Swallowtail Angels Truly Reefsafe?

[EliMelly]

Hello,

I have a mixed reef and was thinking about adding swallowtails. I’ve had angels before that destroyed SPS PE due to picking at corals and was wondering if swallowtails were truly reef safe with acropora.

Thank you!

 

[steveschuerger]

They should be. If I remember correctly they’re strict open water feeders.

 

[EliMelly]

They should be. If I remember correctly they’re strict open water feeders.

Thank you!

 

[TheStrangler]

I just caught my swallowtail eating one of my bowerbankis. I saw the frag flipped upside down in the sand and thought a conch had bulldozed over it. Flipped it back over and saw some damage, bummer but figured with a little bit of time it would recover. Five minutes later, its flipped back over and torn up. Flipped it back over and the angel came back and went to town on it. Bummer, it was a really nice bower and that was the last fish I expected to not be reef safe. I feed often and a lot, its a slab of a fish so it might become a sandwich.

 

[Spartan76]

Have a Lamarck and had a watanabe for years. Never had a problem with these eating corals. No fish is perfect but these are about as a reef safe an angel that exists.

 

[JGT]

My Swallowtail acquired a taste for Favias, but only certain ones.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Have a Lamarck and had a watanabe for years. Never had a problem with these eating corals. No fish is perfect but these are about as a reef safe an angel that exists.

Are these two fish the same sex? Do you have any problems with them fighting? I thought about adding a Lamarck as I can’t find a male wantanabe

 

[LikeaPro]

Swallowtails (Genicanthus) are generally considered reef safe.
They’re planktivores and spend most of their time in the water column, so they don’t usually go after corals.

That said, like with any fish, there’s always some individual variation. Keeping them well fed definitely helps reduce any chance of picking.

Overall though, probably one of the safest angelfish you can keep in a reef tank.