Nipping Angels, corals not growing?

[invincible569]

Im curious to know from those who have experienced nipping Angels with SPS corals living together. Did your SPS corals stop growing? Slower? no change? The reason why i am asking is because since Angels nip on the SPS polyps, doesnt this mean that the polyp cannot calcify further laying its skeleton behind? As you know, a polyp is what creates the calcification process in order to grow.

[moonpod]

All I know is that I had an Asfur Angel that murdered sps. Would nip to the extent that frags would get dislodged and arms of sps would break....

[nbd13]

Heu Edward i think there is a big difference between nipping and destroying....

i had a blueface that nipped for maybe 2ish weeks before i got him going well on frozen foods....

now with that said it just a nip here and then a nip here, not repeatley going back and destroying the same colony or frag.... so i dont think its detramental to the colony if the angel is nipping, look at Tanu's approach he baiscally said it happens in the wild and the corals still grow so they will in my tank too.....

Now there is also destroying a colony which as Chuck said can happen, now that is a whole different ball game, you can sometimes cure nipping like i did along with John B. did with his magestic.... but destroying no way can you cure that...

also angel fish are one of the most beautiful fish out there.... hell this regal i have is stunning and take the interpersus (SP?) captive grown from Hawaiia, now thats a stunning fish... i mean its a risk sure.... but is the risk worth it? i would say yes with my experience with a blueface and regal...

heck i even plan to try another male regal (to go with my exsisting female) and maybe a conspic also....

Nick

[majesticangelfish]

Could nipping actually accelerate the growth? By stressing the coral, making it grow for survival??? Like escape size?

Thanks

[Aged Salt]

Edward, good question for the "new-sub-forum" Bob

[o2manyfish]

I have noticed 2 different behaviors.

a) The occassional nipping at corals and such... The angels and even tangs are always looking for food. What some people see as nipping, someone else may view differently. My experience is that nipping for food could merely be pods, bits of detritus, algae on the coral, - things the fish see that we don't that the fish are feeding on.

b) The decimation of corals - Since I have lots of experience with corals RTN'ing - as most of my corals are rescues - Once the tissue starts to peel, almost all fish line up to start pulling the coral clean. Angels, tangs and blennies. But even after feasting on declining corals for a week, they leave the healthy corals alone.

c) However, when dealing with an Angel who like corals - eg; a singapore angel, passers angel, my experience with imperators. Once they decide to like something - whether SPS, LPS or Zoos - There is no question and the flavor they desire is something they will satiate till a coral or colony is destroyed.


I think people have to really study what it is the angel behavior is. The occassional nipping is more likely the angel taking the opportunity to feed on something besides the coral that the viewer misinterprets.

I mean lets be realistic. If you drop a cube of any frozen food in the tank, most angels, and tangs will keep picking at the food until it's gone. They won't take a single bite out of the cube and then move on to find something else.

Hence using fish behavior and logic. If the angel was truly nipping the polyps off - cause it was feeding - doubtful it would take a single polyp and then head off to play chase the mandarin for an hour.


Just my thoughts

Dave B

[o2manyfish]

Feed Me Seymour

I have noticed 2 different behaviors.

a) The occassional nipping at corals and such... The angels and even tangs are always looking for food. What some people see as nipping, someone else may view differently. My experience is that nipping for food could merely be pods, bits of detritus, algae on the coral, - things the fish see that we don't that the fish are feeding on.

b) The decimation of corals - Since I have lots of experience with corals RTN'ing - as most of my corals are rescues - Once the tissue starts to peel, almost all fish line up to start pulling the coral clean. Angels, tangs and blennies. But even after feasting on declining corals for a week, they leave the healthy corals alone.

c) However, when dealing with an Angel who like corals - eg; a singapore angel, passers angel, my experience with imperators. Once they decide to like something - whether SPS, LPS or Zoos - There is no question and the flavor they desire is something they will satiate till a coral or colony is destroyed.


I think people have to really study what it is the angel behavior is. The occassional nipping is more likely the angel taking the opportunity to feed on something besides the coral that the viewer misinterprets.

I mean lets be realistic. If you drop a cube of any frozen food in the tank, most angels, and tangs will keep picking at the food until it's gone. They won't take a single bite out of the cube and then move on to find something else.

Hence using fish behavior and logic. If the angel was truly nipping the polyps off - cause it was feeding - doubtful it would take a single polyp and then head off to play chase the mandarin for an hour.


Just my thoughts

Dave B

[invincible569]

Edward, good question for the "new-sub-forum" Bob

Exactly my thoughts!!

[Janne]

I have experience of Angelfishes with SPS but not nipping Angelfishes, I think if the Angels get's lot of food(as Nick said) they not nipping on corals, but if they had to seek of food they nipping on corals. Give them pellets and frozen food, I trying to give them a miscellaneous diet I can. I'am using Ocean Nutrition Formula One(pellets), Formula Two(pellets), Angel food(frozen food with spongs), Julian Sprung Sea Veggies (all tree types of seaweed), Frozen Krill, gamma and mysis.

My fishes:
Pomacanthus imperator 20-22 cm.
Pomacanthus xanthometopon 18-19 cm.
Pomacanthus asfur 16-17 cm.
Pomacanthus navarchus 7-8 cm.
Pygoplites diacanthus 6-7 cm.

/Janne

[Aged Salt]

Excellent posts all & Josh's question is extremely intricating. Edward, maybe this thread should be moved to the new forum when it's up & running--it a interesting topic for more indepth discussion Bob

[nbd13]

Janne- what size tank do you have all those angels in? they all get along well even been the same speicies of angel?

thanks!

and very good info Dave!

Nick

[Janne]

Nick my tank size is 700 liter and they all get along well, but if you look in my thread you can see that I have a big cave behind the LR so they always can hide and not get stressed.

http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthr...4&page=1&pp=15

My experience of Angelfishes is when you put Angels together they faith in one week after that they know their place. Under that week you have two problem, the new fish is not used with your food and the second is that the new fish can't reach the food because the old guys are hunting him. Therefor you must have god placeses for the fish to hide and you must give him the food. If you manage that, he will survive. But the most importent is that the fish must be in god condition. Sorry about my English, if we took it in Swedish you could get the long version

/Janne

[nbd13]

Your english is fine!

thats for the explination, how many gallons is 700 liters?

thanks!

Nick

[Janne]

Thanks, 720 liter = 180 gallon.

/JAnne

[danny]

I have a Holocanthus Tricolor for 4 years now and he's nipping on some corals. But its not doiing real damage. Actuelly there is one coral (poccilopora damicornis) which is its favorite coral to pick, I got this coral at the same time as the angel they were both 1 inch but the coral outgrew the angel.
The coral is 10 inches now and the angel 3.