the term "reef safe"

[duke62]

when people say a fish are not reef safe what exactly are they speaking of.is it cause the size of the tanks,or are we not knowledgeable of keeping them in a reef system.i just came back from atlantis with the kids and there are fish many many fish that have been written off as not-reef safe yet they are in there reef system .if they can house them in there reef why couldnt we.

 

[Ziggy]

well I am not an expert but I think some non-reef safe fish will eat your coral and other will eat your enverts.

 

[prattreef]

Reef Safe can mean many things. Certainly any fish that is known to eat corals or other non-mobile inverts that we find desirable would be classified as such. The tank at Atlantis is so large and filled with corals etc., that it can handle a small number of coral eating species and not suffer. The typical home aquarium would not fare as well and the damage would be significant.

Some use the term to refer to fish that often eat ornamental shrimp or other inverts, but are generally safe with corals If you value your shrimp etc. more than keeping these types of fish, then they are not reef safe.

It is a lot easier to push the boundaries when you are dealing with 20,000 gallons than it is when you are dealing with 50, 100 or even 200 gallons.

 

[duke62]

well i did not see any type of coral damage that i can see.i looked as closely as i could.i also looked for inverts in the tank and the only ones i saw were anemones and urchins.no shrimp snails or crabs.

 

[TOTAL AQUARIUMS]

Like Randy said, "reef safe" can mean many different things. It's a very general term and in no way scientific. The same fish can be safe under one set of circumstances and unsafe under another. For instance, lionfish can be considered safe if you don't have any small fish or inverts it can fit in it's mouth since it also won't damage coral. However, in a tank stocked with smaller fish like some gobies,wrasses,or ornamental shrimp, it wouldn't be so safe. There are many other fish and inverts that can straddle the line of safe and unsafe, but the tank volume is also a factor in the equation. Larger tanks can sustain "acceptable losses" and still thrive.

 

[jrobbins]

reef safe is kind of a crock imho. you can take two of the same species of fish and put them in your tank. one will me a model citizen and one can be a terror. think of it more as a guideline than a rule.