saltfish123
Member
How big of a tank does a queen angel need?
How aggresive do they get also?
How aggresive do they get also?
Queen Angel
- Thread starter saltfish123
- Start date
saltfish123
Member
well i have a 125 gallon with nothing except a sailfin tang, hippo tang and 100 lbs of lr ( it's at least 6')
Chasmodes
Member
They grow over 18" in the wild and will grow nearly that large in captivity if they live long enough. They are fairly mild mannered as juveniles but are bold and may pick on passive fish. They are not reef safe and are known to pick on all types of corals, anemones, etc. However, I have seen threads and posts on various web sites showing them in large SPS reef tanks and kept successfully without much coral damage. Like any angelfish, temperament and feeding tastes may vary depending on the individual. Now, they have been described by many as becoming more aggressive with age, with full adults being destructive in reef tanks. Large adults can and some will kill less aggressive fish. They need a very large reef tank. Scott W. Michael’s book recommends 230 gallons as a minimum size.
IMO if you have a large reef tank it all depends on what you value more, your corals or your queen angelfish. They are strikingly beautiful and have a ton of personality and if you can successfully keep them in a large SPS tank and keep them well fed enough as to not kill your corals then they could be worth the effort. However, it’s very risky and they are better off in aggressive FO type systems.
They will outgrow a 125 gallon tank, so be prepared to move them some day.
If you can meet their requirements, then they should be the last fish introduced to your system.
IMO if you have a large reef tank it all depends on what you value more, your corals or your queen angelfish. They are strikingly beautiful and have a ton of personality and if you can successfully keep them in a large SPS tank and keep them well fed enough as to not kill your corals then they could be worth the effort. However, it’s very risky and they are better off in aggressive FO type systems.
They will outgrow a 125 gallon tank, so be prepared to move them some day.
If you can meet their requirements, then they should be the last fish introduced to your system.
anthropo
Member
i have an 8inch queen and the older he gets the more he picks on fish. he doesn't harass them but if he wants something and another fish is goin for it he goes after that fish especially when i put a piece of nori. he guards that with his life till he's done eating it. everyonce in a while i'll see a piece of a fish's fin missing, but they all seem to co-exist for the most part. i have him in a 180 with a purple tang, vlamingi tang, a pair of maroon clowns, a pair of bangaii cardinals and a cherub angel. they won't touch anemones but any large polyp corals, clams etc he will eat. i like my queen and i'm glad i got it. i've had him for 3 years and got him when he was 3 inches.
Chasmodes
Member
Originally Posted by anthropo
i like my queen and i'm glad i got it.
That’s what counts most of all.
The queen angelfish is a fish that I would build a tank around. IMO the queen angelfish is the centerpiece fish of centerpiece fish. They’re beautiful as juveniles, sub adults, and adults. Everything else is just habitat and play toys for it. If they fall victim, either by being picked on or ingested, then that’s the price of keeping such a magnificent animal. As aquarists, we should be fair to potential victims by not putting them in a situation where they’d be killed or stressed to death, and choose inhabitants that would thrive along side the queen angel.
It’s natural for these angels to be at the top of the pecking order, and the common name is quite appropriate. Not every queen angel will behave the same. If you know the risks and are willing to take a chance, and are lucky enough to raise a queen angel that will ignore certain sessile invertebrates, decorative shrimps, clams and non-aggressive fish, then you would have a reef tank that would be envied by many. Unfortunately, it’s quite possible that achievement (or failure) could come at a high price, both in loss of animal life and/or the wallet.
I would take the chance but at the same time do whatever it takes to recognize a problem before it gets too late and relocate potential victims. I guess the trick is to keep them well fed on their favorites, teach them to eat those foods when they are juveniles, or simply to have multiple tanks! Hiding spots for smaller fish would be a must too.
I was also thinking that, perhaps it’s possible to have a tank with rock work arranged somehow, perhaps a hidden barrier, to keep the queen angels and more aggressive fish separate from fish or inverts that may get picked on, but arranged in such a way that the barrier wouldn’t be noticed by the aquarist. I also have a mind set that the bigger the tank that they are kept in, the more success you might have keeping everything alive and compatible. I can’t prove it, but it seems to work for other species.
i like my queen and i'm glad i got it.
That’s what counts most of all.
The queen angelfish is a fish that I would build a tank around. IMO the queen angelfish is the centerpiece fish of centerpiece fish. They’re beautiful as juveniles, sub adults, and adults. Everything else is just habitat and play toys for it. If they fall victim, either by being picked on or ingested, then that’s the price of keeping such a magnificent animal. As aquarists, we should be fair to potential victims by not putting them in a situation where they’d be killed or stressed to death, and choose inhabitants that would thrive along side the queen angel.
It’s natural for these angels to be at the top of the pecking order, and the common name is quite appropriate. Not every queen angel will behave the same. If you know the risks and are willing to take a chance, and are lucky enough to raise a queen angel that will ignore certain sessile invertebrates, decorative shrimps, clams and non-aggressive fish, then you would have a reef tank that would be envied by many. Unfortunately, it’s quite possible that achievement (or failure) could come at a high price, both in loss of animal life and/or the wallet.
I would take the chance but at the same time do whatever it takes to recognize a problem before it gets too late and relocate potential victims. I guess the trick is to keep them well fed on their favorites, teach them to eat those foods when they are juveniles, or simply to have multiple tanks! Hiding spots for smaller fish would be a must too.
I was also thinking that, perhaps it’s possible to have a tank with rock work arranged somehow, perhaps a hidden barrier, to keep the queen angels and more aggressive fish separate from fish or inverts that may get picked on, but arranged in such a way that the barrier wouldn’t be noticed by the aquarist. I also have a mind set that the bigger the tank that they are kept in, the more success you might have keeping everything alive and compatible. I can’t prove it, but it seems to work for other species.
xdave
Active Member
"I was also thinking that, perhaps it’s possible to have a tank with rock work arranged somehow, perhaps a hidden barrier"
This will eliminate the minimum 6' continuous swimming room which the queen would need. Just get a juvenile and put them in last. They aren't so aggressive that unusual measures would need to be taken.
This will eliminate the minimum 6' continuous swimming room which the queen would need. Just get a juvenile and put them in last. They aren't so aggressive that unusual measures would need to be taken.