Emperor Angel...reef safe?

[jussmeac]

I just put an adult amperor angel on hold at my LFS. The store owner said it would be reef safe. Is this true?

I have a 100 gallon tank with about 100 gallons of sump and refugium mostly LPS, Softies and plan to get some SPS in a while.

Also, do you think 100 gallons is too small for an adult emperor?

Let me know your thoughts...

 

[Len]

It's a gamble. I've heard stories that say they're angels (ugh, very bad pun!), but some people who've tried also say they're coral-nippers (usually polyps and LPS). Ultimately, it'll probably depend on the specimen's personality and the tank conditions/coinhabitants.

 

[Anonymous]

Reef safe across the board? No.
However they are 'generaly' safe with SPS. I have one in an SPS tank, and he causes no problems. The trick is to get them young, and get them used to eating prepared foods. You'll find that if you stick with SPS, you have more fish available to you. Having said this, it's somewhat of a risk.
With your setup, I wouldn't risk any large angels.

Cheers
Jim

 

[teevee]

It seems to me that an LFS that would outright say that the animal is reef-safe does not have your best interests at heart. If they really knew what they were talking about, they would have said what Len and jussmeac have posted.

 

[hillbilly]

I would not trust any angel not to pick at corals!

 

[Anonymous]

I would not trust any angel not to pick at corals!

That's where experience and a bit of knowledge about the individual species comes into play There are few angels that folks have kept without problems.
There is always some risk.

Jim

 

[Anonymous]

It seems to me that an LFS that would outright say that the animal is reef-safe does not have your best interests at heart. If they really knew what they were talking about, they would have said what Len and jussmeac have posted.

I couldn't agree more.

In any event, I have had an imperator and a scribble in my reef tank for about a year now. Both were obtained as small juveniles.

Both angels have nipped at sps corals for a few days after the corals were added. Some sps corals (bali slimers) got nipped more than the others (digitatas or millipores). But the nipping tapered off after the first week.

Soft corals are also at risk. However, I have not seen them touch a colt or a couple of leathers that were recently added. My xenia also remain untouched.

LPS is a real gamble. My frogspawn and a couple of fungias have been fine. However, somebody devoured a heliofungia within a few days even though the coral had been in the tank for a long time. I also had an open brain that did not look so good, although I wasn't positive it was getting picked on. However, I gave the brain to someone and it quickly recovered.

 

[Anonymous]

I think you mean P. imperator.
The concensus seems to be that euphylia are safe for the most part.

Jim

 

[hillbilly]

I would not trust any angel not to pick at corals!

That's where experience and a bit of knowledge about the individual species comes into play There are few angels that folks have kept without problems.
There is always some risk.

Jim

But it is somewhat of a gamble. I would rather put an angel in a fish only
system.

 

[Anonymous]

I hear ya. I just got tired of the "safe" fish, and decided to take some risks. I'm happy to say they have turned out to be good decisions.

Cheers
Jim