[eagleANTH]

Alright folks.... I have stocked my tank a little but i have room for a few more fish... currently im on a 55g reef tank i am not trying to have a ton of fish but i currently have 2 Oscellaris Clowns 1 Flavivertex Pseudochromis 3 Royal Gramma and 1 Yellow Watchman Goby. I have a cleanup crew with various snails and a couple cleaner shrimp. I want to add a flame angel. Will this be ok in a 55g reef tank. I want to make sure as I read it should be one of the last fish to add due to its territorial tendencies. I am ok as far as ammonia nitrate and nitrite goes and everything is going well I guess im really just asking for the pros and cons of adding the flame angel. The flame angel is a beautiful fish that I would love to add yet I do not wish to sacrifice the well being of my tank. So if some of you could post some experiences with this particular species it would be great.

 

[archer772]

You have 3 Royal Gramma's in your 55 gallon??? Pseudochromis and Bassalets dont usually get along and usually you only want 1 Royal Gramma in a tank your size. I feel you are maxed out with the fish you have already but that is JMO

 

[ladyonyx]

Agreed. Do your pseudochromis and gramma get along??
Perhaps if you only have 1 gramma you'd be able to have the flame angel. I'd recommend trading out 2 grammas for a flame.
I'm glad you decided to wait and add this type of fish last; this type of addition definitely minimizes aggression due to territorial disputes.
Also, what kind of corals do you have? Many fishes in the genus Centropyge, including the flame angel, are known for nipping at SPS and some soft corals as well as clams. Just something to consider.
They are gorgeous fish though, and really add a lot of color and personality to an aquarium

 

[eagleANTH]

Well at the moment the Gammas seem fine and flourish and eat well they look very healthy and none seem stressed at all.. they dont seem to mind eachother. The psuedo seems fine and doesnt bother anything either hes really thriving in the tank and I read that I should keep an eye on these species and should definately add the Gammas first. Which the Gammas were added a month after my clowns. So far I have had these fish fish all together for about 2 months total with no new additions other than a zoa colony rock. The Gammas seem a bit too purple so I may consider losing 2 of them as it looks sort of obnoxious. My buddy has a 200g custom tank im sure he would take them.

To answer the question about my corals currently I have a couple mushrooms, a nice radioactive brain, 4 different types of zoos and a finger leather. The tank is relatively young still and I do plan on a few pieces of SPS in the future. All time together this tank is about 6 and a half months including the cycle.

I want my tank to be as healthy as possible so if i get an experienced reefer tell me to ditch two of the gammas i will. With all this given information should I be safe enough for the flame angel?

 

[archer772]

I would say you would be fine IF you get rid of 2 of the grammas. I agree with ladyonyx, just watch the angel with your corals mainly your brain for now. I believe the flame is a difficult angel to get to eat and they arent the best shippers so have the LFS feed it before you buy it and make sure you quarentine it for a couple weeks in a quiet area to make sure it is healthy and eating good before you add it to your main tank. I wish you luck with your flame, they are a beutifull angel.

 

[Billythefish]

I have a true lemon peel angel and its a pain in the but! he's a right bossy fish that constantly harasses my percula clown fish. Just about all angel fish will eat your lps sps corals and even invertebrates, Ive had my bubble, leather, and colt corals nipped half to death by my lemon peel angel so I would give the flame angel a miss if I was you

 

[ladyonyx]

Centropyge angels are definitely pickers. I 've noticed that if you have a lot of pods/mysids in your tank for them to hunt, they tend to leave the corals alone, but you never know; each fish has different preferences. I'd give your friend with the 200g a couple of your grammas and get the flame. But like archer772 said, make sure it's been eating before you buy it and keep it in QT for at least a couple weeks. If you get the flame, just keep an eye on its eating habits and make sure it's not wrecking your corals.

 

[eagleANTH]

most definately guys... i actually got the approval from the wifey for a bigger tank so i may hold off until i get my hands on a 125. then i have to buy some more LR and LS and more coral frags to fill up the dead space... good thing i bought a big enough skimmer because i wont have to buy a new one now.

 

[ladyonyx]

That's a serious upgrade! You must be pretty convincing....

 

[eagleANTH]

It wasnt too bad because she really enjoys the tank... I dont think she quite enjoys it as much as I love it but I catch her down in my man cave all the time peeking at my playful clowns. I even let her feed it sometimes - However shes griping at me to learn about seahorses because she wants a seahorse tank. I just lack the knowledge of how these work and how rough of a job this is to do. So I convinced her by saying I would read up on it and I would be happy to get her setup with one but she would have to follow up as the owner and make sure everything is taken care of. I showed her an article about seahorses and how many die each year for pharmaceutical companies and such and she seemed a bit upset about it. Then I showed her a nightmare on a reef due to cyanide fishing and she was like OMG what happened to using a fishing pole or a net!!!!!! lol.... if we could only get those fisherman to see it the way we do.

 

[ladyonyx]

I know....reading about the ways people all over the globe are contrubuting to the destruction of the world's waters just makes you sad....here's an article I wrote about the Coral Triangle; I talk about the depressing stuff at the end: Coral Science - The Coral Triangle - Oasis of life

But seahorses are really amazing to keep. They do best in aquariums of 30g or more and need to be kept at lower temperatures than most "tropical" marine cirtters; this is because they are extremely susceptible to bacterial diseases that can be easily avoided by keeping them in water around 70-74 degrees F. They like lots of things to grab on to like gorgonians and macroalgae like Halimeda. And they really benefit from a tank with lots of naturally occurring live foods like copepods, mysids and some live brine shrimp (hench the tank size requirement). If going with a smaller tank, the system should be connected to a refugium where pods can breed. Seahorses are notoriusly picky eaters, and in the wild they eat tiny meals all day long, so live food in the tank at all times is the best way to go.

 

[eagleANTH]

Yah I read that they should also be kept in a much lower flow rate than say a reef tank. Otherwise they just get blown around like rag dolls. If I get her a setup for it I think I will set her up a 55 as its a common sized tank and easy to get my hands on. Then Ill make a 20g Fuge for some macro and LR. As for live foods if i stock the tank with brine and mysids how often would i need to do so? or will they begin breeding? the copes i can get no problems.

I think im going to start a seahorse thread and get the knowledge of the people and see what they can learn me

 

[archer772]

You should try to get a taller tank than a standard 55 as most of the people around here recomend a 24 inch tall tank

 

[ladyonyx]

If you have a fuge, they will breed like crazy. Definitely start a seahorse thread. I'm sure plenty of people will be able to tell you about them.

 

[eagleANTH]

Ok folks i started the seahorse thread http://www.aquariumforum.com/f8/omg-seahorse-4756.html#post35721

As for this one I think I am going to abandon it for now but I may come back to it when I get all set up on the 125g.