Flame angel. Mowed down my acans overnight. I leave a sacrificial acan in the tank to let him nip.
Risky not reef safe fish
- Thread starter Readywriter
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apb03
Active Member
Could be, I've struggled to find a pattern. Some Corals he is relentless with and others he completely ignores when I receive them. Fortunately nothing has died.
I got a few really high end frags recently so I put him in my QT tank to allow them to get more established for a couple of months before I add him back.
Readywriter
Active Member
Hopefully that works out well for you. I always wondered why risky fish always worked out well for me but almost everyone else has horror stories. The only things that stand out to me in how I took care of these fish is 1) riskier fish toward the end of the stocking list 2) feed in the same spot every time 3) varied diet 4) I tracked the local tide conditions and fed during incoming tides (figured if thats when the fish off the pier want to bite thats probably when my fish would also)Could be, I've struggled to find a pattern. Some Corals he is relentless with and others he completely ignores when I receive them. Fortunately nothing has died.
I got a few really high end frags recently so I put him in my QT tank to allow them to get more established for a couple of months before I add him back.
This was my 'take a chance' moment. I lucked out tho. Never bothered my corals. I would not take the chance again. LOL, But it was so pretty!!!!
Edit....Also put in a Chocolate Chip Starfish. This one the dude told me was cool in a reef tank. Again, I lucked out. And it's not just that these are not reef safe, they can get pretty big!
apb03
Active Member
I think it's about mindset. If you're willing to work with the fish and make adjustments you are much more likely to have success.
My current theory with my puffer is hunger. He struggles to compete for food so I have to find a way to get him more food without over feeding the tank.
Risky fish can be a struggle, but success is more rewarding.
Nick Steele
2500 Club Member
was this really your thinking? Very interesting thought but I think tides bring in food so that’s why it helps in the ocean not so much are tank?
Also I haven’t had a risky fish yet but one day I will have a harlequin tusk and I know I’ll go through snails like no other but dang it’s a pretty fish!
Readywriter
Active Member
Yup that was my thinking. I knew it was because of food coming in with the tide but I had a "I wonder if theres more to it" kind of thinking with it. It might have changed nothing or it might have been the secret ingredient but either way it certainly didnt hurt anything.
Yeah my flame and foxface are the show pieces in my tank. Both have great personality and fun to watch.
I can see them nip on a coral here and there but i dont think they are actually eating the coral.
McPuff
Valuable Member
I hear that crown of thorns starfish are also reef safe. Give it a try! :0) Ha ha!
Triggers are reef safe, but I have never had one that is invert safe. I do have a good size hermit in with my 2 Rhinecanthus triggers (almost 4 years) but he is the master of hiding I guess. Even I rarely see him. Every time I see a molt I think, "they finally got him." But that's not the case.
apb03
Active Member
I have a Blue Throat trigger and i think they are an exception as far as inverts are concerned. I've yet to see mine go after any of my inverts. I think it's because they have a pretty small mouth maybe.
McPuff
Valuable Member
Blue throat is more of a pelagic feeder (open water), along with niger (I've got one of these in my display and it never goes after any inverts, not even shrimp), pink tail, crosshatch triggers. Contrast this to lagoon triggers (e.g., Rhinecanthus spp.) which generally forage on surfaces and LOVE to eat small fish and any/all invertebrates.
You may also hit a middle ground where species like black durgons, who are generally pelagic, will also forage on the reef itself.
I should have said that triggers are very likely to be coral safe but only certain ones are "reef safe" if you're talking about the whole system as an entity.
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