Wolf in fish clothing: What “reef safe” fish did you find not to be reef safe after all?
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Dude64
Community Member
I have concluded that reef-safe is a misnomer. If you want a reef safe pet, get an outdoor dog. We're talking about critters that normally thrive in a habitat 100,000+ times larger than your largest tank (aka THE ocean). They thrive where their natural predators are least present, and any potential would-be predators have a smorgasbord of other stuff to work with and leave them alone. Now shrink that by 1/100,000th (aka your tank) and take away the smorgasbord. Everything is subject to being someone else's lunch. Basically, every surviving purchase you make for your tank is just lunch that nobody else wanted or otherwise couldn't get to. Now which zoa to serve this week.... hmmmmmm
Syntax1235
Valuable Member
Lawnmower Blenny nipping at acropora. I couldn’t believe it. I was able to pull the rock out that he would hide, and into the sump he went.
Paul B
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Many years ago I bought a cute little remora or shark sucker. The thing was about 2" long and very pretty with his jet black stripe and all.
As far as reef safe he was, but he grew about an inch a day and if I had a cat, he would have eaten it.
He grew so fast that I could hear him growing. After a few months and a foot long fish I donated it to the New York Aquarium where he probably ate their sharks while he was sticking to them.
As far as reef safe he was, but he grew about an inch a day and if I had a cat, he would have eaten it.
He grew so fast that I could hear him growing. After a few months and a foot long fish I donated it to the New York Aquarium where he probably ate their sharks while he was sticking to them.
Paul B
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Those 3" barracuda are really cute and so are tiny sailfish. But they grow insanely fast.
Blackstar
New Member
Mine is ok it goes to the shrimps regularly for a clean, Eats flake & pellet food & shreds BristlewormsI think the only fish I have that isn't reef safe is my Falco hawkfish. Who ate both cleaner shrimp and when that wasn't enough went after gobies. Little monster!
It's a very extreme fish it seems, either great or awful. I got it because a "mentor" had one that was perfectly peaceful but then mine was a monster.
Lbrdsoxfan
5000 Club Member
They are notorious for going 'lightswitch' crazy. Had it's cousin a longnose hawkfish for years currently. It was housed with several shrimp over the first 3-4 years of it's life with me, a few years ago shrimp started to disappear. I restocked and it happened again. After seeing it chomp a shrimp in two, I knew the story.
Rkdunn1
Community Member
My naso tang eats everything! I thought it was reef safe for sure. I’ve saw it eating my brain coral just today!Wolf in fish clothing: What “reef safe” fish did you find not to be reef safe after all?
“It will be fine” they said. “Of course, it’s reef safe” they said. "Everyone on the internet says that it will be okay, even the vendor I bought it from had it clearly marked as reef safe. So why did it eat my coral?" Have you ever had the experience where you bought a fish that “everyone knows” is reef-safe, only to find out that particular fish is NOT reef safe? Maybe it was that clownfish that truly seems to want to eat the hand that feeds it and doesn’t seem to be safe in any tank. Tell us about your experience with reef safe fish that ended up being a “wolf” in fish clothing!
Photo by @Reef Pro
This is usually done by males (they have large claws). Females very rarely touch other animals, but sometimes they do, too.
dstockwell
2500 Club Member
That sucks
Hepatus are not reef fish, they eat LPS corals and Zoos.
My Moorish Idle picked at my 7 year old Favia coral the first few days the Idle was acclimating. I feed the tank heavy so that helped stop the picking, and the coral recovered quickly. Some fish like to swim around picking at the reef, rather than eating from the water column. So that’s why I give them other options to pick at. Like little neck clams, Nori, or I like to put frozen foods inside of the little neck shell. Then close the shell with a zip tie leaving a quarter inch opening for the Moorish idol and copper band to pick at. Of course they both eat from the water column too now, but these fish eat a TON and need something to do.
AKL1950
2500 Club Member
So, I’ve posted several time in this thread and read all the posts. Lot of concern about Hippo tangs, so I’ve been watching mine real close. She seems to be grazing around the Zoas but not hitting them. But, however, I’ve come to a realization about what might be happening. It seems that the Zoas that have been hit are the ones with a large bit of algae growing in the middle of them. I’m thinking, if it is one of the tangs or angels, they may be going after the algae and ending up with a big mouthful of Zoas. The Zoas without algae in them are not being chewed on. I think I’m going to pursue this thought and give all the Zoa frags with algae in them a hydrogen peroxide bath and kill the algae growing in them. Hopefully, I’ll see no more chewed up Zoas.
Khalilkaram
Community Member
Two full island of zoa she cleared it all
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