Dwarf Angels

[hackman72]

I come from the old school of thinking that when it comes to these, make your decision wisely because you only get to have 1. I was told that as long as you have 3, not 2 and not 4, from the same family they'll co-habitate. I raised the scenario that I already have a Flame Angel, so I can add a Potter's and a Coral Beauty without any problems.

Does anyone have experience with multiple dwarfs (or is it dwarves?) in the same system? FYI, my tank is a 60"L X 26"H X 18"D 120 gallon. I'd love to add the other 2 but I'm not in the business of choosing "want and beauty" over choosing wisely. I'd rather it doesn't look EXACTLY how I want it verses a bunch of dead or fighting fish. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[patrick214]

In my experience, you must be really cautios when adding a fish that is similar to another fish already established in the system. They will probably fight and the flame would most likely be the aggressor. If you were looking to add two additional dwarves you'd likely be best suited to add them all at once to spread out the flames aggresion. Also, re-establishing the rock setting when adding the fish can sometimes confuse their territory and alleviate some aggression. Some people have also told me that posting pictures of other tangs all over the aquarium glass can confuse established ones into attacking them rather than the new fish so it's possible that doing this with angel pictures may work. leaving the main lights off for the first couple days after introduction can help as well so it definitely can be done and alot probably depends on the temperment of the flame but it can't hurt to take precaution.

 

[smoothie]

Length is good on your tank in establishing more feeding room, but these guys are grazers so I still wouldn't pass the 2 mark. Established lr would be a must for even one. 3 of the same breed may work, but I would bet against 3 different dwarfs all together. Also the flame is the hardiest, so get healthy specimens off the bat and introduce them with the lights off for a few days if you do go this route

 

[schwaggs]

I tried adding a Coral Beauty to a 90 with an established Flame Angel and it was not good. The Flame activly sought out the CB and they were fighting to the death. Constantly nose to tail in spirals for hours. I thought they would get used to each other but they did not. Luckily I was able to get one of them out before they killed each other. It was not a fun thing to watch knowing you put these 2 fish in the situation. Like the others said, I would think carefully before adding additional angels in this situation.

 

[skriz]

From what I've seen, the flame will seek & destroy.

There's a potters wrasse if you're looking for the colour & pattern of the potters angel without the angel part. May want to look into that.

 

[hackman72]

FYI, it is indeed possible to keep more than one dwarf angel.There are always factors involved and I had to catch the flame angel and put him in quarantine over night so that I could introduce him back at the same time I put the other 3 in. I now have a Flame Angel, Potters Angel, Coral Beauty and a Half Black all swimming peacefully in my 120. Tomorrow is a new day but I don't see any aggression going on amongst them right now. Hopefully, they won't start either.

 

[rbredding]

good luck with it.. that potters was gorgeous..

 

[phoenix20]

Hackman:

How has this worked out for you? I've read that the Potters Angel are really fragile fish. I currently have a Coral Beauty and I would love to add a Potters Angel, but I'm afraid that an already fragile fish would get nipped to death.

Did introducing your CB and PA at the same time alleviate any aggression? Do you think having 3 angels instead of 2 helped?

 

[salt reefer]

i have a flame and a coral beauty and they swim right next to each other. they hang out, no problems at all. they did a im the king thing the first few days but now they cool. been together for months.

 

[salt reefer]

always add the flam last or take him out then back in after the others added. my cb is a bit bigger then my flam the cb is the domanite in the tank.

 

[hackman72]

While they lived, everything was fine. I had something happen to the tank about 2 weeks after I added them and I lost over half my livestock; fish, corals, inverts, etc. etc. The CB, Half Black, and Potters died. I was told the magic number is 3+ but, as you can see, salt reefer keeps 2. A lot depends on the fish. I snagged the FA and kept it in quarantine and then added all 4 to the tank all at the same time. They had there little issues for about an hour or so but, once they established, all was well.

 

[salt reefer]

sad to hear about your lose hackman but glad to hear you got it under control. i love my angles they graz right next to each other all the time.

 

[hackman72]

salt reefer;449142 wrote: sad to hear about your lose hackman but glad to hear you got it under control. i love my angles they graz right next to each other all the time.

Thanks. It's amazing what a series of water changes can fix. I have no idea what caused it either. Glad to hear your angels are content together. I'd ALWAYS been told pick only 1 angel and that's it. I would say tank size has a lot to do with it cohabitation but, Steven from Marine Designs has told me he kept 6 in a 58 gal tank.

 

[ryanh487]

i've seen it done successfully and i've seen it fail miserably. i've seen entire tanks of centropyges and i've seen people get away with 2 in a small tank.

it is possible, but it is risky. you could try it and end up with 3 happy fish or 1 happy fish. it really comes down to your personal judgement--is it worth the risk for the reward of having 3 gorgeous angels?

i would try it, but that's me. it's up to you.

 

[salt reefer]

yea i added a pygmie angle a week ago but he was so small . the other angles just ignored him, but something ate him that night, no bobie found, lol.he was only about 3/4 of an inch,

 

[salt reefer]

opps body