Catching a coral beauty?
- Thread starter MandarinFish
- Start date
I'm sure there's a joke in this somewhere, but I'll get to the nitty gritty.
Centropyges are nearly impossible to catch. This is why I advise anyone who is considering a dwarf angel in a reef tank to weigh this into account. Traps, line & bait, and nets don't work. The only thing that you can possibly do is find where it sleeps at night, and net him out then. This might require a little bulldozing, but there's very little options when it comes to Centropyges.
Centropyges are nearly impossible to catch. This is why I advise anyone who is considering a dwarf angel in a reef tank to weigh this into account. Traps, line & bait, and nets don't work. The only thing that you can possibly do is find where it sleeps at night, and net him out then. This might require a little bulldozing, but there's very little options when it comes to Centropyges.
Mandarin fish, I feel your pain. I also have a pigmy angel that is always nipping at something. I tried the trap, but none of the fish go anywhere near it. I was considdering a very small hook, but maybe this sleep thing is a better angle. I just hope I don't knock down the whole reef...
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote
"Disco Stu doesn't advertise" - Disco Stu, initial appearance on The Simpsons
I really regret putting the centropyge in my main tank. It was incredibly hard to catch the fish in the first place from the tank I got him from.
Chasing him down again. Great. I will find him though.
It's especially hard since he's elusive when I'm not near the tank with a net.
"Disco Stu doesn't advertise" - Disco Stu, initial appearance on The Simpsons
I really regret putting the centropyge in my main tank. It was incredibly hard to catch the fish in the first place from the tank I got him from.
Chasing him down again. Great. I will find him though.
It's especially hard since he's elusive when I'm not near the tank with a net.
i had the same problem but i got lucky and caught mine, this is what i did; i scared him into one side of my tank and slowly took out live rock, (make sure he doesnt go to the other side) i got down to a couple of rocks and he hid under them, so i took nets to surround him and got lucky and scooped him up, hope this helps good luck
- Location
- Virginia
Try scooping him up with a quick swoop while he feeds on floating food. Or, you could always put an octopus in there to catch him....
Well I am in the same boat as you. Have one in my 125 gallon. He is picking at some of my corals and they are not opening now. Planning to decrease my bioload of fishes so he and a sailfin tang are on there way back to LFS. It will be rock surgery, but I will be taking out the rocks out of my system and taking that little guy out. Rather do it now, because I am planning to add another 60 pounds of LR and then it will be impossible to catch him. So if you catch yours before I catch mine let me know how you did it...
Good Luck
Good Luck
I've been planning on setting up my first reef tank with (among other fish) a coral beauty and flame angel, having heard that most of these will leave coral polyps alone. I take it from this thread that this is probably not a good idea? Have any of you had sucess with coral beauties or flame angels with reef tanks? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I removed my Coral Beauty just this sunday. Hes headed off to the LFS, after he recovers.
After two hours infront of the tank and about 6 odd piecies of purple montipora lying on the sandbed; I gave up and yanked the tank apart.
It was harder, but at least this way it gives you a chance to re-arrange the rock work
PS: I found that he was much easier to catch after he was all tired out. You can try chasing him for 10mins or so continuosly, and see if u can net him after that. Mine was much slower after the "chase".
After two hours infront of the tank and about 6 odd piecies of purple montipora lying on the sandbed; I gave up and yanked the tank apart.
It was harder, but at least this way it gives you a chance to re-arrange the rock work
PS: I found that he was much easier to catch after he was all tired out. You can try chasing him for 10mins or so continuosly, and see if u can net him after that. Mine was much slower after the "chase".
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by KJHawley:
<strong>I've been planning on setting up my first reef tank with (among other fish) a coral beauty and flame angel, having heard that most of these will leave coral polyps alone. I take it from this thread that this is probably not a good idea? Have any of you had sucess with coral beauties or flame angels with reef tanks? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.</strong><hr></blockquote>
You are gambling when you put any pigmy angel in a reef tank. I have a coral beauty in one tank and a cherub in another, they both are behaving for now. It's just a question of how bad you want that fish, are you willing to take all your rocks out to catch it if need be? Or remove a particular coral if they find it tasty? If not, I would avoid any Centropyge.
They are really cool fish however.
FWIW, many fish have individual personalities. You never see people talking about how un-reef-safe tangs are, but my Hippo tang eats a variety of corals, leathers, open brain, and xenia, he leaves everything else alone. It's really obnoxious.
<strong>I've been planning on setting up my first reef tank with (among other fish) a coral beauty and flame angel, having heard that most of these will leave coral polyps alone. I take it from this thread that this is probably not a good idea? Have any of you had sucess with coral beauties or flame angels with reef tanks? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.</strong><hr></blockquote>
You are gambling when you put any pigmy angel in a reef tank. I have a coral beauty in one tank and a cherub in another, they both are behaving for now. It's just a question of how bad you want that fish, are you willing to take all your rocks out to catch it if need be? Or remove a particular coral if they find it tasty? If not, I would avoid any Centropyge.
They are really cool fish however.
FWIW, many fish have individual personalities. You never see people talking about how un-reef-safe tangs are, but my Hippo tang eats a variety of corals, leathers, open brain, and xenia, he leaves everything else alone. It's really obnoxious.
I had the unfortunate pleasure of catching one several months ago, but I had a somewhat unique situation. There is a piece of live rock in the tank that is hollow with an opening on the top, sort of like a cave. The angel would swim into the cave and then back out quite frequently. I waited until he went in and then covered the hole with a net (took it off the handle so that it could wrap around the sides of the rock). Once he came out...no more fish in the tank. You may try building a cave out of rock or using a piece of 3" PVC pipe to make an artificial one. Good luck!
Have you tried using plates of glass (not dinner plates but the kind that are used on the top of glass aquariums)? I used this trick once to get a pseudochromis out of my 125 gallon reef.
Basically, what you do is take a flat piece of glass and stand it diagonally in one front corner of your tank so that there is small opening on one side and the bottom is stuck in the sand (the top will be sticking out of the water). Then you bait it with some fish food (whatever you think the coral beauty will like)and hope he ventures inside. Once he is inside he may get confused as he tries to escape -- then you can close off the opening, and then scoop him out with a net.
It may not work too well with a coral beauty since it seems like he won't get too hungry if he is picking on your corals, but it may be worth a try.
D-Nak
Basically, what you do is take a flat piece of glass and stand it diagonally in one front corner of your tank so that there is small opening on one side and the bottom is stuck in the sand (the top will be sticking out of the water). Then you bait it with some fish food (whatever you think the coral beauty will like)and hope he ventures inside. Once he is inside he may get confused as he tries to escape -- then you can close off the opening, and then scoop him out with a net.
It may not work too well with a coral beauty since it seems like he won't get too hungry if he is picking on your corals, but it may be worth a try.
D-Nak
Thanks for all the help, folks.
Disco Stu hides a lot. I have decided to keep him, an Australian Harlequin Tusk (he needs to move as my sailfin tang hassles him), and my v-tail grouper in my 55 gallon once that is set up.
That will be my carnivore tank, and I will keep a lot of caulerpa in it (I actually like how it looks, plus it cleans the water well which carnivorous fish especially need help with).
My main tank (135 gallon) will be my herbivores, along with corals.
I will try moving rocks into my new 55 tank so there is more room, then feed at a corner of the big tank with the rocks gone and the glass ready to cut the Coral Beauty off with. This is going to take some time....
Too bad. I heard that 1/2 the time Coral Beauties leave corals alone. Disco Stu has been in a tank with softies and left them alone. The minute I put a polyp in, he devoured it. Little bastard.
Fish do have personalities. One of my cleaner wrasses goes to bed early, while his partner stays awake late. Really cool.
[ February 07, 2002: Message edited by: MandarinFish ]</p>
Disco Stu hides a lot. I have decided to keep him, an Australian Harlequin Tusk (he needs to move as my sailfin tang hassles him), and my v-tail grouper in my 55 gallon once that is set up.
That will be my carnivore tank, and I will keep a lot of caulerpa in it (I actually like how it looks, plus it cleans the water well which carnivorous fish especially need help with).
My main tank (135 gallon) will be my herbivores, along with corals.
I will try moving rocks into my new 55 tank so there is more room, then feed at a corner of the big tank with the rocks gone and the glass ready to cut the Coral Beauty off with. This is going to take some time....
Too bad. I heard that 1/2 the time Coral Beauties leave corals alone. Disco Stu has been in a tank with softies and left them alone. The minute I put a polyp in, he devoured it. Little bastard.
Fish do have personalities. One of my cleaner wrasses goes to bed early, while his partner stays awake late. Really cool.
[ February 07, 2002: Message edited by: MandarinFish ]</p>
UPDATE!!
ok sorry i hijacked this thread.. i actually caught the little bugger tonight.
after eating countless polyps and taking a swipe at my convict tang this morning i was resolved to ripping the tank apart to get him out. so this afternoon i was giving them some brine shrimp outa the net in the tank when i turned around to see what the dog was barking about. when i turned back he had practically jumped into the net to grab a big mouthfull or brine. so i gently turned the net and he swam right in! before he new what was happening he was in the sump finishing his dinner.
btw i traded him for some lovely ricordia!
ok sorry i hijacked this thread.. i actually caught the little bugger tonight.
after eating countless polyps and taking a swipe at my convict tang this morning i was resolved to ripping the tank apart to get him out. so this afternoon i was giving them some brine shrimp outa the net in the tank when i turned around to see what the dog was barking about. when i turned back he had practically jumped into the net to grab a big mouthfull or brine. so i gently turned the net and he swam right in! before he new what was happening he was in the sump finishing his dinner.
btw i traded him for some lovely ricordia!
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