i really want an angelfish expeiranced reefers needed

i love the emperor angelfish and a lot of the ones that look similar to these guys..

i know that a lot of these need big tanks but i feel like my 125tank w/30 gallon sump would be big enough considering it is very long (6 foot) and plenty of rocks and caves but i'm curious to know if anyone has had any of these that would do better than others in the reef

now i know that the dwarfs are better and have actually owned 3 different dwarf angels but i really want a striking fish that will not completely destroy my corals... nipping is ok to an extent because i don't really plan on harvesting any corals but i don't want the fish to devour any..

let me know if anyone has some suggestions or good experience with any of these large angels

 

oops forgot to spell check the title sorry about my bad english

 

125 (6ft x 18in x 22?in) is not big enough.

 

A 125gal should be fine for species such as the emporer/blueface/majestic/regal. They dont even reach a foot and are known to be slow growers. Other angels like the Queen, French, Annularis, etc are much larger and also much more likely to nip. Advanced aquarist had a good article where they went through all the different species of angels and how trustworthy they can be for a reef. Depending on the types of corals you have different angels are better or less sutied for your reef. I believe the emperor does extremely well in SPS dominated setups.

 

IMO Pomacanthus (Emperor angelfish specifically) may grow slower but they still can get HUGE, and I wouldn't want to catch a 12-15 inch fish with spines on it's gills. And they need a lot of space to graze and swim... a 18 inch wide tank isn't enough IMO.
BTW Emperor angelfish can get 15 inches, I've seen a 14 inch or so Emperor angelfish.

 

Majestic and Blueface Angels are notorious for nipping corals and I never recommend adding a fish that will eventually outgrow the tank.There are several reasons for this.Finding a home for a large Angel after it gets too big can be problematic and catching one in your fully stocked tank a nightmare just to name a couple.For these reasons and others I don't think your tank is big enough for a fish that can grow to be over a foot in length. All angels can pose a risk to corals and clams . This threat increases with the larger species.

 

Try a Grey Poma or Bluespot

 

As an owner of an adult Emperor, I would say they grow pretty fast, and become very boisterous, as in aggressive. It took mine a few years to grow from a small juvie to 8". It's in a 300 FOWLR, and shares leadership of the tank with a Goldheart trigger of about the same size. I upgraded from a 125, and can't imagine having the Emperor in a reef tank right now, even without the coral nipping.

 

Very good to know! 3" to 8" under two years! That will have to be later when I plan on upgrading tanks again.

I really want to get one in a reef tank and wonder if anyone has had some bad experiences with any certain ones

 

Closer to 2" to 8" in 3-3/4 years.

There are other large angels that don't get too big, like thepanfish pointed out. It's always going to be a trade-off. The angel will dictate, to a degree, what coral you can and cannot keep. Just start another tank for fish only. ;D