Reef safe?

[Bry17nyc]

Is a swallowtail angel fish reef safe?
I've seen mixed opinions about it
Just wanted to be sure before I buy one

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Any angel is a hit or miss situation

 

[jaa1456]

They are known to be the safest bet of any angel. I have only heard of a small percent of them nipping. I plan on adding a pair to my tank once it is up and running.

 

[Bry17nyc]

I've heard that genus Genicanthus are the only angels that don't bother corals

What do they munch on in the wild ?

 

[marrone]

In the wild that eat plankton and things in the water column and will eat similar things in your tank, like Mysis and such, but they may nip at corals. This doesn't usually happen right away but it does over time.

 

[kres1024]

I've had luck with my bellus angel pair don't nip nothing ..

 

[duke62]

I was told lamarks were reef safe and it ate the crap out of my red dragon acro.

 

[ducati335i]

I was told lamarks were reef safe and it ate the crap out of my red dragon acro.

Really? Do you feed the fish regularly too? Or? I always wanted Angels but I would rather rush it in triggers like I have in the past.. If I had just spa I might have tried

 

[duke62]

had the fish not even 3 days and yes i feed once a day with mysis and brine and throw in pellets early afternoon

 

[Bry17nyc]

In the wild that eat plankton and things in the water column and will eat similar things in your tank, like Mysis and such, but they may nip at corals. This doesn't usually happen right away but it does over time.

I see.. I got a flame angel when he was very small, now that its big it got a taste for the yellow polyps I have in my tank

 

[Bry17nyc]

Anybody that has one?
Any problems? How long have you had him?

 

[K Reefy]

I've had both the lamark and the swallowtail. The key is feeding your fish at least twice a day. This way they don't even think about nipping. I also have a coral beauty in my reef in addition to the swallowtail. No issues thus far. Been close to a year.

 

[Bry17nyc]

I've had both the lamark and the swallowtail. The key is feeding your fish at least twice a day. This way they don't even think about nipping. I also have a coral beauty in my reef in addition to the swallowtail. No issues thus far. Been close to a year.

Nice
Is it better to get them while they're juv.
Or it doesn't matter?

 

[K Reefy]

I always recommend acquiring juvenile fish. This way you can kinda mold them before they pick up bad habits. There are a few "reef safe" angels I know of. Bellus, lamarck, watanabi and swallowtail. However, I know guys who own full reef tanks with non-reef safe angels (blue face, majestic, etc.)and their system is thriving with little/no nipping.