Topic of the Week: Reef Safe with Caution

[jm23]

There are so many beautiful fish and inverts that are often labeled "Reef safe with caution". Sometimes this refers to the fish possibly eating your clean up crew (CUC), but other times it means that it has a tendency to munch on your corals. I think here on Chicagoreefs, quite a few of our members push the envelope with these types of fish and often have great success. What "reef safe with caution" fish have you kept/have in your tank? Have you lost some inverts or corals? What are some suggestions you would give someone looking to keep one of these types of fish?

 

[7Hogwarts]

Interesting topic. We all know someone who keeps the Reef Safe with caution and even Non reef safe in a reef. To me fish like everyone on here wee all have are own personalities all different, I personally think it also has to do with how heavy do you feed.

 

[TangPolice]

Have 2 Emperor Angelfish and even though there always listed as not reef safe these 2 guys don't bother anything in the tank
Bob

 

[jrpark22000]

Sargassum trigger - reefsafe w/ caution with inverts. Keep it fed well and never bothered cleaner shrimp, snails, or crabs. It did eat a six-line when in initial QT together. Ate everything but the head.

Flameback dwarf angel - reefsafe w/ caution with coral. Again keep it fed well. Had the fish for over 3 years and I still keep an eye on it for nipping but none to date.

Bicolor blenny - reefsafe w/ caution with coral. Does nip some SPS here and there. Never the same colony or frequent enough to have any negative effect.

 

[DB9181]

...and then there are those fish that are suppose to be reefsafe that nip.... My blue Hippo Tang recently began getting a taste for freshly cut polpys - caught him doing it with the grow out frags and this weekend I watched him rip apart a freshly cut frag of blue tubbs - seems to only go after the fresh cut ones, my big sailfin is doing it some now too, probably will have to make an eggcrate 'cover' to go over my rack.

 

[tinman]

...and then there are those fish that are suppose to be reefsafe that nip.... My blue Hippo Tang recently began getting a taste for freshly cut polpys - caught him doing it with the grow out frags and this weekend I watched him rip apart a freshly cut frag of blue tubbs - seems to only go after the fresh cut ones, my big sailfin is doing it some now too, probably will have to make an eggcrate 'cover' to go over my rack.

Troubles of reefing, Haha

 

[sk8elenex92]

Flame Angel in my tank. As far as I know I haven't seen him nip on anything yet.. Hes just an ass and thinks he boss..

 

[Steve1986]

Harlequin tusk, reef safe with caution (inverts). Leaves everything alone that was in the tank before him, any inverts added after him are toast, lol. Other than that a model citizen

 

[Sawdonkey]

Emperor angel. Eats chalices for lunch but mostly leaves sps alone. Also eats gsp. Also relentlessly nipped at my old carpet nem (which Lunacris now owns)

Lemonpeel angel. Occasional nipper of sps.

Niger and Picasso triggers. Don't bother anything except they spit gravel all over the place.