2 Dwarf Angels In A 135g Reef? – 01/29/08
Hello,
<<Hi there!>>
Just wanted to get your opinion on the likelihood of 2 dwarf angels *eibli* and *loricula *getting along in a 135 gallon (72 x 18 x 24) reef tank.
<<Is a possibility. I have kept multiple Centropyge species in about this volume of water with success in the past. Do make sure to have adequate rock/hiding places for these fishes…and keep all well fed>>
If you think this is a decently "good" idea which should I add first (both at same time)?
<<I would add them at the same time>>
Also, I have a *loricula* in a 55 gallon reef right now, I was considering adding a purple tang. Will the 55 gallon be too tight for the 2 of them (there are no other fish; the 135 won't be ready for approximately a year)? What are the chances the angel will accept the tang if I introduce a tang of similar size (maybe bigger?)??
<<The 55g tank is really too small for either of these fishes alone, and certainly if combined. I suggest you hold off on the Tang addition until the 135 is ready>>
Thank you.
<<Happy to share. EricR>>

Multiple (6+) Flame Angels in a Tank   1/22/06
Dear Bob (or whoever is on call from the WWM Crew) <James here but we are all on call>
I am in the process of building a slightly unusual tank down in my shed. It will be 14ft long, 1ft wide and around 15" in height (Around 130G).
I wanted to keep a shoal of fish in the tank and was wondering if you could tell me if a harem of Flame Angels would shoal, or divide up and
create personal territories all over it? <Wouldn't recommend. You will have fighting and they do not shoal.  Do read here for more info. fhttp://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/centropyge/loricula.htmace >
I know the biggest problem I am likely to  is getting 1 male and 5+ females and don't want to go through all this if I end up with 3 pairs of
fish with close to 5ft of territory each. <If shoaling is what you want, the blue/green Chromis will work, a lot less money also.>
Thanks for any information you can give. <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Gary

A Gathering of Angels (Flame Angel Group) 8/3/05
I'm planning to remove all of my present fish and run my tank fishless for 1 week.
<I'd go for a longer "fallow" period; more like 3-4 weeks, just to make sure that any possible diseases are eliminated as much as possible..>
After, I will buy 5 small Flame Angel juveniles and introduce them all at once. Do you think it will work?
<Well, a 100 gallon tank might be a bit smaller than you'd want for a group of this size. I think a trio might be better. even though these are juveniles that you are talking about, they still will require space and territory.>
You must be think that I'm crazy don't you
Thanks
Ignatio
<Actually- I admire your experimental spirit! I hope that you are successful! Just think of the long-term requirements of the fish, and I'm sure that you'll be successful! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

A Gathering of (Flame) Angels...
Dear Scott
<Scott here, Captain!>
Sorry I didn't follow your advice to put only trio, but I put only 4 of them because I cannot resist. But I'm glad everything was Ok .. no chasing between them. Today my tank just only have 4 of them and the problem for me is getting to eat.
<They are in quarantine, right? Please remember to quarantine all new fish...>
They are nipping at my tank and my live rock constantly, but still they refuse baby brine shrimp, live Mysis shrimp and a rinsed spinach. Should I put a clown fish to teach them to eat or they will eat later on by themselves?? (note: I have a plenty of green micro algae in my display tank, a snails, worms, copepods, Caulerpa, turtle weed). Do you think they can get enough nutrition in my tank if this condition continue for a long time? (to be self feeding like naturally in the ocean).
<Well, a tank wit has much foraging as you indicate is very conducive to success with these fishes. I have had a Centropyge species for a very long time that I have never observed eating prepared foods, and the fish is fat and happy. Apparently, they can subsist upon what they forage if you have a well established tank.>
One question again: I have also a juvenile Regal Angel that wants to eat everything and very greedy in another tank (actually I'm planning that this tank would be my QT tank). So what do you think if I mix the Regal together with 4 Flame Angels in 100 gallon tank? Do you think it will work without any disturbance? Or is it too small for them?
<I see no problem with mixing smaller and larger angels in a system of sufficient size, but I think that this is too much for you system. I'm not completely sure about the 4 Flame Angels at this point...The Regal might push this tank over the breaking point, as far as population is concerned.>
And do you think the Flame can breed with the presence of Regal Angel?
<I suppose that it is possible, but if you are dead set on breeding Flame Angels, I'd make the tank a dedicated species tank.>
Thanks Scott
<You're quite welcome!>
Kind regards,
Ignatio
<Best of luck, Ignatio... Keep us posted on your efforts!>

A Gathering of (Flame) Angels (Pt. 3) 8/17/05
Hi Mr. Scott
<Hey there!>
You are absolutely right, it is peaceful on temporary basis. On the day 3rd the bigger one is chasing the smaller ones, but not too aggressively (the 4 of them are still nibbling on my algae and seems no sign of stress). Do you think this agonistic
behaviour can change after several week and behave peacefully among them?
<Really hard to say. Factors such as space, tank layout, and the individual personalities of the fishes will all come into play. There are no guarantees one way or another...I'd simply observe carefully and be prepared to remove fishes as necessary to prevent injury!>
So I must forget about mixing regal with them.
Many thanks
Ignatio
<My pleasure! Regards, Scott F.>

Strange behavior of 2 Perc's and a dead Flame Angel 7/7/05
Hi,
<Hello>
        I currently have a 29 gallon setup (soon to be a 55 gallon) with about 35 lbs of good live rock, live sand, power head, a Coralife lighting setup with halides and actinics and a CPR BakPak.  I check my water quality regularly and it always looks very good. (ph hovers around 8.0 to 8.2, ammonia at 0, nitrites at 0 and nitrates around 10, salinity around 1.023) The tank seems to be running great.  Before I set it up, I read "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner cover to cover a few times along with many other books and talking to as many knowledgeable people I could find.  Now that is out of way :)...  
        After the tank cycled for about 3-4 weeks with hermit crabs and 2 blue-green Chromis, I decided to add some clownfish.  I bought 3 Tank Raised ORA clowns.
<Good animals>
2 were False Percs and the other was a Maroon Clown.
<Oh oh... a Maroon is too mean, aggressive to go in a 29...>
They were all about the same size (about an inch and a half) and they got along great the first 2-3 days.  On the third/fourth day, one of the Percs started attacking the Maroon Clown and he would hide in the Bubble Tip Anemone (which I gave away as well since he took to it).  It got so bad that I gave him to a friend.  I figured the perc was closer to being an adult and the maroon was still a baby and the perc just flat out didn't want him there.  I read not to mix maroons with other clowns, but they seemed so peaceful in the store's tank.  The maroon was pretty beat up.
        Things were going well until the same clown started harassing the other perc.  It was different because "bad Nemo" would simply bully him and always stop short of actually attacking "good Nemo."  I know it is a territory/dominance issue, but it went on for about 2 weeks until I finally took "bad Nemo" back to the store where I got him.  It was getting to the point where if "good Nemo" came out of hiding at all (I felt bad when I looked in the tank and anytime "gn" would see me and come out just to get bullied by "bn"), he would be harassed and chased all around the tank without quarter, causing heavy breathing and I am sure a lot of stress.  Was it because they were the same size, the tank not big enough for the both of them and/or one was just a particularly mean fish?
<Mostly the tank size>
I am not about to sit back and watch one fish stress another one out (and possibly kill him in the process).  Does it sound like I did the right thing, or does it sound like I jumped the gun here?  I called my buddy at the shop and he said that was unusual after such a period of time and that I might want to bring one back and exchange him for a smaller one.
<A wise move>
        Speaking of jumping the gun, that day I bought the 3 clowns, I was at a different store looking for anemone's for my newly acquired clowns and I saw the Flame Angels were half-off in price.
<...>
Since the Flame was to be the last fish in the tank, I figured why not.  
<How many reasons do you want?>
(Trust me, I knew better but went along anyway)  The Flame did really well for about 2 weeks, he ate constantly and never bothered a soul, then got a case of Popeye in both eyes.  One eye went back to normal and the other didn't.  I didn't know if it was stress related (with the maroon and perc fighting constantly) or just new tank syndrome.
<All the above and more>
I took the Flame back to the good shop that I exclusively deal with now and they hospitalized him for about a week and then he died all of a sudden.  My buddy at the shop said he almost had him eating out of his hand and the next morning he was lying in the sand, barely moving.  I have also read that some Flames mysteriously have been dying after about a month in capture probably due to capture methods like poisoning, etc.  Any thoughts?
<This one very likely died from stress, strain...>
I will let my new 55 cycle for about 2 months before I transfer any fish over from the 29.
<Ahh! Good>
Thanks for your time.  Your website is AWESOME!
Jeremy
<Thank you for sharing your experiences, thoughts, ideas. Bob Fenner>

Flame Angel in a 20 gallon?
Thanks for your earlier advice.  Off the top of your head, would you think I could put a Flame Angelfish in this tank (it would be alone in there, except for the small crab)?  Tom
>>>Hello again Tom,
There are a few factors that determine whether or not a fish is appropriate for a given tank size. Not only the size of the fish comes into play, but it's activity level as well. Flame angels are VERY active fish, and use very inch of a 200 gallon aquarium. For this reason alone I would discourage keeping one in such a small tank. An argi angel (Centropyge argi) or C. acanthops would be much more comfortable in this system. They are also much more reliable in the hardiness department.
Good luck!
Jim<<<