Questions about a Dwarf Coral Beauty!

[fishymomma]

So I have a 30 gallon tank & I want to have 2 clown fish & 2 other little fish & I want to also
have a Dwarf Coral Beauty in there. I have done a little research about Coral Beautys and according
to what I read, It is best to purchase them & put them into your tank last because of their aggression.
Is this actually true?
I personally want to add them all at once or all within one day can that be possible or is that a
BAD IDEA?
I have heard that they are pretty calm fish and would do good in a tank with clown fish,
is this true?
I have also read that it is a good idea to purchase rock that they can hide in? If so what is best?
Thank you guys!!!

 

[slice]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishymomma http:///forum/thread/383076/questions-about-a-dwarf-coral-beauty#post_3347578
So I have a 30 gallon tank & I want to have 2 clown fish & 2 other little fish & I want to also
have a Dwarf Coral Beauty in there. I have done a little research about Coral Beautys and according
to what I read, It is best to purchase them & put them into your tank last because of their aggression.
Is this actually true?
I personally want to add them all at once or all within one day can that be possible or is that a
BAD IDEA? BAD idea. You should add one at a time to allow your biological filtration to catch up with the additional bioload.
I have heard that they are pretty calm fish and would do good in a tank with clown fish,
is this true?
I have also read that it is a good idea to purchase rock that they can hide in? If so what is best?
You should have already added (or add very soon) 1-2lbs per gallon of rock, either base or live. This is where a lot of your
biological filtration will come from.
Thank you guys!!!

 

[meowzer]

I would not put a dwarf angel in that small of a tank...they are very active and need lots of rock to swim thru
also as stated by Slice....you do not add all your fish together

 

[ecooper]

I have seen books that state 30g is minimum for a dwarf angel, but I know my CB is very active. I have a lot of rock and she loves darting through the rock. One may be ok in a 30g, but I think they need a lot of rock and I don't know what you plan on putting in there. They are beautiful fish, though.

 

[btldreef]

Some dwarfs can be kept in 30G tanks. I do believe that a Coral Beauty can be kept in a 30G, as I have done so in a 40 without any issues. However, you must consider the rest of your stock list when doing so. Dwarf angels really do require a more mature tank with a lot of live rock to graze on. They usually don't do well in new tanks. They also need to be fed properly and tend to not be happy with poor water quality (high nitrates) that other, more hardy fish can tolerate. They can be aggressive, especially in a 30G, so this is something that also needs to be considered. They will do fine with a clownfish, but they should be added last as they can be bullies to new additions. My Coral Beauty is a complete beast to any new additions to my tank for the first few days. She has stressed out fish so badly that they've perished as a result of her actions. They are a rock dwelling reef fish, so they need a lot of rock work to pick on and to hide in and weave in and out of.
Adding more than one fish at a time (or two in the case of a pair of clowns) is really not a good idea. This can cause an ammonia spike and send your tank into a "mini cycle" with can be detrimental to corals and fish. It's recommended to add one fish at a time and wait at least two weeks in between each addition. This allows the beneficial bacteria to catch up with the new "waste" addition.

 

[monsinour]

all excellent advice above. Nothing new for me to add really. I would say that you might want to double check other dwarf angels and see if there is one that will do better in a 30g as opposed to a CB.

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383076/questions-about-a-dwarf-coral-beauty#post_3347812
all excellent advice above. Nothing new for me to add really. I would say that you might want to double check other dwarf angels and see if there is one that will do better in a 30g as opposed to a CB.
This is very true. There are a few dwarf angelfish that stay slightly smaller and tend to be mildly less aggressive (which can be a real issue in a smaller tank) such as the Flameback Angelfish aka African Flameback (Centropyge acanthops), and are still relatively reef safe (never 100% with any angelfish, although most behave).

 

[gemmy]

Also, consider the shape of the aquarium when deciding on what fish to put it in. Angelfish do well in tanks where they can swim freely back and forth, so they would do much better in a standard tank as opposed to a hexagon tank.

 

[blackjacktang]

I had a post about the coral beauty earlier. Take a look and this may help.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/383068/well-hes-in-a-better-place-now