Coral Beauty Sampling Coral 4/22/08
Hey guys, hope all is well.
<Quite well, thanks.>
Well I'm at a crossroads with my Coral Beauty. I have noticed that she has been grazing on my Acan colonies. She was recently moved from a 65 to a 140 Gallon, where as of late she seems to be picking at my most expensive coral.
<Not uncommon for this species.>
I noticed an issue when all of the sudden my Blasto started to look as if someone or something was eating and or picking at it. I spent the whole day watching the tank and it inhabitants to see if any of my friends were helping themselves to a nice LPS dinner. I started this morning thinking of the Fox Face but to my surprise the Angel was swimming from Acan to Acan, and in it what seemed to be picking.
<Probably is sampling the corals.>
I have never seen this out of the fish before, I now think this was a mistake move. I'm thinking of pulling her out but that would sound easier said than done. Am I jumping to fast or is this a issue that has to be taken care of? I will admit, I was warned that this might happen with these type of fish. Any help would be great.
Thanks Matthew
Fish
Achilles Tang
Coral Beauty
Magnificent Fox Face
FM Blue Throat Trigger
Clown Wrasse
Hippo Tang
Clown Pair
<Not much can be done, and most likely the behavior will continue. Best bet is to remove either the coral or the fish, depending on which you like more.>
<Chris>

Coral Beauty compatibility, Behavior 2/19/08
Hello
<Hi>
I recently purchased a brittle star for my tank. I have had no problems with my coral beauty being aggressive towards anyone else in the tank, but it keeps trying to nip at the spines on the legs of the brittle star, even when it is hiding under the LR. Is there anything that can stop this?
Thanks!
<Given time the Angel may get over this behavior, if not the two may need to be separated permanently.>
<Chris>

Coral Beauty Bullying Ocellaris 9/6/07
Hi WWM crew,
<Hello>
Thanks for the fantastic website. I have a 55-gallon overflow setup with a wet/dry trickle filter (sump) and a Bak-Pak skimmer. I have about 50 lbs of live rock with a few assorted mushrooms and polyps, as well as a few turbo snails. My substrate is a mix of crushed coral and live sand. The tank's been up and running for about 2 years (before the move, see below). After a big ice storm last winter (we are now the proud owners of a generator), we had to do some restocking after losing a few of our beloved fish pals. A yellow Tang (had him for about 7 years) survived, and we added two small Ocellaris after the tank settled down a bit. They are now a mated pair. We also eventually (not all at the same time) added a cleaner shrimp, a banded brittle star, and a Scooter Blenny.
<The blenny is going to be tough to keep in this sized tank.>
This spring we made the final addition with a Coral Beauty. Initially, the Coral Beauty was being harassed by the yellow Tang. This ended after only a few days (thank goodness). However, within a month or so the Coral Beauty began "rushing" the two clowns and (I swear) laughing as they scattered. Periodically, the angel will nip at the clowns, but generally he just likes to keep them corralled near the top of the tank near the overflow. We recently made an 800-mile interstate move (happy to report no losses and no new-tank syndrome). When the fish were first placed back in the tank after the trip, the perculas were swimming all over the tank and playing in the current from the powerheads. Now that the Coral Beauty (apparently) feels comfortable again, he is once again bullying the clowns and keeping them in their corner. They are no longer frolicking in the rest of the tank as they were in those first few days after the move. My tank parameters are generally fairly good: no ammonia/nitrite, a fairly low nitrate level (largely managed by bi-weekly water changes), and a pH between 8.1 and 8.3 (I have to add buffer regularly to maintain the pH).
<Most people need a buffer to maintain proper pH.>
These values are stable (have been like this since the system first cycled). I am wondering whether you have any suggestions about how to stop/prevent/mitigate the aggression toward the clowns. I am extremely wary about adding an anemone, and am not even sure whether this would help.
<Most likely would not, and just cause problems down the road.>
I initially thought the angel might be nicer if fed twice per day, but that hasn't really helped. I am afraid my only option may be to trade in the Coral Beauty, but thought I would solicit any advice you might have first. I apologize for the lengthy email, and appreciate any suggestions you might have!
Warm regards,
Dia
<Not much you can do here, this is how angels often behave. Sometimes redoing the rockwork helps since it forces the fish to re-establish their territories, but your move covered this. At this point I would say that this is just this particular angel's personality and will most likely not change.>
<Chris>

Dwarf angel compatibility and freshwater dip   8/4/07
Hi Crew! Thanks in large part to you and your incredible website, my 55 gallon marine tank is thriving. Can't thank everyone associated with this site enough. It truly is an amazing resource you provide at no cost to the users.
My question. As mentioned, I have a 55 gallon FOWLR tank that has been up and running for about 6 months. Ammonia, Nitrite levels are 0, and Nitrate levels hover between 5-10. Our tank is currently stocked with a Midas Blenny, a pair of tank raised Ocellaris Clowns, and a pair of cleaner shrimp. The Blenny went in first about 2.5 months ago, the shrimp followed, and the Clowns went in about 6 weeks ago. All are well and get along without and problems.
I am looking to add our final fish to the tank, a Coral Beauty Angelfish. We have waited to place the angelfish last, as my research has led me to believe he will likely be the most aggressive fish in the tank. We also wanted to have some algae growth for him to eat, although we also plan on providing Nori sheets and angel food formula frozen food.
My question is this....my Clowns are small. Purchased at just over an inch in length, and only somewhat bigger at this point. Will putting a Coral Beauty in with the smaller clowns be a problem, despite the fact the Clowns have been established in the tank? Would like opinions as I would hate to have conflict in my peaceful tank.
Also, despite the fact the Coral Beauty will spend his time in QT before entering the main tank, I would also like to do a freshwater dip with him...something I haven't done with my other fish. I have read for hours on freshwater dipping here on WWM, but just for my own peace of mind would like reassurance on how long to leave the fish in the dip? Basically, how long is too long?
Thank you for your prompt response. Your advice is always so appreciated.
Jamie
>>>Greetings Jamie, Jim here.
The only thing that is all the time, is that NOTHING is all the time. :) I can't promise you that your little angel will leave your clowns alone, but most likely things will be fine.
As far as freshwater dipping, NOT a good idea with this species unless you have reason to believe your fish is infected with parasites.
I recommend proper quarantine procedure, and upon everything looking fine after 6 weeks or so, gentle acclimation to the tank.
Best Regards
Jim<<<

Reef Safe?  Coral Beauty (Centropyge bispinosus)   3/3/07
Hi WWM staff,
<Hi Mercedes, Mich here.>
Your website is really great and beyond helpful...I visit it on a daily basis :)
<Thank you for the kind words.>
I'm a little discouraged about the hobby right now b/c I've read sooo many conflicting articles and gotten so much contradicting advice from LFS's and the net about what's reef safe and what's not..
<Yes there are many opinions out there.  Find a source you trust and stick with it.  I would encourage you to consider a book titled "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert M. Fenner.  Belongs on the shelf of every marine aquarist in my opinion.>  
I have had a FOWLR tank since last May.. my water parameters were finally perfect (Ph- normal, Alk- normal, Nitrate- 0, Nitrite- 0, Ammonia- 0) so I thought I could finally start bringing home some corals.. I bought a glove polyp <Clove polyp (Clavularia)?> and have had it for about two weeks.... every time I come home another polyp piece has been shredded.. and the rest of the polyps are shriveled up.. by now only one opens.. I thought it was my hermit crabs and took them out but am scared that maybe I'm over looking some thing.
<Could be.>
Someone suggested maybe my coral beauty is eating away at it.
<Also could be, are known to be pickers.  More here:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/c_bispinosa.htm>
I just called my pretty reputable LFS to ask about the Coral Beauty.. (which I found numerous conflicting articles re: whether or not they are reef safe)...and they said they are "perfectly reef safe" and suggested maybe the polyp is just disintegrating b/c "corals are like fish.. sometimes they just die" considering how expensive corals... that response is pretty scary!
<Yes.  There is usually a cause, we just don't always know what it is.>
lol I'm kind of at a loss for words right now. Is this true? My coral was beautiful and opened all of it's polyp heads until a few days ago...can they really just up and die for no reason????
<Not usually, there is most likely a very real explanation.  Perhaps a few hours of keen observation might reveal.>
I really appreciate any insight anyone can offer....or if there is an article on WWM on this I would be happy to read it!
<Wow!  This is nice to hear!  Since you asked more here:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clavulariids.htm  and related links in blue.  -Mich>
__________________
75 Gallon All Glass Aquarium
Instant Ocean Sea Salt
Fluval Canister Filter with carbon and bio media
Aqua C Remora Skimmer w Maxijet 1200
Coralife Aqualight Pro
75lbs Fiji and Tonga LR
1" Live Sand and Oolitic sand bed
2 Turbo Snails
1 Margarita Snail
2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Pajama Cardinal
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Orange Spotted Goby
1 Coral Beauty Angel
1 Glove Polyp
Mercedes

Coral Beauty
Hi Bob,
I planning to buy a coral beauty. But I afraid that the reef tank mate might attack it or vice versa. What I afraid is that my Domino will attack the coral Beauty because this Domino is extreme aggressive. My tank contains:
1) one 4 inch yellow tang
2) one 3 inch brown tang
3) One 3 inch flame angel
4) One 2 inch bicolor
5) One 4 inch brown bird fish
6) One 2 inch Domino
7) One 1 1/2 inch Dascyllus
8) One 1 inch Yellow-Tail Blue Damsel
Coral
1) Some green star polyps
2) Close and Open Brain
3) Hammer Coral
4) Colt Coral
5) Some Mushroom
6) Sun Coral and Dendrophylliid
7) some Button polyps
8) Leather
9) Frogspawn Coral , tooth coral, torch coral, bubble,
10) Pagoda Coral
11) Elegance Coral
12) two sand anemones and one tube anemones
13) Some feather duster worms
Q1) Do you encourage me to buy this coral beauty ?
<Maybe... if this tank is at least a hundred gallons... space enough for two Centropyge species>
Q2) My Domino had turn it color from black to partly white one it front portion (head to part of body). What is happen to him ?
<This is a natural color change with age/growth... take a look on FishBase or the WWM site under Dascyllus trimaculatus>
Q3) Will the Coral Beauty be picking on my coral listed above ?
<Hopefully not, but it, and the Flame may someday>
Q4) Do you think that my 4 feet about 60 gallon tank is overstocked with coral and fish ?
<Yes>
Q5) Any other colorful reef fish to recommend ?
<None for this system... And I would give the Domino the heave ho... Get rid of it... trade it in... it will cause more trouble as time goes by>
Thank you, Danny C
<You're welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Coral Beauty/Domino
Bob,
You are right. I already wanted to capture the domino in my tank. but I try to catch it with a net but unable to as it run very fast and is very smart. I do not want to remove all my reef setup, is there any suggestion to capture this fish out my tank without disturbing my corals? Regard, Danny C
<Please read through the sections on www.WetWebMedia.com re Damsels, Moving Aquariums... Bob Fenner>

Angel or Demon? (Coral Beauty In A Reef Tank)
Hi,
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
I'm writing to ask an important question. I have a medium sized coral beauty angelfish, a cleaner wrasse and a ocellaris clownfish in a 29 gallon tank.
<<Too small a system... RMF>>
 I have recently turned my fish only tank into a beautiful reef tank. I have only a few mushrooms and a large brain coral in the tank along with about 50lbs of live rock and also numerous crabs and a few snails. I want to turn the tank into a beautiful coral reef.
<An admirable goal, indeed!>
I want to know what are the most compatible corals to place in the tank that are the least attractive and delicious to the coral beauty? Your help is greatly appreciated.
<Well, in my experience, Coral Beauties can be some of the least inclined of the Centropyge angels to munch coral, but the possibility still exists. I'd definitely avoid most LPS corals, as they seem particularly tasty to Centropyge angels! I'd recommend the more "noxious" soft corals (as Scott Michael calls 'em), such as Sinularia, Cladiella, Sarcophyton, and Lobophytum. I do successfully keep some SPS species with them as well, with good results. I stop short of fully endorsing these fish for reef tanks, however. The possibility exists, particularly in a smaller system, that these guys could "turn" at any given time and start turning your beautiful reef into a FOWLR tank! Proceed with caution here>
Lastly, I'm running an emperor 400 filter with a powerhead for water movement a 24" Aqualight power compact (130 watts with built in fans and ballast/reflectors) and a Seaclone 100 protein skimmer.
<Soft corals can do okay under this setup. You may need more current and regular use of chemical filtration media to help remove allelopathic compounds produced by softies>
Almost forgot, if you can answer one additional question. My owners manual for my Seaclone 100 says I should close my air line and open it 3/4 to 1 1/2 turns depending on the level my water is above the protein skimmer. It does not tell me how many turns for my tank size and I'm stumped. My skimmer is about 3 to 4 inches below the top of my water and I've heard that a lot of bubbles coming from my skimmer is not good for my tank or fish.
<No- it's not a good thing>
However, when I went to my LFS the main reef tank in their store had a skimmer that was going crazy with bubbles. My skimmer turned to 1/2 turn is already producing some bubbles in my tank, but the tornado effect in the skimmer is very weak and not collecting anything but moisture in the collection cup. I've turned it to 3/4 turn and tornado effect has improved with no spurts of water being pumped out but an actual constant stream coming out of line. Can you tell me with the powerhead and the emperor 400 creating a pretty good flow rate in the 29 gallon should I increase the air/ water mixture to 1 or 1 1/4 turns even though I'm getting a considerable amount of bubbles from the 3/4 turn but still no collection of waste in the collection cup? Your opinion is needed in both situations ...........Thanks, LeBron
<Hmm...Unfortunately, I cannot be of much help here, because I have no personal experience with this particular skimmer. This model has a reputation for being a bit touchy, in terms of adjusting to get a good skim. I'd play around with it a bit and just see what works for you, or you could contact the manufacturer and see if they have any good advice for you.  You may want to post on the WWM Chat Forum to see what some of your fellow hobbyists have done with this skimmer to get better results. Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

Coral Beauty & Flame Angel
Dear Bob:
Are the Coral Beauty and Flame Angel reef compatible? I had heard that the Flame Angel will eat Feather Dusters. And will they get along in the
same tank? Thanks, Mark
<Both are "reef compatible" in my opinion... maybe six or sevens out of a ten possible score... Yes, they both will/do eat live rock components, including the worms that are feather dusters if hungry... 
And the two species can get along in the same tank, if they're started small and the tank is large enough (let's say 75 gallons plus). Bob Fenner>

Coral Beauty Angel and Clowns
Hi I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. We have a pair of Tomato Clowns and we just purchased a Coral Beauty Angel. The angel immediately kicked them out of their nesting area .What do I do? Are these compatible? 
<actually a very reasonable mix.. and it is better to have the normally passive angel more aggressive in the long run>
Any help would be appreciated.
<rearranging the rockwork sometimes confuses the tankmates and makes them more concerned with finding a place to sleep rather than pushing each other around. If no fin nipping...no worries>
Thank You, Scott Caine
<best regards, Anthony>

Pygmy Angel
Hi WWM Crew,
<Hi Matt>
I have a quick question about compatibility that I would appreciate your advice on.  I am thinking of buying a Flame or Coral Beauty Angel and was wondering if they would be compatible in the following tank?
30g
20lb live rock
1 Flashback Pseudochromis
1 YTB Damsel
1 Perc. Clown
1 Coral Banded Shrimp
2 Hermits
This would be my final addition to the tank and all of the other residents have been in the tank for at least a month. Thanks in advance for your time.
<These fish are really wonderful but they are variable in their response to tank mates, etc. I bought one some time ago and he is reasonable enough but he hassles everyone in the tank (Purple Tang, Clown, Blenny, shrimp, etc.).  They are individuals and some get along and some don't.  I wish I could provide a more concrete answer for you.  Thank you so much for your support of WWM! Craig>

Coral beauty beats up porcupine puffer? Whaaaa?!!
I recently purchased a coral beauty <Good lookin' fish>, and a while after that, after some research and a LOT of questions added a porcupine puffer. OK well the thing is, they were fine until about 8 days after I put the PORK in and I started to see the Pork's skin looking as if it had been torn off. Well jumping to many conclusions I thought it might have been a disease, I have been doing water changes on a regular basis and all the water perimeters are fine. Before taking him out I saw my coral beauty go up and bite him, and it looks as if she is the culprit in this mess....so my question (finally hehe) is this normal/common, or do I just have one evil coral beauty??? <Yes, coral beauties are generally passive with fish other than Centropyge angels.> what would you do? <Well, make sure that the puffer wasn't already sick. Any fish will take advantage (much to our dismay) of a sick critter. If the puffer was hurtin' then it is likely that the angel was simply capitalizing on a weak tankmate. Darwinism at its best. -Kevin>
Thank you much,
Karie

Flame and Coral Beauty angels fighting
        -greetings from rainy Chicago! << Greetings from snowy Salt Lake. >>
I did a stupid thing and took the advice of a LFS in my area that I've
never visited before and now I have a coral beauty and a flame angel in my
54 gallon tank TOGETHER! (yikes). the new flame angel immediately started
chasing my poor coral beauty whom I've had for a year and truly care
about. << I wouldn't have been too worried about this, so I'm surprised to see such a problem.  Especially caused by the new fish and not the old fish. >> I'm going to try and return him but I strongly have the feeling
that they won't take him back and I just don't want to give a $60 fish
away, (not that I have anyone to give him to). << Lots of hobbyists and clubs in the Chicago area. >> I also have a blue tang, yellow tang, blue devil damsel (small), and two Percula clowns. do you
guys have suggestions or helpful advice to aid my dilemma. I care about my
fish and don't want to see any of them die of stress. << Well if you can catch him, then I'd keep him in the tank is something like a breeding trap for a few days.  If you can't easily catch him then I wouldn't do anything.  The more you mess with the tank the more likely you are to stress the other fish. >> the flame angel will
chase the coral beauty for a second and then call off the chase but he
does do it frequently. the coral beauty doesn't seem distressed but then
it's only been a day. I was thinking if I add some more LR for hiding
spaces and just watch for a week maybe they'll get used to each other. the
flame angel is slightly bigger which is another concern. I've gone through
all your FAQ's and didn't find anything to help me in my situation. only
advice I found was advice I should of looked for before I bought the fish,
(won't make that mistake again)!! please, please, please help. thank you
again for your site, I now know where to go for unbiased advice!! << Yeah I really think I would do nothing and just wait it out.  Probably not what you were hoping to hear but that is what I would do. >>
        -thanks, heather
<<  Blundell  >>

Two Questions: Compatibility related, of course  11/17/05
Hello WWM Crew - I have two questions for you to answer, one being a little more difficult than the other. I recently picked up a complete used system from a fellow reef enthusiast who was being forced out of the hobby. I initially was only looking for a new tank and stand to upgrade an existing set up, but was given an offer that I could not refuse. For the price that the stand alone would have cost me, I received a tank, stand, 96w Power compact fixture, heater, BakPak skimmer, HOB filter, Canister filter, HO overflow, fuge, live rock, live sand, clean up animals, and 3 fish. The fish are a Gold-stripe Maroon clown, Coral beauty, and a yellow-tail damsel. It also included 15 different species of corals and other sessile inverts. 
<Wow! Great find!>
Unfortunately, the previous owner had informed me that the tank included a Koran angel rather than a Coral beauty. Other than the obvious difference in the cost of the fish, this created a more immediate problem for me. I already have a mature Coral Beauty which has been in my main tank for well over a year. 
This leads me to my first question: 
Are there any steps that can be taken that will maximize the success of keeping two coral beauties in the same tank? I know that it is notoriously hard to keep more than one species of dwarf angel together, but I know that people have had success keeping multiples of the same species. The Coral Beauties would both be in a 40 gal tank, that is aquascaped to create multiple territories through the use of coral and "sand spurs". (Sand spurs are open areas between coral banks that divers follow in reefs.) 
<I would say that you may have some chance of success in a very large tank (greater than 180gal), but I have a hard time recommending even a single coral beauty in a 40 gallon tank... two in such a small tank is out of the question.>
My second question relates to the reason why I was upgrading my tanks in the first place. I have a juvenile Naso tang and a juvenile Panther grouper which I purchased when they were both around 3" in size. I was well aware that these are both large growing species and require large tanks, however since I knew I would be upgrading my system in the NEAR future I figured that the juveniles would be ok. I watched the Naso and the Panther very closely to make sure that neither outgrew their current tanks and to make sure that I had an appropriately larger setup available. Initially I planned on putting both the Naso and the Panther together in their larger tank, but I am beginning to worry that this is destined to be a major problem.
At this point the Naso is approximately 4.5" long and the Panther has reached a little over 5". I am pretty sure that these two fish would not have any problems, however I am concerned that the panther might go after the other 3 tank residents. There is a 4" coral beauty, 3"+ Gold stripe Maroon clown, and a Blue Devil damsel. I am not concerned about the damsel as the Grouper has been around damsels without incident for the entire time I have owned it. There are plenty of hiding spaces in the tank which they could easily get into but the grouper could not. 
<Hmmm... I would not be so confident in the safety of any of these smaller fish. Anything that can fit into the groupers mouth is likely to become food at some point.>
Knowing that it is generally advisable to put in the most aggressive fish last, I have held off introducing the Panther grouper. My initial thought is that I should place it in an internal fuge to see its reaction to the other fish. If its highly aggressive, I may be better off keeping them separate. 
<Aggression and predation are different phenomena. I wouldn't expect the grouper to be especially aggressive, except towards other similar predators. It is, however very likely to be predatory on the smaller fish, especially as it gets larger.>
What is your opinion on the possibility of successfully keeping such an aggressive fish with those other tank mates. I already hand feed the grouper to make sure that he is well fed at all times and with one questionable exception involving a wrasse, he has never "disappeared" any tank mates. Thank you. Art 
<All of our aquarium keeping choices require some compromise. If you want to keep your grouper, the compromise is to exclude any fish small enough for it to eat, or live with the fact that they may very well be eaten. Best Regards. AdamC.>