Wolf in fish clothing: What “reef safe” fish did you find not to be reef safe after all?

[Peace River]

Wolf in fish clothing: What “reef safe” fish did you find not to be reef safe after all?

“It will be fine” they said. “Of course, it’s reef safe” they said. "Everyone on the internet says that it will be okay, even the vendor I bought it from had it clearly marked as reef safe. So why did it eat my coral?" Have you ever had the experience where you bought a fish that “everyone knows” is reef-safe, only to find out that particular fish is NOT reef safe? Maybe it was that clownfish that truly seems to want to eat the hand that feeds it and doesn’t seem to be safe in any tank. Tell us about your experience with reef safe fish that ended up being a “wolf” in fish clothing!

Photo by @Reef Pro

 

[KING KONG]

Wolf in fish clothing: What “reef safe” fish did you find not to be reef safe after all?

“It will be fine” they said. “Of course, it’s reef safe” they said. "Everyone on the internet says that it will be okay, even the vendor I bought it from had it clearly marked as reef safe. So why did it eat my coral?" Have you ever had the experience where you bought a fish that “everyone knows” is reef-safe, only to find out that particular fish is NOT reef safe? Maybe it was that clownfish that truly seems to want to eat the hand that feeds it and doesn’t seem to be safe in any tank. Tell us about your experience with reef safe fish that ended up being a “wolf” in fish clothing!

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Photo by @Reef Pro

Currently,my velvet demsel falls in this category. Whenever I forget to feed it, it starts niping on my rocks!
Still I am lucky that it not a hungry fish as it not eat much. It gets full in 10 big pellets and some frozen meaty food. I have seen filefish and coralbeauty niping on rocks. One of my freind say buy small fish as they don't do that. Not sure about this. I think if u well feed them and give them plenty of algae, they will not do that.

 

[Nemesis of Pistol Shrimps]

Pretty sure this is like 1 in 100 but I had a melanurus wrasse that would rip chunks out of euphyllias and clove polyps. Probably did this because of reef roids and just became a habit

 

[Pistol Peet]

Sleeper head or blue streak goby. Not very reef safe as it will spit sand all over your corals barring them in the sand damaging there tissue.

 

[spsick]

Currently,my velvet demsel falls in this category. Whenever I forget to feed it, it starts niping on my rocks!
Still I am lucky that it not a hungry fish as it not eat much. It gets full in 10 big pellets and some frozen meaty food. I have seen filefish and coralbeauty niping on rocks. One of my freind say buy small fish as they don't do that. Not sure about this. I think if u well feed them and give them plenty of algae, they will not do that.

All 3 of these are omnivores and eat algae. That’s good!

 

[Grill]

I had a bicolor angel that was a perfect citizen for two years then started to have lps looking weak and dying, he/she was the culprit. Once they get the taste for them they wont leave them alone.

 

[spsick]

I’ve had 2 types of reef safe blennies decide they like the taste of giant clams. Starry and Striped.

 

[AKL1950]

My mystery wolf. Cant figure out who it is Yet. Candidates are a tang (powder blue, purple, hippo or Tomini), an angel (male and female Bellus), one of 6 Chromis or a blue leg hermit crab. Someone has taken a liking to Zoas. It’s attacked three different colonies of Zoas. Getting some security cameras to monitor the tank. Maybe I’ll catch it in the act.

 

[SaltwaterandLime]

Filefish. Bought it to help with aptasia. Instead it helped itself to my tracyphillia.

It also ate all my snails.

 

[Sharkbait19]

My first coral beauty never bothered anything except my gorg (but no lasting damage), my current one has only been in the dt for a day but so far so good.

Luxo, on the other hand, never fails to amaze me. Not only is she half responsible for killing a torch (hosting), but has destroyed many fish and even decided my anacropora would look better in multiple tiny pieces (leading to an rtn event that took out most of the colony).

Hopefully my new waspfish behaves…apparently he ate a small yellow watchman at the store (at least he’s eating).

 

[Salty_Dreamer]

My mystery wolf. Cant figure out who it is Yet. Candidates are a tang (powder blue, purple, hippo or Tomini), an angel (male and female Bellus), one of 6 Chromis or a blue leg hermit crab. Someone has taken a liking to Zoas. It’s attacked three different colonies of Zoas. Getting some security cameras to monitor the tank. Maybe I’ll catch it in the act.

View attachment 2977454

Do you have any asterina stars? I found that they were eating my zoas. :/

 

[Tanglover1]

Engineer Gobies, Angelfish and Butterflyfish, Triggerfish ,wrasses(except few), emerald crab, some hermit crab and blue velvet demsel fish (which gets very large in size and chase your hands when gets old) are the most non reef safe fishes. Some time while eating algae some mess with corals

 

[ChiCity]

this is gonna be an unpopular opinion…
but tangs
are beginning to annoy the crap out of me!

have horrible (diva) attitudes
they eat like sewer dwelling pigs (never satiated!)
are bullies to their other tankmates
knock corals over
will thrash cynarinas
and fleshy corals
with their scalpel if they’re in their area…
steal food from the aforementioned corals (even with chunks of food floating in the water column!)
they pick up shells and stones and drop them on corals.

the list goes on and on

perhaps they’re a good fit in sps systems…
but in an lps system
where you have to feed corals
they’re a nuisance!

 

[flashsmith]

Pretty sure this is like 1 in 100 but I had a melanurus wrasse that would rip chunks out of euphyllias and clove polyps. Probably did this because of reef roids and just became a habit

No doubt my pistol shrimp.. I'll never own another one.

 

[joseph scott]

My mystery wolf. Cant figure out who it is Yet. Candidates are a tang (powder blue, purple, hippo or Tomini), an angel (male and female Bellus), one of 6 Chromis or a blue leg hermit crab. Someone has taken a liking to Zoas. It’s attacked three different colonies of Zoas. Getting some security cameras to monitor the tank. Maybe I’ll catch it in the act.

View attachment 2977454

I had a hippo tang wipe out whole colonies of zoanthids

 

[AKL1950]

Do you have any asterina stars? I found that they were eating my zoas. :/

No stars. Only other things in the tank are two PinCushin urchins and snails. This is today. Whoever it is, is taking big bites.

 

[Salty_Dreamer]

this is gonna be an unpopular opinion…
but tangs
are beginning to annoy the crap out of me!

have horrible (diva) attitudes
they eat like sewer dwelling pigs (never satiated!)
are bullies to their other tankmates
knock corals over
will thrash cynarinas
and fleshy corals
with their scalpel if they’re in their area…
steal food from the aforementioned corals (even with chunks of food floating in the water column!)
they pick up shells and stones and drop them on corals.

the list goes on and on

perhaps they’re a good fit in sps systems…
but in an lps system
where you have to feed corals
they’re a nuisance!

I love my tangs, but appreciate your feedback!

 

[AKL1950]

I had a hippo tang wipe out whole colonies of zoanthids

Strong possibility. I’ve heard Hippos are bad about going after Zoas.

 

[Kizdyr77]

Strong possibility. I’ve heard Hippos are bad about going after Zoas.

My Hippo liked Zoas, but loved my Xenia...

 

[AKL1950]

Until I can find who is eating the Zoas, I’m thinking about moving all my Zoa colonies to one area of the tank and building a protective mesh cove over them (Same mesh as my lid cover). Kind of a Zoa garden with a rabbit fence to protect them. Once they all recover and I’ve got the cameras set up, I’ll remove the cover/fence and see who is munching on them.