Coral beauty or pygmy cherub angelfish?

abcxyz123 · 01/03/2013, 02:01 PM

I have a 30 gallon reef tank and everything is going great. In my tank I have 2 ocellaris clowns and 2 firefish. Should I get a coral beauty or Pygmy cherub angel? Share your experiences, thoughts, and advice please

cloak · 01/03/2013, 02:06 PM

I would go with the cherub angel. They don't get as big as the coral beauty, and seem to have a better track record when it comes down to getting along with corals. Check these out.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/jf/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...hcs3/index.php

FlyFishGuy · 01/03/2013, 02:14 PM

Hi Abc,

My experience in a mixed reef with any of the pygmy angels has not been great. Not sure what types of coral you have in your reef, but if you have softies (Zoa's, Xenia and various polyps) - pygmy angels almost always harrass them. Difficult to say if they're eating the polyps, but they'll definately damage them and if smaller colonies, eradicate them from your tank. They may be fine for months - then one day start the buffett! They tend to nip at clam mantles as well - though I've not had one nip to the point that the clam will not open any longer.

All that said - either of the two you mentioned are some of the reported 'better behaved' pygmy's. I had a coral beauty for 5 years before trading him and he never touched a single coral (that I witnessed). Potter's angels also seem to be less apt to bother corals - but like all, can switch the menu on any given day. Avoid Bi-Color, Lemonpeel and eibli at all costs if you keep softies - they love 'em!

Just my two cents. Enjoy!

abcxyz123 · 01/03/2013, 02:41 PM

Thanks! I will definitely take your guys advice

abcxyz123 · 01/03/2013, 03:00 PM

And what about a flame angel? Are those easy and hardy fish?

vel123 · 01/03/2013, 03:34 PM

I have cherub in my 29 he has not messed with any of my corals.

nam2212 · 01/03/2013, 04:08 PM

I had a Coral Beauty in my 29G years ago. It was a model citizen for about 2 years and then one day decided to start nipping. It killed a clam and countless softies before I was able to get it out.

SKurj · 01/03/2013, 04:52 PM

I have a pygmy cherub in my 40gLong, tank mates:

1 gold neon goby
2 black snowflake clowns
1 hector's goby
1 blue spot rabbit
1 melanrus wrasse

Some zoas, nepthia, frogspawn, muchrooms, palys, gsp
asst'd snails, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 emerald crab

I have never witnessed him touching corals, but something has munched a few zoas, could be the rabbit.. could be the crab but I have never caught anything in the act.

When he first arrived he was tiny and the only fish he had issues with was the hector's goby, they worked their differences out though. Now he does get nipped by the clowns occasionally, as a result his tail is never 100%.

I love the little guy, i've had him 6 months or so , and he appears real happy, always busy, and the look on his face! ok it might be a she... When I saw him at the LFS they had a few in the same tank, and while he was the smallest (not much bigger than a quarter) he had the most "fire" and was a hoot watchin him charging around and flaring at the rest of them.

I am torn at the moment whether I should remove him to spare him the hassle from the clowns or just leave him and see if they work things out.. I won't give up the clowns (nvm what I paid for them..) but at the same time it was dwarf angels that pushed me over that cliff to move from FW to marine aquaria, I don't think I could imagine a tank without a dwarf of some sort.

With your current fish list adding the angel might be pushing it, I am about to remove the wrasse and the rabbit fish, just too much for the size of the tank. The smaller the angel though the better if you are going to do it.

postshawn · 01/03/2013, 05:07 PM

I had a Coral Beauty for a couple months but it got ich and died. While I had it, it was a model citizen and did no harm to fish or corals. Every fish is different though and there are no guarantees in this game. We went to look for a Cherub after we were confident the tank and other residents were all healthy again and found a couple LFS's with Cherubs but just weren't feeling their vibes. One of them did have a stellar looking Rusty Angel. We wound up getting the Rusty. So far it's doing good. Not going after any corals (all I have is sponge and mushrooms). It goes after the other fish, mostly my Fairy Wrase but I think it's all territorial since I only have a 29g with limited room. It even plays with my peppermint shrimp trying to get it to clean him but I don't think that shrimp want's anything to do with any fish. I'm going to get a cleaner shrimp soon. I have a total of 5 small fish in my 29g with plans of moving everyone into a 55g later this spring or summer. But for now all seems well.

I've had bad luck keeping angels alive. But I've had good luck with them being good tempered. Only the Fisher Angel was a little terror. My Coral Beauty, Multicolor Angel and now the Rusty Angel were all great fish. I think my problem is most came with something that my tank brought out more. I admit I didn't quarantine so the last couple I tried to find which ones the stores had for a while since my LFS keeps them in some good meds when they get them. The more time at the LFS the more they are taking in some of their meds.

I'd vote for either a Cherub, Coral Beauty or Rusty. Basically just see what you can find that is the healthiest and eats the best while in the store. Good luck!

abcxyz123 · 01/03/2013, 05:35 PM

Ok thank you two for the advice. Has anyone ever had a flame angel though? I think they look REALLY cool but I heard they can get bigger. I have NO idea how I'm going to make this decision because I like all dwarf angelfish

cherubfish pair · 01/03/2013, 09:08 PM

I've had several angels and only a heraldi picked, and that was quite often at zoas. I have a fireball now and have only occasionally seen him in the part of the tank that has zoas. So I don't know if he will nip them until he starts going there.

I think CBs are the hardiest of the dwarfs. The fireballs (C. aurantonotus) are supposed to be the best as far as being reef-safe, but they are one of the most expensive. And I think they are worth it as they are quite striking in appearance.

abcxyz123 · 01/03/2013, 10:32 PM

Ok thanks, this is really hard!

SKurj · 01/04/2013, 06:28 AM

I know the feeling, all the dwarfs are all so cool, I originally wanted a fireball but couldn't find one, and the local lfs people didn't know what I was after when I asked for one.

abcxyz123 · 01/04/2013, 01:22 PM

Is the fireball the same as the flame angel?

SKurj · 01/04/2013, 01:27 PM

No the fireball is very similar to the pygmy cherub only more yellow/orange running back from its face,

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...446&pcatid=446

abcxyz123 · 01/04/2013, 03:39 PM

Are they just as easy?

sensaidavid · 10/02/2014, 07:14 PM

I have had a flame, a bicolor, a coral beauty, a heraldi, a lemonpeel, an eibli, a potter's, and a pygmy yellow tail angelfish. By far the most durable and least prone to nip is the flame, the most sensitive are the heraldi and lemon peels. As flyfishguy said, the lemonpeel, the bicolor and the eibli are very nippy, lol. Coral beauty and Flames seem to eat more macro algae and diatoms in my opinion as does the bicolor. Pygmy yellowtail was very sensitive to shipping as mine didn't last long, cute fish though. I currently have a dwarf pygmy in quarantine to add to my carribean tank, so far so good very little and cute, but i recommend the flame any day of the week!

hogfanreefer · 10/02/2014, 07:17 PM

I had a flameback (fire ball) and he was an acan eating machine. Also took out a duncan. Weird thing is I gave him to friend who has a duncan and he hasn't even looked at it in his tank. ??

mjoener · 10/02/2014, 08:29 PM

Coral Beauty all the way. A little larger, but much prettier and more outgoing.

Cherubs can be jerks. Not sure why.

01/03/2013, 02:01 PM	#1
abcxyz123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 15	Coral beauty or pygmy cherub angelfish? I have a 30 gallon reef tank and everything is going great. In my tank I have 2 ocellaris clowns and 2 firefish. Should I get a coral beauty or Pygmy cherub angel? Share your experiences, thoughts, and advice please

01/03/2013, 04:52 PM	#8
SKurj Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Oshawa Posts: 539	I have a pygmy cherub in my 40gLong, tank mates: 1 gold neon goby 2 black snowflake clowns 1 hector's goby 1 blue spot rabbit 1 melanrus wrasse Some zoas, nepthia, frogspawn, muchrooms, palys, gsp asst'd snails, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 emerald crab I have never witnessed him touching corals, but something has munched a few zoas, could be the rabbit.. could be the crab but I have never caught anything in the act. When he first arrived he was tiny and the only fish he had issues with was the hector's goby, they worked their differences out though. Now he does get nipped by the clowns occasionally, as a result his tail is never 100%. I love the little guy, i've had him 6 months or so , and he appears real happy, always busy, and the look on his face! ok it might be a she... When I saw him at the LFS they had a few in the same tank, and while he was the smallest (not much bigger than a quarter) he had the most "fire" and was a hoot watchin him charging around and flaring at the rest of them. I am torn at the moment whether I should remove him to spare him the hassle from the clowns or just leave him and see if they work things out.. I won't give up the clowns (nvm what I paid for them..) but at the same time it was dwarf angels that pushed me over that cliff to move from FW to marine aquaria, I don't think I could imagine a tank without a dwarf of some sort. With your current fish list adding the angel might be pushing it, I am about to remove the wrasse and the rabbit fish, just too much for the size of the tank. The smaller the angel though the better if you are going to do it. __________________ 40g Long since Mar 2012, 20lbs marco rocks, 25lb live rock, Aquamaxx HoB-1, sumpless, CPR Fuge, 4 tube T5HO, Mixed reef, softies and LPS Current Tank Info: 40g Long sumpless

01/03/2013, 09:08 PM	#11
cherubfish pair Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Libby, Montana Posts: 7,061 Blog Entries: 1	I've had several angels and only a heraldi picked, and that was quite often at zoas. I have a fireball now and have only occasionally seen him in the part of the tank that has zoas. So I don't know if he will nip them until he starts going there. I think CBs are the hardiest of the dwarfs. The fireballs (C. aurantonotus) are supposed to be the best as far as being reef-safe, but they are one of the most expensive. And I think they are worth it as they are quite striking in appearance. __________________ pairo chero Thanks for looking at my build thread and subscribe to it if you already haven't yet! Current Tank Info: thirty rimless Last edited by cherubfish pair; 01/03/2013 at 09:16 PM.

01/04/2013, 06:28 AM	#13
SKurj Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Oshawa Posts: 539	I know the feeling, all the dwarfs are all so cool, I originally wanted a fireball but couldn't find one, and the local lfs people didn't know what I was after when I asked for one. __________________ 40g Long since Mar 2012, 20lbs marco rocks, 25lb live rock, Aquamaxx HoB-1, sumpless, CPR Fuge, 4 tube T5HO, Mixed reef, softies and LPS Current Tank Info: 40g Long sumpless

01/04/2013, 01:27 PM	#15
SKurj Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Oshawa Posts: 539	No the fireball is very similar to the pygmy cherub only more yellow/orange running back from its face, http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...446&pcatid=446 __________________ 40g Long since Mar 2012, 20lbs marco rocks, 25lb live rock, Aquamaxx HoB-1, sumpless, CPR Fuge, 4 tube T5HO, Mixed reef, softies and LPS Current Tank Info: 40g Long sumpless

01/03/2013, 02:06 PM	#2
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	I would go with the cherub angel. They don't get as big as the coral beauty, and seem to have a better track record when it comes down to getting along with corals. Check these out. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/jf/index.php http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...hcs3/index.php

01/03/2013, 02:14 PM	#3
FlyFishGuy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Solon, OH Posts: 70	Hi Abc, My experience in a mixed reef with any of the pygmy angels has not been great. Not sure what types of coral you have in your reef, but if you have softies (Zoa's, Xenia and various polyps) - pygmy angels almost always harrass them. Difficult to say if they're eating the polyps, but they'll definately damage them and if smaller colonies, eradicate them from your tank. They may be fine for months - then one day start the buffett! They tend to nip at clam mantles as well - though I've not had one nip to the point that the clam will not open any longer. All that said - either of the two you mentioned are some of the reported 'better behaved' pygmy's. I had a coral beauty for 5 years before trading him and he never touched a single coral (that I witnessed). Potter's angels also seem to be less apt to bother corals - but like all, can switch the menu on any given day. Avoid Bi-Color, Lemonpeel and eibli at all costs if you keep softies - they love 'em! Just my two cents. Enjoy!

01/03/2013, 02:41 PM	#4
abcxyz123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 15	Thanks! I will definitely take your guys advice

01/03/2013, 03:00 PM	#5
abcxyz123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 15	And what about a flame angel? Are those easy and hardy fish?

01/03/2013, 03:34 PM	#6
vel123 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 62	I have cherub in my 29 he has not messed with any of my corals.

01/03/2013, 04:08 PM	#7
nam2212 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 1,257	I had a Coral Beauty in my 29G years ago. It was a model citizen for about 2 years and then one day decided to start nipping. It killed a clam and countless softies before I was able to get it out.

01/03/2013, 05:07 PM	#9
postshawn Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Los Angeles (SF Valley), CA Posts: 180	I had a Coral Beauty for a couple months but it got ich and died. While I had it, it was a model citizen and did no harm to fish or corals. Every fish is different though and there are no guarantees in this game. We went to look for a Cherub after we were confident the tank and other residents were all healthy again and found a couple LFS's with Cherubs but just weren't feeling their vibes. One of them did have a stellar looking Rusty Angel. We wound up getting the Rusty. So far it's doing good. Not going after any corals (all I have is sponge and mushrooms). It goes after the other fish, mostly my Fairy Wrase but I think it's all territorial since I only have a 29g with limited room. It even plays with my peppermint shrimp trying to get it to clean him but I don't think that shrimp want's anything to do with any fish. I'm going to get a cleaner shrimp soon. I have a total of 5 small fish in my 29g with plans of moving everyone into a 55g later this spring or summer. But for now all seems well. I've had bad luck keeping angels alive. But I've had good luck with them being good tempered. Only the Fisher Angel was a little terror. My Coral Beauty, Multicolor Angel and now the Rusty Angel were all great fish. I think my problem is most came with something that my tank brought out more. I admit I didn't quarantine so the last couple I tried to find which ones the stores had for a while since my LFS keeps them in some good meds when they get them. The more time at the LFS the more they are taking in some of their meds. I'd vote for either a Cherub, Coral Beauty or Rusty. Basically just see what you can find that is the healthiest and eats the best while in the store. Good luck!

01/03/2013, 05:35 PM	#10
abcxyz123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 15	Ok thank you two for the advice. Has anyone ever had a flame angel though? I think they look REALLY cool but I heard they can get bigger. I have NO idea how I'm going to make this decision because I like all dwarf angelfish

01/03/2013, 10:32 PM	#12
abcxyz123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 15	Ok thanks, this is really hard!

01/04/2013, 01:22 PM	#14
abcxyz123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 15	Is the fireball the same as the flame angel?

01/04/2013, 03:39 PM	#16
abcxyz123 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 15	Are they just as easy?

10/02/2014, 07:14 PM	#17
sensaidavid Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 1	I have had a flame, a bicolor, a coral beauty, a heraldi, a lemonpeel, an eibli, a potter's, and a pygmy yellow tail angelfish. By far the most durable and least prone to nip is the flame, the most sensitive are the heraldi and lemon peels. As flyfishguy said, the lemonpeel, the bicolor and the eibli are very nippy, lol. Coral beauty and Flames seem to eat more macro algae and diatoms in my opinion as does the bicolor. Pygmy yellowtail was very sensitive to shipping as mine didn't last long, cute fish though. I currently have a dwarf pygmy in quarantine to add to my carribean tank, so far so good very little and cute, but i recommend the flame any day of the week!

10/02/2014, 07:17 PM	#18
hogfanreefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 2,117	I had a flameback (fire ball) and he was an acan eating machine. Also took out a duncan. Weird thing is I gave him to friend who has a duncan and he hasn't even looked at it in his tank. ?? __________________ DSA 155,Custom Trigger 42" sump/refugium, MP40 X2, MP 10 X 2, AI Hydra 52 X3, Apex controller, Tunze ATO Current Tank Info: DSA 155 gallon, mixed reef, SPS and wrasse dominant

10/02/2014, 08:29 PM	#19
mjoener BAMs BAMs... I have a ton Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: E.P., MN Posts: 739	Coral Beauty all the way. A little larger, but much prettier and more outgoing. Cherubs can be jerks. Not sure why. __________________ Getting back in with a 5g Nano. R.I.P. RSM 250 - April 2010 RSM 130 - July 2007 Current Tank Info: 30g w/ 10g sump/refug Custom Build