Reef safe with caution

[Eric_n_Ga]

So I'm looking at fish for my 75 mixed reef and its the same thing over an over . Reef safe....with caution . This with caution thing is very vague. Like caution this butterfly fish might eat your shrimp or bubble tip or it might go to town on all your sps .

Copper banded butterfly
Flame angels
Coral beauty
Lemon peel

I get each one is different, but do you just roll the dice ?

 

[silentdeath5]

Yep, it’s always is the fish worth the risk. If I was going with all cheap soft corals I would would add them all, but $200-300 scolys, etc probably not.

 

[NanCrab]

So I'm looking at fish for my 75 mixed reef and its the same thing over an over . Reef safe....with caution . This with caution thing is very vague. Like caution this butterfly fish might eat your shrimp or bubble tip or it might go to town on all your sps .

Copper banded butterfly
Flame angels
Coral beauty
Lemon peel

I get each one is different, but do you just roll the dice ?

This is THE reason we just got a second 65 gallon tank. It’s going to have all those “with caution” fish in it that I’m not willing to risk my corals for

 

[Rainblood]

Theres no other way to do it.
I have a coral beauty and a foxface and thus far both are fine.
That doesn't mean anything because I hear stories where fish can be nice for a couple of years and then just snap so....who knows.
Probably like people - most are fine and happy and cute as juveniles until they hit puberty and go bonkers

 

[Adam]

Theres no other way to do it.
I have a coral beauty and a foxface and thus far both are fine.
That doesn't mean anything because I hear stories where fish can be nice for a couple of years and then just snap so....who knows.
Probably like people - most are fine and happy and cute as juveniles until they hit puberty and go bonkers

Exactly this.

Also in puberty or as adult, you miss a feeding. Then the rest of your tank is on the menu.

 

[civics14]

Well, I think the "with caution" part varies based on the fish or type of coral. And every fish has its own personality and that can change as it grows. I just picked up a Blue Throat Trigger based on several people's experience with no issues. So, we'll see how that goes down the road.

 

[silentdeath5]

Exactly this.

Also in puberty or as adult, you miss a feeding. Then the rest of your tank is on the menu.

Yep! My Copperband was fine with a clam until I went on vacation for a weekend and came back to a shell.

 

[NanCrab]

Well, I think the "with caution" part varies based on the fish or type of coral. And every fish has its own personality and that can change as it grows. I just picked up a Blue Throat Trigger based on several people's experience with no issues. So, we'll see how that goes down the road.

I just had to sell back a filefish that wouldn’t touch the aptasia but thought my LPS corals were for him. I still have aptasia. Peppermint shrimp don’t go near it, file fish haven’t worked, I don’t know anything about nudibranchs so haven’t looked into that route yet. I prefer to err on the side of caution personally. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into growing these corals, don’t want it all to go down the tubes because of a pretty face

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

Is the copper butterfly mainly a threat to shellfish and shrimp or corals as well ? I see them in lots of reef tanks.

 

[civics14]

Is the copper butterfly mainly a threat to shellfish and shrimp or corals as well ? I see them in lots of reef tanks.

My understanding is they aren't considered reef safe cause they would eat clams and feather dusters as well. So, if you're not keeping them, then I guess you have nothing to worry about. For example, a lot of Reef Safe with Caution on wrasses are because they will eat your inverts and it has nothing to do with corals.

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

My understanding is they aren't considered reef safe cause they would eat clams and feather dusters as well. So, if you're not keeping them, then I guess you have nothing to worry about. For example, a lot of Reef Safe with Caution on wrasses are because they will eat your inverts and it has nothing to do with corals.

That's what I gathered too

 

[popsbjd]

The lemonpeel will be the bigger problem. One of if not the least reef safe dwarf angel. That said, I literally just bought one this weekend from creation (on sale for $20). He's quarantined in my frag tank (which is woefully short on frags) so i can see how he reacts to coral.

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[90gDreams]

I get each one is different, but do you just roll the dice ?

That is sort of all you really can do isn't it? Maybe sit down and have a stern talk before you acclimate them? This whole hobby is really just rolling dice, on good days they are just weighted a bit in your favor.

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

That is sort of all you really can do isn't it? Maybe sit down and have a stern talk before you acclimate them? This whole hobby is really just rolling dice, on good days they are just weighted a bit in your favor.

Rolling dice vs Russian roulette ..lol

 

[Fish Man]

Is the copper butterfly mainly a threat to shellfish and shrimp or corals as well ? I see them in lots of reef tanks.

I've have one and it never bothers any corals. I think most who have them would say the same. However, clams are like Copperband crack!

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

No plan for clams so maybe this is my with caution candidate

 

[civics14]

No plan for clams so maybe this is my with caution candidate

Personal experience with CBB. If you can find one eating frozen at the store will give you a better chance going in. But in the 6 months I had one years ago, I could never get it to eat dry food and would lose a lot of weight when I would be gone a week on vacation since it wouldn’t eat from the auto feeder. Secondly, they are not aggressive eaters like tangs or wrasses. So, over time when I added more tangs, it couldn’t compete and eventually withered away. Needless to say, I never got another CBB because of this.

 

[NanCrab]

Personal experience with CBB. If you can find one eating frozen at the store will give you a better chance going in. But in the 6 months I had one years ago, I could never get it to eat dry food and would lose a lot of weight when I would be gone a week on vacation since it wouldn’t eat from the auto feeder. Secondly, they are not aggressive eaters like tangs or wrasses. So, over time when I added more tangs, it couldn’t compete and eventually withered away. Needless to say, I never got another CBB because of this.

They are such beautiful fish but even the guy at The Fish Store in Chamblee said he’d never buy another one. He said you just can’t get them to eat enough and they always die

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

Grrrrreat

 

[90gDreams]

I had one for a year stayed fat and happy, lost it in a move from Atlanta to Florida. Had pretty established live rock, newest stuff was probably 2 years by then, lots of stuff to pick at. It was eating mysis, not eating and spitting, at the store and I used to feed black worms as well. I only gambled in desperation to clean up an aiptasia mess that was heading in a bad direction. It wanted nothing to do with anything other than the aiptasia, mysis, and worms. Would not touch pellets of any kind.

Absolutely not a fish for a new tank, and I would not buy it online.

Also will second they are very shy and slow eaters. I had lots of spare time then to basically feed the guy from a turkey baster.