singapore angelfish help

[Mattchamp]

I got a Singapore angelfish a week ago for my 75g reef tank, since then it always hides and never eats prepared food but recently I started adding garlic guard to the food and he seems interested will he eventually start eating it? can he survive just picking off the rock? I know feeding can be a problem with this species. secondly he started to develop a taste for some of my corals will this eventually severely damage the corals? as I have a coral beauty that constantly nipped at a gorgonian but with no ill health effects on the coral, and can it be related with him getting hungry? thanks

 

[Mattchamp]

Anyone?


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[SeymourDuncan]

No, the angelfish cannot live solely off the rock.

Yes the corals can be damaged if he is actually biting flesh.

Yes him being hungry COULD be a factor as to why he is eating your corals but not the only reason. They are known to do so even when fully plump.




"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[Mattchamp]

Can corals survive his picking? Also would trading him in for an asfur angelfish be a better solution?


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[SeymourDuncan]

If he is physically tearing or takin chunks out of the corals they will most likely have a very hard time staying alive. The Arabian angelfish (or asfur) gets over a foot long, it is most likely another coral muncher. Try the other end of the spectrum. I have a wonderful Cherub angel who doesn't mess with anything that isn't an algae or what I feed them myself.


"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[Mattchamp]

He's not taking chunks out, he just nips at the coral, so its probably fine, also I heard a lot of controversy over the asfur I heard it can be easy to keep and I also heard it can be challenging which one but I'm not sure which one it is


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Its a challenge. For starters its a huge fish. Needs tons of food. When hungry it looks for anything else that might taste good. Then you have the fact he can knock over your whole rockscape given the right situation.


"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Does the coral look mad?


"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[Mattchamp]

It just retracts so far he picked at a brain coral, rusty gorgonian, acropora, green mushrooms, birdsnest coral


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[Mattchamp]

But are there any good possible candadits from the genus pomacanthus? Easy to keep? Relatively reef safe? Etc


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[SeymourDuncan]

They all have their risks honestly. Best thing you can do is set them up in your quarantine tank (because every reefer has one) and stick a few lesser coral with him and see if he messes with them. Work up to the rest of the corals you can manage until you are sure he ignores them. Other than that its a flip i a coin you may not be able to capture.

How large is your aquarium?


"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[SeymourDuncan]

75 duh. Lol. That's really small for any large angel IMO


"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[Mattchamp]

Well I don't plan to keep the asfur permanently but ill get it when it is an adult btw I don't have a quarantine tank so everything I put in my tank is pretty much fair game, anyway is a 75g too small for the Singapore too?


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[Mattchamp]

Is a baby*


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Singapore is also a nipper. Even in a large tank. Best bet would be to go for the smaller guys. Flame angels or pygmies are good. A 75 is just large enough to be too small for the large bodied angels in my opinion. They seem to get claustrophobia and spontaneously die from what I hear.

If you really want to risk it then so be it. For size reference just look up your desired fish on a vendors site and see what their minimum tank size is and double it to compensate for additional fish. Often places will sell a dinner plate sized fish and claim it will survive in a tank as long as it fits underwater




"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[Mattchamp]

Well I read on some websites that the asfur angel can be placed as little as 100g and a 75g tank is only 25g smaller so it could work I guess because there really isn't too big of a difference


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[SeymourDuncan]

You'd be surprised. I had a bicolor in a 29 and he hated life! I put him in my 90 and he was very happy besides the fact that he ate some coral.


"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[Mattchamp]

Well as i said it will probably be a temporary home


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[Mattchamp]

also after doing a water change today i noticed the singapore angel going absolutely crazy for my acropora however before it started nipping i noticed a large amount of slime being produced by the acro and other life, so is the angel probably picking at the slime and not the acro?

 

[SeymourDuncan]

I can't tell how serious the damage is with no pics of the spots he is in fact biting.


"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."