Reef Safe (Kinda) Angelfish: What are your favorites & how did they do long term?

[SaltyT]

I have a Lamarck's Angel. She's never touched a coral or my clam, but the bigger she gets the more she likes to pick fights with the other fish.

 

[tautog83]

My favorite are majestic and regals and I have both . The majestic will nip on some short polyp gonis but that's about it and very rarely . I have torches and hammers and they don't bother it . I have a couple favia too but they dont bug it or the mushrooms.

 

[Jax15]

My juvi Emperor angel has been a model citizen, and a kind tank mate. Love that fella!

 

[TABNDAB]

Hubby and I love coral beauties and would love to add one to our tank. We’re just getting started on corals and have stuck with primarily zoas so hopefully it won’t go rogue and go after those

 

[uhgster1]

My flame angel rocks. 5 years and going.

 

[madweazl]

I have a flame and coral beauty that have been great but I'm not sure you can really count centropyge when discussing "angels."

 

[salty150]

Diversity of Form | Angelfish in the Reef Aquarium

Angelfish are becoming more popular in reefs, but they are still labeled by the masses as “Not Reef Safe”. Some Angels can cause damage in reef tanks and very few can resist the fleshy tissue of corals such as Trachyphyllia, however, given the proper tank these amazing fish can be housed safely in reef aquariums maintained by seasoned aquarists.

If you are considering any risky reef fish, it’s imperative you have the ability to remove it should it develop a taste for something that you are not willing to sacrifice.

Angels can be aggressive, and care must be taken when introducing multiple angels of similar shape. In the wild they are commonly found solitary or in pairs, rarely in groups. In captivity they will generally fight with members of their own species. If you plan on keeping multiple Angels be sure to have the means to net out established Angels while new specimens adjust. Although not commonly discussed, in my experience multiple angels can sometimes act as a benefit. Instead of focusing on corals, they become more interest in what the other angel’s are up to… I’ll touch on this later.

The main Genera:

• Centropyge
• Paracentropyge
• Apolemichthys
• Chaetodontoplus
• Holacanthus
• Pomacanthus
  • Euxiphops (Subgenus)
• Genicanthus
• Pygoplites

In my experience Holacanthus angels are the worse, such as Queens and Passers. With the recent importation of Clarions some are keeping them in reefs, but it’s highly likely they will do damage.

In my experience and others, these are some species with above average success rates in reefs:

Scientific Name Common Name

• P. imperator Emperor Angel
• P. asfur Asfur Angel
• E. xanthometapon Blueface Angel
• E. narvachus Majestic Angel
• P. diacanthus Regal Angel
• G. watanabei Watanbe Angel
• A. xanthopuctatus Goldflake Angel
• C. joculator Joculator Pygmy Angel

This is not an exclusive list, but ones that have been kept by multiple hobbyists with minimal damage. Each fish is unique, and as said above it can be a gamble.

Angels generally have the best success in SPS dominated systems. SPS corals have the ability to retract polyps; polyp extension (PE) maybe limited during the day, however, I have not seen or heard of any negative effects from this. In fact, you rarely see polyp extension in the wild for this reason. I also find most sps look better with limited PE as it allows more pigments in the tissue to be seen.

When looking at potential specimens for purchase, select interactive individuals. Compared to other fish, Angels are very intelligent and should respond to your presence. Also, ensure it is feeding on prepared foods before taking it home. A well fed angel is less likely to taste corals. Ideally smaller juvenile fish are best. They are easier to “train” whereas mature fish can be stubborn to adjust to captive life.

I have a theory on “Non Reef Safe” fish such as Angelfish. As Humans we tend to eat when we are bored, even if we just ate. I know I do…if nothing is going on in my life that means it’s time for a snack. I’ve found this to be true for Angels and Butterflies as well. Even if you just fed them, if they are bored their curiosity compels them to try a polyp or two out. Not for survival reasons, but for entertaining. Other times it’s as if they punish you for not giving them enough attention…

Here are a few ways to curve this behavior and keep your Angels and other risky fish “entertained”:

Strong Intermittent Flow – Strong random currents keep fish constantly moving and forced to focus on their surroundings and positioning. Not only is this good for your corals, it gives angels less of an opportunity to “study” a coral before taking a bite.

Varied Diet – As I said above a well fed Angel is less likely to taste a coral. Just as important as the amount of food, is the type. Frozen foods are best, also look into Selco to supplement. Feed them 3+ times a day with a balanced diet of meats and greens. Angels can suffer from HILLE and blindness if nutritional needs are not met. Nori (Dried Seaweed) is also great “entertaining” food and a few brands even offer Angel formula frozen foods incorporating sponge to mimic their natural diet.

Dither Fish - A well stocked tank is a social tank. Angelfish are very intelligent and love to be the boss of any reef aquarium. By having other fish that can cause annoyances such as Chromis, Anthias, Tangs, Butterflies and other Angels, it will keep them on there toes. As stated above, be careful mixing Angelfish and leave it the experienced hobbyists.

We have recently experience this once with our Declivis Butterfly. Since the introduction of our P.imperator the C. declivis has stopped eating polyps all together.

If you’re willing to sacrifice some polyp extension on your acros and perhaps some nibbling on your zoanthids, take another look at these beautiful fish. Their striking coloration is paired with a great personality.

 

[Reefbuds]

I've got a pygmy cherub angelfish. Loves to nip at algae and caulerpa but hasn't touched a single coral to my knowledge, no evidence of nipping at them either!

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Out of the 4 dwarf angels ive kept only 1 nipped at corals and i returned him. Ive had 3 flame angels and 1 coral beauty. One of the flames nipped.

Ive never had issues with any of the genicanthus angels

 

[TuxUrchin07]

I want a bellus angel. Not sure if that's the right name but it's completely reef safe. Very expensive tho

 

[Bepis]

@revhtree I wouldn’t venture to say no angelfish are completely reef safethe genus Genicanthus are zooplanktivores and therefore entirely reef safe.

 

[hllb]

I had a beautiful African flameback angel. He had been in my reef for several months without issue. Then we were out of town for a whopping 3 days, and he was forced to eat pellets instead of frozen. In that time, he developed a taste for my trachy. He nipped my acan lord and my candy cane a little, but over a few weeks completely destroyed the trachy. After that, he settled back down and didn't bother anything for months. A year later, he suddenly developed a ravenous appetite for my zoas. I have so many that I had to take him out. It was sad.

 

[Blknovass]

He is camera shy but my coral beauty has been a great addition to my little reef.

 

[aabjones888]

I have a coral beauty and so far so good.

 

[WiscoFishNut]

1. What is your favorite "mostly reef safe" angelfish?
Coral Beauty. Mine has been a model citizen so far!

2. What "mostly reef safe" angelfish have you had that went rogue?
None so far..

3. What are some tips for keeping a "mostly reef safe" angelfish from eating your coral?
Keeping em well fed seems to work for me

 

[nkyreef]

I have a Lamarck Angel for almost a year and no nipping that I've observed. I just added a clam so I'm keeping an extra eye on him for now.

 

[BCSreef]

An small emperor in an Acro dominant 180. Nips a bit. I think it has really reduced the PE on some of the colonies.
I'll give it another 6 months and reassess.

 

[Meowzerz25]

I've had a flame angel in my reef for a while now (attached a picture from when my tank was newer), it's never picked at anything. I thought saw it nip at my torch once but after watching it nip at the glass, rock and back wall I realized it was just nipping at algae on the coral's base.
1. What is your favorite "mostly reef safe" angelfish?
My favorite angelfish has to be the Japanese Pygmy, though I'll probably never be able to afford one.
2. What "mostly reef safe" angelfish have you had that went rogue.
I'm still new to the hobby so I haven't dealt with this yet.
3. What are some tips for keeping a "mostly reef safe" angelfish from eating your coral?
I think that keeping your angel fed is huge. I've read that they don't particularly like corals, just get hungry enough to nip at one then develop a taste (note that I can't speak from experience on this). However, it also depends on the individual fish.

 

[GuppyHJD]

I love dwarf angels, probably my favorite fishes. They are spunky without being aggressive and extremely active.

I’ve had numerous Centropyge over the years and most have not bothered corals at all. Below is a list of the ones I’ve kept and how they’ve done. These were kept with LPS/SPS dominant tanks, with a few zoas:

• 3 coral beauties (1 picked at a monti occasionally)
• 3 lemonpeel (1 picked nipped at some LPS randomly)
• 2 flame (no issues)
• 2 potters (no issues)
• 1 Multicolor (TBD, new setup)

So my experience with dwarf angels, not including the new Multicolor, 20% nipped at corals. That’s probably a high number for some people but a risk I’m willing to take for my favorite fish.

I have a Coral Beauty and it has not touched any corals. I tried a Lemonpeel - he destroyed Zoas, CandyCane and a Duncan. Had to return to sender.

 

[GuppyHJD]

These 3 are my favorite and have done spectacular - Juvenile French Angel - Emporer Angel ( Was a nickel size juvenile ) And my Prize Holo Holo Angel

I REALLY want a French. My last tank I raised a French angel from quater size to dinner plate. It was HER tank but she did not touch the corals. She ate a leaf of romaine lettuce a day, nori almost as much as I would give her and lots of chopped clams and shrimp from the grocery store.