I'll have one someday :nerd:

knockout · May 6, 2010

I have a couple of leathers I will like to move out of my reef, are these bothered by the angels?

650-IS350 · May 6, 2010

reef tank is a perfect environment for keeping more than one species of pygmy angelfish, because this type of aquarium is usually replete with hiding places (a must when trying to house multiple Centropyge species). But are these fish a threat to your invertebrates? Looking at their natural diets, it would seem as though they would pose no threat to sessile invertebrates. However, most of these angelfish do feed on detritus, and coral slime falls into this category. So, although they usually do not feed directly on coral polyps, they will graze on the slime they exude.
The coral species often used as a feeding substrate are the larger-polyped hard corals, like elegance (Catalaphyllia jardinei), open brain (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi), tooth (Lobophyllia spp.) and crater (Cynarina spp.), as well as zoanthids. The slime on tridacnid clam mantles is also a food source for pygmy angelfish. If you have one of these angels in an aquarium with corals or clams, and the invertebrate is constantly closed up, there is a good chance the angelfish is bothering it. Some pygmy angelfish will also nip at the oral disc of anemones, feeding on their feces, or will even eat dying corals or anemones. These angels will also pester feather duster and Christmas tree worms by nipping at their feathery feeding appendages.

As for their damaging sessile invertebrates, there seem to be patterns within the various pygmy species, but there is also a considerable degree of individual variation. For example, the cherubfish (C. argi) can typically be kept with most stony and soft corals without inflicting damage. However, an occasional specimen will begin picking at the tissue of elegance or open brain corals or the polyps of Xenia or Anthelia. On the other hand, although most lemonpeel angelfish will nip at corals and should not be placed in the reef aquarium, occasional specimens will not develop this bad habit.
The species that are less likely to cause damage to your invertebrates include the members of the argi complex: the African flameback (C. acanthops), Caribbean flameback (C. aurantonota), cherubfish and resplendent pygmy (C. resplendens). Other less-dangerous angelfish include Fisher's (C. fisheri), whitetailed (C. flavicauda) and multibarred. In my experience, the most risky species to add include the bicolor (C. bicolor), lemonpeel and keyhole (C. tibicen). The coral beauty (C. bispinosa), rusty (C. ferrugatus), Herald's, flame, halfblack, golden, multicolor, Colin's and purplemask fall somewhere in between the others in terms of sessile invertebrate compatibility.
No matter what species you are thinking of adding, remember that introducing any angelfish to your reef aquarium always entails some degree of risk. The corals least likely to be bothered by your pygmy angelfish are those that have some form of toxicity and are distasteful. These species, which are avoided by generalized predators, include some members (not all) of the following genera: Lemnalia, Sinularia, Sarcophyton, Cladiella, Paralemnalia and Effltounaria.
This article first appeared in the May 2004 issue of Aquarium Fish magazine.
Angelfish Care:

If you want to keep more than one pygmy angelfish in the same aquarium, you will have greater success if your aquarium is 70 gallons or more and is packed with hiding places.
they should not be exposed to the physical stresses of a newly established marine tank. The aquarium should be set up and running for three or four months before adding any species of angelfish. This ensures that the nitrogen cycle in the tank has been completed and the levels of ammonia and nitrite are so low as to be immeasurable.
Acclimating Angelfish is very important, as these fish have been known to go into shock.
Before purchasing a pygmy angelfish, examine the sides of the fish very carefully for raised scales or red areas.
Angelfish Related Articles:

Pygmy angelfish aggression and compatibility. Because the members of this group are small, they are often housed in small aquariums, which is the worst thing you could possibly do if you plan on keeping passive fish (e.g., seahorses, pipefishes, batfishes, leopard wrasses, flasher wrasses, highfin shrimp gobies, fire gobies, dart gobies) in the same tank.
Pygmy angels captive breeding. If you want to try and breed pygmy angels, the aquarium should be at least 75 gallons and should contain a lot of rockwork and/or artificial coral to provide ample shelter sites.