will a flame angel harass lps corals?

LPS, SPS and all coral chat
Zenix9
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Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2024 2:23 pm

will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by Zenix9 »

I'm considering adding a Flame Angel to my reef tank, despite the risks. I'm curious to know if they tend to pick on LPS, SPS, or soft corals more often. Since I'm planning a LPS tank, I'd like to know if they're generally safe around LPS corals. I thought they mostly left LPS alone, but might bother SPS and soft corals.
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penguin
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Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2024 2:48 pm

Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by penguin »

I had a similar experience with a flameback Pygmy angel in my tank, it started nipping at my open brain corals. The corals didn't seem to be harmed, but they definitely got stressed and would shrink up.

The angel would constantly pick at them, and I ended up tearing my reef apart trying to catch it. It was a beautiful fish, but unfortunately, it didn't mix well with my corals.
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florix9
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Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by florix9 »

My flame angel, got him when he was small, kept him well fed - never had any issues with coral picking, personally.
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robinjay
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Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by robinjay »

My experience with flame angels has been pretty smooth. Had a few over the years, and they never bothered my corals. However, when it comes to other fish, especially new ones, it's been a different story - some were left alone, while others got picked on. Guess it really depends on the individual fish.
dream9
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Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2024 10:53 pm

Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by dream9 »

From my experience, Flame Angels tend to have a preference for nipping at LPS corals and some even seem to develop a taste for Zoas over SPS or soft corals. It's really a gamble with these fish, some just don't bother with corals at all, while others can't resist the urge to nip.
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nixora
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Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by nixora »

I've had two Flame Angels, and my previous one was a bit of a handful - it loved to pick at my clam's mantle, but never bothered the corals. I've got two separate tanks now, and I've got one in each - so far, they've both been perfect angels (fingers crossed). They're both well-fed and a bit on the chubby side, which seems to be keeping them happy.
otterly
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Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by otterly »

My experience with my flame angel was pretty mixed - it had a thing for my candy cane coral, and would occasionally pick at trachyphyllia or wellsophyllia. On the other hand, it left my SPS and zoas completely alone.
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nixora
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Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by nixora »

I had a Flame Angel in my tank earlier this year and it never bothered my LPS corals. You can actually see them in this picture from my tank update back in March - http://thewetandwild.blogspot.com/2014/ ... pdate.html.
tideson
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Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2023 1:58 pm

Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by tideson »

Thanks for the info
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felinxo
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Re: will a flame angel harass lps corals?

Post by felinxo »

Not worth the risk for me, I've seen too many bad experiences.
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