Flame angel

Should I keep a flame angel in a 30 gallon?

  • Yes

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • No

    Votes: 2 66.7%

  • Total voters
    3
  • Poll closed .

Reef6789

New Member
hi!!!:wave::wave: I am new to this forum and wanted to introduce myself. I have been keeping corals and marine fish for 5 years now. I currently have a Nano setup.
10 gallon tank with a pair of clownfish 3 blueleg hermits, a colt coral, RFA, and mushroom corals. I am looking to set up a larger tank. I was thinking about a 30 gallon. I would do mostly corals, but maybe a flame angel. So after this horribly long post with me rambling on and on here is my question: can I keep one flame angel in a 30 gallon tank.
 

mr_tap_water

Well-Known Member
Hi there and welcome to RS[emoji106]
In my opinion yes you can keep a flame angel but would have to be very selective with what ever else you choose to go with it as I believe it may become very dominant in such a small environment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: SPR

DaveK

Well-Known Member
I've got to disagree with @mr_tap_water here. The minimum recommend tank size for a flame angel is about 70 gal. Now if you have say a 60 gal tank, I'd say ok, close enough to try, but a 30 is way too small. A flame angel can grow to about 4 inches.

You also have the addition possible problem in that sometime a flame angel will start eating all your corals. This depends on the individual fish. Some are model citizens.

It comes down to getting a tank and equipment needed to support the fish you want or forget about it and choose something else.

A lot of this comes down to planning. Figure out what you want to keep in the new tank and consider the requirements for them and let that drive your tank size selection.
 

Reef6789

New Member
Hi there and welcome to RS[emoji106]
In my opinion yes you can keep a flame angel but would have to be very selective with what ever else you choose to go with it as I believe it may become very dominant in such a small environment.

Ok so I talked to my LFS and they said a 30 gallon would be fine. Apparently they have some kept in a reef environment that have never niped at corals. I will try to see if my clownfish get along with one and if they don’t they can always go into one of my other tanks. Also my LFS agreed to take the flame angel back if I saw any sines of stress from such a small tank. Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
@Reef6789 said "Ok so I talked to my LFS and they said a 30 gallon would be fine. Apparently they have some kept in a reef environment that have never niped at corals. I will try to see if my clownfish get along with one and if they don’t they can always go into one of my other tanks. Also my LFS agreed to take the flame angel back if I saw any sines of stress from such a small tank. Thanks."

I'm going to tell you this point blank. Many LFS either lie outright or are totally clueless. Don't believe them until they prove themselves otherwise. Many LFSs only have one or two people that know anything about SW reef systems.

It would be a big mistake to put a flame angel is such a small tank. Pick a different fish.
 

mr_tap_water

Well-Known Member
Again in my opinion and my own experience what You been told about not having one is just textbook even though they may be thinking more of the welfare of the fish self.

The trouble with text book most of it was written so far back it never caught up with technology of today it really is hit or miss how certain fish gets on in small systems but if you do decide to get one and you saying that if it doesn’t work out you can take it back I personally would go for it most of us have one or a number of fish we shouldn’t have over the years and some work out better than Others and go totally against the textbook and
in my opinion it’s nice to have something even for a short while rather than to never have one or experience one again just my opinion please take note of that.
I’m not trying to stir things up just trying to show both sides of the coin so to speak.[emoji846]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Again I must disagree with @mr_tap_water on several points,

Yes, it is possible to bend the rules a bit and do some things that are not generally recommended, but in this case we are talking about a tank less than half the recommended size for a flame angel.

There are also so many other possible options in fish selection that you almost always can find something else. Here are a few I would consider in place of a flame angel. Plenty to choose from,
Any of the fire gobies. Make sure your tank is well covered, as they jump.
Most other small gobies.
royal gramma - Just about the perfect reef fish
Pajama cardinal
Banggai Cardinalf
Neon dottyback - These can be aggressive, add last
Yellowhead jawfish - Has some special requirements
Blue spot jawfish - Has some special requirements, expensive
Spotted hawkfish - one of my personal favorites
Most other small hawk fish, flame, longnose, or arc eye and so on

As for the textbook being out of date, with such resources as the internet, up to date information is easily available. Obviously if I or anyone else was quoting from a book from the 1980's or something, it would be obsolete.

As for taking a fish back, or having it for a short while, it's a massive job to remove a fish from a reef system without doing a lot of other damage. Sometimes you get lucky with a trap of some sort, but often it means removing most of the rock to be able to remove a fish.

If you are going to be in a position where you are going to return a fish, check the store policy. Some don't accept returns at all, some will give you a store credit, some charge you a restocking fee. Be sure to check the store policy before you purchase.

One additional thought for the op. Don't get upset because someone is telling you that this is a bad idea. Don't get your heart set on a single fish. I once say several sohal tangs in a very large tank in a public aquarium. It's a fantastic looking fish, and I though I would love to have one in my tank. After checking I found that they can get extremely aggressive and some individuals reach the point where they will kill anything else you want to keep with them. As much as I wanted the fish, I had to pass on it.
 
Last edited:

mr_tap_water

Well-Known Member
I think that’s the difference between me and Davek at least I can say is I have experienced many fish Over the years and yes I’ve heard good and bad experiences where in your case you may of only read or you wished you could of had, that’s not to say you don’t give good advice on many subjects which you have done over the years, but in this case only real way to experience different fish is to have them not read about what they should and shouldn’t do to a degree remember this is just a hobby textbooks are not law they just guidelines. I know you will disagree with most of this if not all that’s because you’re stickler for rules but in my opinion best way to learn is to break the rules to a degree.
No personal offence meant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Crowther

Member
hi!!!:wave::wave: I am new to this forum and wanted to introduce myself. I have been keeping corals and marine fish for 5 years now. I currently have a Nano setup.
10 gallon tank with a pair of clownfish 3 blueleg hermits, a colt coral, RFA, and mushroom corals. I am looking to set up a larger tank. I was thinking about a 30 gallon. I would do mostly corals, but maybe a flame angel. So after this horribly long post with me rambling on and on here is my question: can I keep one flame angel in a 30 gallon tank.
Not happily.

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
I think that’s the difference between me and Davek at least I can say is I have experienced many fish Over the years and yes I’ve heard good and bad experiences where in your case you may of only read or you wished you could of had, that’s not to say you don’t give good advice on many subjects which you have done over the years, but in this case only real way to experience different fish is to have them not read about what they should and shouldn’t do to a degree remember this is just a hobby textbooks are not law they just guidelines. I know you will disagree with most of this if not all that’s because you’re stickler for rules but in my opinion best way to learn is to break the rules to a degree.
No personal offence meant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, you are right, I do disagree. (grin) Just so we understand "over they years" in my case, I set up my first SW tank when I was 15 and that was in 1965, over 50 years ago. So I have also experienced many fish, and yes, I've had many good and bad experiences. So yes, I do speak from personal experience.

I don't buy into breaking the rules to any extreme degree because it usually ends up with a tank with some very dead fish. Yes, there always does seem to be that exception of someone that gets away with it, but I always wonder for how long.

All too often people get a fish or other livestock and add it figuring that "we'll just see how it does" with out doing their research. I think about all the threads over the years about tangs, large anemones. other fish that grow very large or are very aggressive. Then they wonder why they have made a mess of their tank. A lot of fish get killed because of this kind of attitude. Note that this does not apply to someone that does their research, and makes plans to accommodate the fish or livestock in question. If your going to try a very difficult fish, you are going to be taking some risks and you may need to break the rules just because the method you plan to try has never been done before.

This gets us back to what are you trying to do with that tank. If your interested in trying something very experimental and you do some reasonable planning, then go and break some of the rules. However, if your looking to set up a tank and have the best chances for maximum success with it, you want to stay more or less with in the rules and generally accepted methods. You can bend them a little but keep it close. In this case, why invite trouble?

Its kind of like driving your car over the speed limit. Your unlikely to have a problem if your with in 5 or 10 mph of the speed limit. If your 30 or 40 mph over, you much more likely to get pulled over or even worse, be involved in a crash.
 

mr_tap_water

Well-Known Member
Well, you are right, I do disagree. (grin) Just so we understand "over they years" in my case, I set up my first SW tank when I was 15 and that was in 1965, over 50 years ago. So I have also experienced many fish, and yes, I've had many good and bad experiences. So yes, I do speak from personal experience.

I don't buy into breaking the rules to any extreme degree because it usually ends up with a tank with some very dead fish. Yes, there always does seem to be that exception of someone that gets away with it, but I always wonder for how long.

All too often people get a fish or other livestock and add it figuring that "we'll just see how it does" with out doing their research. I think about all the threads over the years about tangs, large anemones. other fish that grow very large or are very aggressive. Then they wonder why they have made a mess of their tank. A lot of fish get killed because of this kind of attitude. Note that this does not apply to someone that does their research, and makes plans to accommodate the fish or livestock in question. If your going to try a very difficult fish, you are going to be taking some risks and you may need to break the rules just because the method you plan to try has never been done before.

This gets us back to what are you trying to do with that tank. If your interested in trying something very experimental and you do some reasonable planning, then go and break some of the rules. However, if your looking to set up a tank and have the best chances for maximum success with it, you want to stay more or less with in the rules and generally accepted methods. You can bend them a little but keep it close. In this case, why invite trouble?

Its kind of like driving your car over the speed limit. Your unlikely to have a problem if your with in 5 or 10 mph of the speed limit. If your 30 or 40 mph over, you much more likely to get pulled over or even worse, be involved in a crash.
I understand what you’re saying and I respect your opinion but without going OTT on this we are talking about a Dwarf angel i believe has a very good chance of success but that can depend on the individual that’s all I’m trying to say so I would have to disagree with you telling someone they can’t as there is no way you can be a 100% certain that it won’t work just because things haven’t worked for yourself and the same goes for me to.
Also apologise to the person that asked the question in the first place and taking over this thread and wishing every bit of luck on which ever he chooses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

SPR

Well-Known Member
hi!!!:wave::wave: I am new to this forum and wanted to introduce myself. I have been keeping corals and marine fish for 5 years now. I currently have a Nano setup.
10 gallon tank with a pair of clownfish 3 blueleg hermits, a colt coral, RFA, and mushroom corals. I am looking to set up a larger tank. I was thinking about a 30 gallon. I would do mostly corals, but maybe a flame angel. So after this horribly long post with me rambling on and on here is my question: can I keep one flame angel in a 30 gallon tank.
Welcome to Reef Sanctuary!

If your thinking of a Flame Angel, if you’ve got the space, why don’t you just go for a bigger tank and then you won’t have any issues, and bigger tanks are much easier to keep water parameters stable. And you can put more fish and corals in as well.

I’ve got a Flame Angel myself and they are beautiful fish and very active swimmers, so need as much space as possible.
 

Reef6789

New Member
Ok so I will go with a bigger tank. Do they need more length than height or what dimensions of a tank would they prefer.
 

SPR

Well-Known Member
Ok so I will go with a bigger tank. Do they need more length than height or what dimensions of a tank would they prefer.
Well I would think they would like longer length so they could swim easier, but the overall size matters so they have plenty of space to swim around.

Mine is very active and darts all around the tank, up, down, across, all over and that’s why they need plenty of space which is presumably were the minimum recommendation of 70 gallons or thereabouts comes from. I’m not saying you couldn’t keep one in a slightly smaller tank but........

I would just get a bigger tank for the type of fish you want and then your sorted. Because if you don’t get one now, you’ll probably only want to upgrade anyway later so more expense.

If you have set your heart on a Flame Angel then your clearly like them, so you want to provide it with the best home you can right ?
 
Top