Rock beauty, flagfin, or black velvet angel

[Martini5788]

I am trying to narrow down my options for a 210 gallon that I will be setting up in a few weeks and am still considering a large angel. Out of the rock beauty( my favorite), flagfin, and black velvet, which one is the best behaved and easiest to keep. What are your experiences with keeping these Angels. It is a 6 ft 210 if that makes any difference. I will not have any corals initially, but have considered adding some easy softies and lps later on after I get the tank stocked.

[Dkuhlmann]

I would suggest that you figure out what the main focus of your tank will be. Fish, corals or a mix of the two. Then once you have your fish figured out make a list of all of them and have Steve tell you what mixes and what doesn't. Large angels have different temperaments and habits, that said some of those either mix with other tank inhabitants or they don't. The three you listed are different in many ways. Have to decide on what you want in your finished tank. Takes a huge amount of vision to the end product. In other words see in your mind what it is that you want, and make that happen.

[ca1ore]

Rock Beauty is a very tricky fish to keep.

[Martini5788]

I want to figure out if a large angel is something that I should cross off the list from the beginning or if I want to plan the tank with this fish in mind. The rock beauty is the main one I am interested in but I want to hear people's experiences on them and the other large Angels listed.

[Dkuhlmann]

I want to figure out if a large angel is something that I should cross off the list from the beginning or if I want to plan the tank with this fish in mind. The rock beauty is the main one I am interested in but I want to hear people's experiences on them and the other large Angels listed.

Understood. Remember that there are no large angels that are reef safe. So if you do a large angel don't plan on having corals. Sure there have been some exceptions to the rule and there are a few of the large tanks here on RC with not just one but multiple species of them living in large tanks with SPS, LPS and softies. Again it's the exception and not the rule.

[alton]

If you want a Rock Beauty start with a small
http://www.kpaquatics.com/product/rock-beauty-angel-small-2-2-5/

Stay away from meat corals, stay with softies, war corals, Frogspawn, and Sps like caps.

[Martini5788]

If you want a Rock Beauty start with a small

http://www.kpaquatics.com/product/rock-beauty-angel-small-2-2-5/



Stay away from meat corals, stay with softies, war corals, Frogspawn, and Sps like caps.


If I got one then I would definitely get it from kpaquatics, but thank you for mentioning them. If I were to get a rock beauty, would it definitely go in last as the final addition? Also, do they do ok with dwarf Angels?

[george915]

Rock beauty is a mellow fish. Mine doesn't bother any other fish (mostly angelfish of different size and shape), and other fish don't bother her. I don't think it matters one way or the other when to introduce the fish.

[fraggin corals]

The most aggressive fish go in last, the least aggressive first.

[alton]

Rock beauty is a mellow fish. Mine doesn't bother any other fish (mostly angelfish of different size and shape), and other fish don't bother her. I don't think it matters one way or the other when to introduce the fish.

I agree and I added mine first

[JoelA7]

+1 to ca1ore above. Rock Beauty must as in must have sponge in its diet.

[JJIM]

If you want a Rock Beauty start with a small
http://www.kpaquatics.com/product/rock-beauty-angel-small-2-2-5/

Stay away from meat corals, stay with softies, war corals, Frogspawn, and Sps like caps.

Yes, true, but I would say get a medium sized juvenile (3-4 inches). Some fish such as angels don't eat the first few days, and a juvi will hopefully have some meat on them. This would afford the fish some time to acclimate themselves to your tank without succumbing to malnutrition (starving). Also, I might suggest getting one from Divers Den, that way you can be sure it is eating and has been properly dewormed etc. If you have a reputable local store by the coast and you can witness it eating for few days, that works also.

I agree and I added mine first

Rock beauty is a mellow fish. Mine doesn't bother any other fish (mostly angelfish of different size and shape), and other fish don't bother her. I don't think it matters one way or the other when to introduce the fish.

Completely agree, mine does well and keeps to itself. My Rock Beauty angelfish was one of the last added, the fishes "current" temperament is mellow. It is the largest in the tank at 5 inches. It was bought the same time I purchased a Majestic Angel (4 inches). Neither pays any heed to the other. I keep coral such as frogspwan, different types of monti, rics, mushroom variety, a few SPS (birds nest), zoa's, variety of soft corral-toadstool, xenia, green star, and tree corals.

Remember, each fish will come with its own baggage. I can only vouch for the Rock Beauty I have, and thus far it seems to big (for my tank) teddy bear. I might suggest you have the corals you want in the tank first, rather than adding them after the fish. New corals may look appealing and tempt your fish into sampling it :fun2:

Some of the difficulty in care you hear about with a Rock Beauty is due to past collecting practices. I don't know if the "difficult" connotation on this fish still holds true? I have seen numerous people having excellent luck with the Rock Beauty, but they also have very established reef tanks (well over a year with lots of live rock). I also see that you are looking at the Rock Beauty, Flagfin, and the Black Velvet angelfish. While these fish are considered large angels, the are all on the smaller side of the "large angelfish." Each maxing out at 10 inches, and in an aquarium you can estimate 60-70% of max size for each fish (based on past data).

If you really like the Rock Beauty, then go for it in an established aquarium. Good luck!

[JJIM]

+1 to ca1ore above. Rock Beauty must as in must have sponge in its diet.

Any real data on this? It appears from prior threads that others have had good success without "sponge," but they did provide the fish with a balanced diet. The trick seems to be getting a healthy individual that is eating well, good water conditions, well established tank that is large enough to support its growth, etc. Many of the Holacanthus group angelfish devour sponge. If one feels sponge is necessary, then find foods that have sponge in it. Check out the below thread, good info. There are many reefers out there keeping Rock Beauties and Flagfins with great success.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2335319