Well guys I couldnt resist the temptation to put up a thread about bending the ever popular "reef-safe" rule. Truth be told I think a lot of the commonly preached ideas about reef safe animals are wrong or mis-guided.

There are some animals, most notably fish, who are much more prone to eating different corals and inverts then others. Although many fish who are professed to be reef safe can quite quickly develop a growing appetite for coral.

I personally feel reef compatibility depends on several factors:

1. The size of the aquarium
2. The age of the fish
3. Which corals and inverts are to be kept
4. How much and how often are the animals fed
5. What types of food are being fed
6. What tank mates is the "non-reef safe fish" being kept with

Right now in my reef, which is a total mix of LPS, SPS, and Soft corals I am keeping a Blue Face Angelfish and a Picasso Triggerfish. Now most experts would tell you that those two fish would in time, totally decimate my reef. The Blue Face Angel has been in there for about 6 months while the Picasso has been a tennant for a little over a year. Neither fish have bothered any corals or inverts although the chance that they will always exists.

One thing I attribute to success with the Picasso Trigger is his age. This fish I acquired when he was a small juvenile, maybe 2.5 inches and he is right now maybe a little bit above 3 inches. My assumption is that as he matures he may begin to bother coral or his tankmates. In that case I will remove him and donate him to a friends tank or local aquarium store. I do believe the fact that the fish has grown up in a community reef, with temptation all around for his entire life will have a great bearing on whether he develops into a reef safe fish or not.

If one were to purchase an adult Picasso trigger, recently caught from the wild whom already has a taste for shirmp and coral no doubt it would be a disaster. Although as a student of ecology and animal behavior I believe that if we purchase young fish we can help them developmentally to become a better aquarium tennant then is traditionally expected.

As for my success with the Blue Face Angel I attribute that to one thing: Food! He eats well and a day doesnt go by that I do not supply that fish with freshly harvested marine algae from my refuge and freeze dried norii.

Wow, this is quite interesting! How old is the angelfish? I really like the idea of bending the rules a bit, as a student of biology also, it in my nature to experiment. Keep us updated with you results!

The BlueFace Eben I would say is probably a year and half maybe a bit older. I am not sure how long Angelfish stay in a the benthic larval stage as members of free swimming plankton fields.

He is about 3.5 inches and still has a juvenile eyespot up by his tail leading me to believe he is still fairly young.

Keeping large angels in the reef is always risking a lot.  However, there are a few people I can tell you of that have Emperor Angels in their reefs, among other notorious "coral eaters."  It can be done, especially if you keep the fish well-fed.

agreed

Also there is the time factor and the not every fish is the same factor. As far as the time factor I had two angels in my tank that did good for 4 yrs. Then all of a sudden they went bad and destroyed a hammer coral and a bubble coral. It wont always happen right away but it could start at any time. I thought mine were going to be good for life but I was sadly disapointed. Also Not every fish is the same. I`m sure when my keyhole and coral beauty went bad there are others that have these fish in their tank with no problems. They all have different personalities and are different. I just know that I have taken the NO angels pledge because of the havoc they reeked on my reef. I`m sure others have had success but not me. HTH

Melosu,

I know many reef keepers who have taken the no angel pledge as you have.

Hey Jeremy, did you see the Reef of the Month at ReefCentral this month? A huge mixed reef, mostly sps........ LOADED WITH ANGELS!!!! Check it out.

Eben

Yeah I did see that tank, pretty sweet. I may add an Emperor angel to my aquarium and see what happens. That will take my angel count to two large one dwarf. So far my Flame Angel has been more of a pest then the Blue Face, lol! Not enough of a pest to remove though.

Haha, you are brave!

Haha, you are brave!

Haha, you are brave!