anemones and large angels

fourts1 · 02/11/2007, 08:00 AM

I have a 300g mixed reef with a blueface, regal and imperator angel. Was thinking of adding an anemone but was concerned about the angels trying to eat them. Are there many people out there keeping anemones with large angels out there? If so, what type of anemone? Would hosting clowns help keep the angels away?

Random Aquarist · 02/11/2007, 12:28 PM

I think the anemone's more likely to eat the angel than vice versa.

fourts1 · 02/11/2007, 01:28 PM

Is this based on experience or opinion? The angels eat zooanthids and nip at some LPS corals.

Random Aquarist · 02/11/2007, 01:37 PM

I've heard of BTA's eating tangs. Why not angels?

marc price · 02/12/2007, 06:44 PM

i had a blue s. haddoni that cost $40 and was considered expensive in 1984 (the dark ages of marines) , got picked to death by a large blueface angel from the start , didn't last a week . the tomato clown never formed a symbiotic relationship with it . i don't know if the outcome would have been diff. had it been established in the tank or a holding tank with a pair of large clownfish before adding the large angels . i can only guess that at some point depending on size and species of anemone , angelfish and clownfish(es) one or the other will be dinner . i've watched my a. polymnus taunt more than one species of wrasse into the tenticles of it's s. haddoni .

Flighty · 02/14/2007, 07:47 AM

My only experience is with regals and magnificas and have so far had no problems.

marc price · 02/14/2007, 10:45 PM

i'd have thought the regal would have been eaten but not so surprised to hear that it didn't pick on the anemone . pygoplites d. feed on sponges and tunicates and are usually reef safe . how large where they and what other fish survived the h. magnifica ? did you have a copperbanded butterflyfish with the h. mag. ? did your h. mag. ever damage corals ? my rbta'(s's's's's's....), where a problem , destructive to tissue on contact (got rid of them now the clownfish needs another nem.), whereas i've had s. haddoni and h. crispa in direct contact with sps (porities/xmass tree worms) and lps (wellsophyllia & fungia),for days sometimes weeks, with no harm to either animal .

fe342185 · 02/14/2007, 11:00 PM

I have a large Imperator with gigantea and 3 RBTA in a 180. No problems at all. Also had a large Blue face and a smal majestic that also did not bother any of the anemones. I got rid of the angels but the Imperator due to nipping at softies.

My concern is the 14" gigantea eating the Angel.

Amphiprion · 02/14/2007, 11:57 PM

I have heard of problems before, even with stinging, highly noxious species (S. haddoni) being eaten. I wouldn't recommend it unless you know the angel won't do it ahead of time (i.e. already housed with anemones). Even then, it is too unpredictable for my tastes.

Flighty · 02/15/2007, 08:47 AM

The magnificas will kill any corals they touch so I have them up high on pedestals . One has gotten large enough to brush a clam and I don't see any damage.

The magnificas seem to prefer inverts. All of my shrimp have been eaten(expensive cleaner shrimp too

), but only a couple of chromis have been eaten fish wise. In the tank we also have a breeding pair of mandarins, jawfish, rabbitfish, a copperband butterfly, and the regals. Some fish seem to be more effected by the sting. The rabbits don't flinch much and sometimes get stung when competing for food, but the butterfly will jump way back obviously stung. the chromis that I saw being eaten had blundered deep into the tentacles and struggled only briefly before it was paralyzed.

The regals are a male female pair that both started out around 4" and are about 6" and 5". I have spent a lot of time trying to pair the Copperband, so have had many specimens going in and out of the system and have never seen an issue between them and the anemone.

cfmx · 02/15/2007, 12:04 PM

I had a 90 g with a green and a blue carpet the problem was after getting the new fish in the tank. First Queen Angel lasted one night, next tried getting a Blue Angel it too found its way into the carpet in one night, unfortunately the story continues as I gave up on the Angels I bought a nice Powder Blue Tang lasted a week. The carpets really were not the problem it was the bicolor angel that was a tenth the size of any of the new fish that drove them into the carpets. Needless to say the carpets were well feed. My advice make sure the angels donâ€™t fight each other, and possible have them get tangled in the anemone.

mobert · 03/17/2007, 11:06 AM

I had a baby Imperator that grew huge. It started ripping at my RBTA's so I had to sell the angel. Sad, most beautiful fish.

mile sq. reefer · 03/18/2007, 09:01 PM

I used to have a Flagfin angel that was a model citizen and then one day decided to tear into my green bubble tip anemone. Sad to say the anemone lost and the saddlebacks lost their home.
[IMG]

[/IMG]
Old photo.

triggerfish1976 · 03/22/2007, 01:07 PM

I have three BTA's in my tank with two Personifer, one Asfur, 2 Red Sea Regals and I have not had any problems but that doesn't mean that you won't. I know some angelfish eat certain jellyfish in the wild and may pick at Aneomones as a substitute. I would not buy any large show size angels as these thend to be the ones that are prone to invert predation.

02/11/2007, 08:00 AM	#1
fourts1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 52	anemones and large angels I have a 300g mixed reef with a blueface, regal and imperator angel. Was thinking of adding an anemone but was concerned about the angels trying to eat them. Are there many people out there keeping anemones with large angels out there? If so, what type of anemone? Would hosting clowns help keep the angels away?

02/11/2007, 12:28 PM	#2
Random Aquarist Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: SLO County, CA Posts: 758	I think the anemone's more likely to eat the angel than vice versa. __________________ I need treefitty. - Loch Ness Monster Current Tank Info: 86g rubble zone w/ seagrass bed biotope

02/11/2007, 01:37 PM	#4
Random Aquarist Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: SLO County, CA Posts: 758	I've heard of BTA's eating tangs. Why not angels? __________________ I need treefitty. - Loch Ness Monster Current Tank Info: 86g rubble zone w/ seagrass bed biotope

02/14/2007, 11:57 PM	#9
Amphiprion Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 6,611	I have heard of problems before, even with stinging, highly noxious species (S. haddoni) being eaten. I wouldn't recommend it unless you know the angel won't do it ahead of time (i.e. already housed with anemones). Even then, it is too unpredictable for my tastes. __________________ You've done it now, haven't you? Current Tank Info: 40g breeder patch reef w/ seagrass; 2-250w XM 10K; Vortech MP40wES & MP10wES; BM Curve 7 skimmer; carbon & occasional GFO

03/18/2007, 09:01 PM	#13
mile sq. reefer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 2,045	I used to have a Flagfin angel that was a model citizen and then one day decided to tear into my green bubble tip anemone. Sad to say the anemone lost and the saddlebacks lost their home. [IMG][/IMG] Old photo.

02/11/2007, 01:28 PM	#3
fourts1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 52	Is this based on experience or opinion? The angels eat zooanthids and nip at some LPS corals.

02/12/2007, 06:44 PM	#5
marc price Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: "the birthplace of independence" Posts: 1,146	i had a blue s. haddoni that cost $40 and was considered expensive in 1984 (the dark ages of marines) , got picked to death by a large blueface angel from the start , didn't last a week . the tomato clown never formed a symbiotic relationship with it . i don't know if the outcome would have been diff. had it been established in the tank or a holding tank with a pair of large clownfish before adding the large angels . i can only guess that at some point depending on size and species of anemone , angelfish and clownfish(es) one or the other will be dinner . i've watched my a. polymnus taunt more than one species of wrasse into the tenticles of it's s. haddoni .

02/14/2007, 07:47 AM	#6
Flighty Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Southern NH, USA Posts: 1,039	My only experience is with regals and magnificas and have so far had no problems.

02/14/2007, 10:45 PM	#7
marc price Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: "the birthplace of independence" Posts: 1,146	i'd have thought the regal would have been eaten but not so surprised to hear that it didn't pick on the anemone . pygoplites d. feed on sponges and tunicates and are usually reef safe . how large where they and what other fish survived the h. magnifica ? did you have a copperbanded butterflyfish with the h. mag. ? did your h. mag. ever damage corals ? my rbta'(s's's's's's....), where a problem , destructive to tissue on contact (got rid of them now the clownfish needs another nem.), whereas i've had s. haddoni and h. crispa in direct contact with sps (porities/xmass tree worms) and lps (wellsophyllia & fungia),for days sometimes weeks, with no harm to either animal .

02/14/2007, 11:00 PM	#8
fe342185 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Staten Island NY Posts: 641	I have a large Imperator with gigantea and 3 RBTA in a 180. No problems at all. Also had a large Blue face and a smal majestic that also did not bother any of the anemones. I got rid of the angels but the Imperator due to nipping at softies. My concern is the 14" gigantea eating the Angel.

02/15/2007, 08:47 AM	#10
Flighty Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Southern NH, USA Posts: 1,039	The magnificas will kill any corals they touch so I have them up high on pedestals . One has gotten large enough to brush a clam and I don't see any damage. The magnificas seem to prefer inverts. All of my shrimp have been eaten(expensive cleaner shrimp too ), but only a couple of chromis have been eaten fish wise. In the tank we also have a breeding pair of mandarins, jawfish, rabbitfish, a copperband butterfly, and the regals. Some fish seem to be more effected by the sting. The rabbits don't flinch much and sometimes get stung when competing for food, but the butterfly will jump way back obviously stung. the chromis that I saw being eaten had blundered deep into the tentacles and struggled only briefly before it was paralyzed. The regals are a male female pair that both started out around 4" and are about 6" and 5". I have spent a lot of time trying to pair the Copperband, so have had many specimens going in and out of the system and have never seen an issue between them and the anemone.

02/15/2007, 12:04 PM	#11
cfmx Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Parrish, FL Posts: 1,199	I had a 90 g with a green and a blue carpet the problem was after getting the new fish in the tank. First Queen Angel lasted one night, next tried getting a Blue Angel it too found its way into the carpet in one night, unfortunately the story continues as I gave up on the Angels I bought a nice Powder Blue Tang lasted a week. The carpets really were not the problem it was the bicolor angel that was a tenth the size of any of the new fish that drove them into the carpets. Needless to say the carpets were well feed. My advice make sure the angels donâ€™t fight each other, and possible have them get tangled in the anemone.

03/17/2007, 11:06 AM	#12
mobert Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Los Gatos, California Posts: 2,574	I had a baby Imperator that grew huge. It started ripping at my RBTA's so I had to sell the angel. Sad, most beautiful fish.

03/22/2007, 01:07 PM	#14
triggerfish1976 Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Land of Smiles Posts: 2,980	I have three BTA's in my tank with two Personifer, one Asfur, 2 Red Sea Regals and I have not had any problems but that doesn't mean that you won't. I know some angelfish eat certain jellyfish in the wild and may pick at Aneomones as a substitute. I would not buy any large show size angels as these thend to be the ones that are prone to invert predation.