Couple of Centropyge Questions -- Not about Reef-Safeness

[revaltion131]

Let me just say, first, that I am well aware of the risk of putting a dwarf angel into any reef tank.

I recently lost a couple of fish (power outage + no way to airate water = dead) and after I let the tank sit for a bit to make sure there is no mini-cycle, I would like to replace one of them with a dwarf. I had a Cherub Pygmy that was very much on the small size (barely 2" and definitly mature) but I loved its constant movement and grazing. The other fish I lost, to carpet-surfing, was my male fairy, for which I had not yet been able to get a female. Before I get any further, the tank is lidded (wrasse managed to knock it aside on his way out) and it is a 34 gallon 20" cube.

The replacement fish I am thinking about is a Potter's or Nox angel. I am well aware of the trouble with adaptation that Potter's can have. That aside, the viable tank size for these guys seems to vary from even person to person. I do want to get as small a specimen as I can with either fish. Would I be able to do a Potter's in my tank? Would it be an issue of swim space, or would it be like the Mandarins and some wrasses where you need to feed more often (and train on prepared) because the system size is smaller? What about the Nox angel? I can find very little information on these guys period besides the fact that they are more likely than other dwarves to pick at soft and LPS corals, a risk I am obviously willing to take. If it becomes a terror to the corals, there are plenty of people locally that I'm sure would be willing to put the angel in their FOWLR tanks. And, of course, I am not averse to just getting another Cherub, but I would like to explore options with these two fish.

Other info that might matter, but probably doesn't: I do have a harlequin shrimp. I'm certain that all dwarf angels will leave him alone, but if I have missed any info on these two being shrimp-killers, please let me know. Other fish tankmates will just be two Neon Gobies (Gobiosoma oceanops) and an Ocellaris clown.

Thanks for any information you all can provide me with!

Edit: Tank does have a skimmer (stock Solana) and ~45 lbs of LR between the main tank area and the converted 2nd chamber which has LRR and chaeto.

 

[Poseidon]

Hi revaltion131, welcome to R2R!

I have a Centropyge angle in my reef at this time, a Coral Beauty. I have not noticed any polyp nipping at this point, but I know that can change (literally) overnight.

I can share some experience with Potters Angle, but I have not tried a Nox angle as of yet. Unfortunately I have not been successful with Potters, I have tried them on 3 separate occasions, going back about 10 years. In my experience this fish just does not do well in captivity, well at least in tanks between 55 and 135 gallons. I bought my first one without any observation from a LFS, it was dead in a few days. My second attempt was better, I watched the fish in a LFS for about a week, observed it eating live brine, brought him home, dead in a month. My final attempt was pitiful, I had a 135 gallon mixed reef at the time, the fish was eating frozen Mysid at the LFS! I brought the Potters home, and fed the next day, the fish was EATING!!! AWESOME! I was so excited, FINALLY I was going to have a Potters Angle.... Dead on the carpet in the morning.

Should you choose this fish, and are successful, they are an AWESOME addition, the color is GREAT! For me, the Potters Angel, the Copperband Butterfly, and Moorish Idols are all fish that will stay at the LFS.