how big a tank for angels?

[Pomme]

how big a tank for angels?

i went to the local lfs and saw they had a queen angle, large and also in the juvinile form. I was wondering what size tank they would need, not for my current 100 gal, but for a future tank, as i thought it was so beautiful!

and are they reef safe. I have heard they eat soft corals? would they be okay in a sps tank?

thanx andrew

[Ninong]

Queen Angels are NOT reef-safe. A 100-gallon tank is not large enough for any of the large angels. I think that the minimum size tank is probably 240 gallons for most large angel species but even that is not adequate for some of them. I would suggest that 375 gallons would be a better minimum size for a Queen Angel.

[kevinpo]

There are a few of the angels that can be kept in a 100 especially when juvenile. The only one I would try in a reef would be the Pomacathus navarchus (Majestic). They usually top out at about 9-10" in the home aquarium (listed in Scott Michael's book at 11.8"). I saw one in a store in Brazil that was 14+". They can be quite shy for 6 months or so. They are not 100% reef safe but people have reported success with them (I had a very well behaved one years ago).

Pomacanthus annularis not reef safe but cool

Pygoplites diacanthus (Regal Angelfish) this one can be very hard to get eating and is also hit and miss. It gets about 7-8" in the home aquarium but I have seen a few 9-10" ones. Another very shy fish at first.

Angels from the Genicanthus family are reef safe and will fit into a 100 gal tank (I haven't personally kept any of these but plan to in the future).

Regards,
Kevin

[Pomme]

yeah i reckon i will just stay clear of them!

[Dive_Master]

I have a Queen and a Emperor (both medium), a Golden Eel (small) and Zebra Eel (medium), a purple tang (medium) , a powder tang (small), 3 small butterflies, naso tang (medium) and lots of hiding places made out of live rock in a 200 gallon tank.

Everyone is doing fine! Do you really think I will need a bigger tank?

I am thinking of getting 400 gallons for my Green Moray (5 feet long), but I would rather put fish in the 400 and put the Moray in 200 gallons by himself if have to do it in the long run. I just do not want to buy 2 400 galons tanks.

Is the Green Moray going to be OK in the 200 by himself? I think it may be too small in the long run!

Thanks.