Dwarf Angels are great fish, but they often come with the arguable question and challenge of, are they reef safe? This comes down to a number of things and there are certainly, in my opinion, ways to counter this behaviour.
The first thing to remember is that each fish, like with most animals, is different, forgetting the species for a second but I am talking about each fish. They each have their own personalities and therefore its own habits and functions. What one might do, another may not! So some of it is down to luck in some respects. Some people own angels that have never touched a coral in their life, others have angels that snack on anything fleshy!
Secondly, the importance of species. Each species has its own natural innate behaviours, this can cause curtain species to be known as coral eaters, and others as reef safe!
The third, final factor and most important! Is that we look at why? the dwarf angels are eating corals when most don’t in the wild!?
Well Angels are wild creatures, and in general a species that has not yet been bred successfully in captivity. In the wild these Angel fish will eat by grazing regularly all day to feed their hunger. Therefore the Angels behaviour is innately programmed to nibble at food, and constantly eat. When placed in an aquarium the fish is suddenly made to eat once a day with no grazing foods. Makes for a confused Angel! So they look else where to sustain their appetites! yep! your coral!!
So how can we try to stop this behaviour? Well i don’t suggest letting algae overrun your tank in order to feed them! But what is beneficial to these fish, is a regular supply of dried seaweed clipped to the side of the tank! YUM! Also some dried mouldable food that can be fixed to a rock to allow grazing on the rock all day. The angels diet consists of algae, sponge and meat. They should be offered both. A good food to provide them is oceans nutrition Angel Formula, which contains all parts of an angels diet.
Dwarf Angels should be housed in appropriately sided aquariums and provided with lots of live rock to hide behind as well as to pick from. They are generally quite peaceful but can certainly hold their own against a tank bully. They appreciate space for swimming too. In general terms they require very very good water quality.
Most are moderate to care for and not recommended to immediate beginners. I have found that the dwarf species are very susceptible to acclimatisation. Poor acclimatisation will normally lead to death within the first few days.
yep! your coral!! 
