Aggressive Reef

[palmer373]

this is starting off as a Q&A thread but i might just turn it into a build thread.

so after the crack of my 33 (tank crack leaving my perfectly good tank useless :furious: ) ive decided to use a 55 that has been sitting around. i dont wanna risk another crack from me tightening my bulkhead to much so im getting a HOB overflow (still deciding would appreciate opinions on which ones to get).

while im still waiting for my rock to arrive im working on the stocking list. so far im for sure getting a Dendrochirus biocellatus fu manchu lionfish and 2 (hopefully a pair) Paracentropogon rubripinnis redfinned waspfish. ive been eyeing the D. Barberi on DD and since from what i understand the fu prefers the sand bed and the baberi is more open swimming i was curious if i could get both in the tank. any one oppose and if so for what reason?

continueing with fish list, i would like to get like a hawkfish cause ive been inlove with them and i dont want it to eat my cleaner shrimp in my 75 so i was thinking this would be the perfect time to get one. i was thiking of a flame hawkfish, very basic yet beautiful.

i would LOVE a triggerfish but they say not reef safe so im curious why. the ones im most interested in are the following: Humu Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus), Bursa Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus verrucosus), Niger Triggerfish (Odonus niger), Humu Rectangle Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus), and Blue Throat Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus). im curious as why these are listed as not reef safe. is it becuase of their beaks they will nip at the corals or is it cuase they eat inverts? i plan of some SPS, LPS, Softies, and clams.

ultimately would any of these triggers work, would i be able to have these many fish in the 55 (upwards of 6), and is it overstocked? the bioload wont be a huge burden cuase i have a oversized skimmer. thanks for the help!

 

[palmer373]

im really liking this guy and it says he should be reef safe http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/250122/product.web Xanthichthys auromarginatus "Blue Jaw Trigger"

 

[Stumped]

i would LOVE a triggerfish but they say not reef safe so im curious why. the ones im most interested in are the following: Humu Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus), Bursa Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus verrucosus), Niger Triggerfish (Odonus niger), Humu Rectangle Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus), and Blue Throat Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus). im curious as why these are listed as not reef safe. is it becuase of their beaks they will nip at the corals or is it cuase they eat inverts? i plan of some SPS, LPS, Softies, and clams.

ultimately would any of these triggers work, would i be able to have these many fish in the 55 (upwards of 6), and is it overstocked? the bioload wont be a huge burden cuase i have a oversized skimmer. thanks for the help!

Triggers and lionfish are typically an ill-advised combination. Especially in a small tank. Also, none of the triggers you listed could be housed in a 55g tank for very long. They all will get quite large and presuming it's a typical 55g it will only have 1' of depth for them to turn around.

As far as not being reef safe the Bursa, Niger and both Humus can do all the things you listed. Inverts + Trigger = Snack, Clam + Trigger = Snack, etc. The Bluethroat is typically seen as being more reefsafe, but it would still require a larger tank.

For what it's worth if you were to put everything you wanted in your 55g it'd be extremely overstocked in my opinion. You're wanting to put a Fu, 2 Wasps, a Barb, a Hawkfish and a Trigger in there as well as corals and clams. I'd drop the Trigger entirely, and maybe start off with 2 or 3 of your other choices and stock slowly and see how things develop in the tank. If you want to keep corals and clams you're going to have to keep the water quality in check. So I'd make sure that you have that stable first and then add another fish or two if you think it is feasible.

 

[palmer373]

i figured it was overstocked in a sense. thanks for the help one of my local club members told me the same thing about triggers and lions a no-no im thinking about dropping the barberi from the list make things easier. on top of a fu, 2 waspfish, and a hawkfish, what else to i add? this is hypothetical and in no way the for-sure stocking list, im an impulsive buyer would a filefish work?