Bored So I'm Stocking A 125

[TMF89]

Won't get the tank till at least this summer, but I'm bored and I figure a fantasy stock list is always fun right?? lol

I'd rather have fewer fish, but larger, than many fish, but smaller. I was thinking:

Harlequin Tusk
Convict Tang
Niger Trigger or Volitan Lion (seriously the biggest "I wish X and Y could co-exist" for me in aquaria keeping, lol)
Small Eel (2')
A couple Dwarf Angels or one Large Angel (as far as LA is concerned, lol)
Wrasse (one large or a couple medium)

Whatcha guys think? What would you do with a 125?

 

[clowntriggerfis]

A clown trigger.

 

[nanoreefer1000]

Won't get the tank till at least this summer, but I'm bored and I figure a fantasy stock list is always fun right?? lol

I'd rather have fewer fish, but larger, than many fish, but smaller. I was thinking:

Harlequin Tusk
Convict Tang
Niger Trigger or Volitan Lion (seriously the biggest "I wish X and Y could co-exist" for me in aquaria keeping, lol)
Small Eel (2')
A couple Dwarf Angels or one Large Angel (as far as LA is concerned, lol)
Wrasse (one large or a couple medium)

Whatcha guys think? What would you do with a 125?

IMO a Niger/clown trigger would get to large for a 125, I would get a feisty dwarf angel instead of a large angel.

 

[namxas]

If you want to go with a trigger/lionfish combo, a niger might work if you add it last (nigers are pretty specimen-dependent tho). Otherwise, you can keep a bluejaw (Xanthicthys auromarginatus or redtail/sargassum (X. ringens), both of which should be fine.

 

[TMF89]

A Bluejaw and Redtail would do alright with a lion? And I'm thinking dwarves>large angels, just figured I'd see what you guys thought. Maybe a Flame and a Coral Beauty?

 

[namxas]

A Bluejaw and Redtail would do alright with a lion? And I'm thinking dwarves>large angels, just figured I'd see what you guys thought. Maybe a Flame and a Coral Beauty?

Planktonic-feeding triggers make good tankmates for lions.

 

[Sonicblast12]

I always feel compelled to mention...that isn't absolute. I have a bluethroat trigger that snapped one night and fights with everything. Most aggressive fish I've ever owned.

Model citizen up until that point, but the switch was flipped and there is no unflipping it. An absolute terror. Shredded my beautiful indian trigger, I wanted to throw the bluethroat out the window.

 

[namxas]

WOW...that's the first I've ever heard of that, Sonic...do you think it hit sexual maturity, or ?

Of course, as we all know, there are always exceptions...one person's kitten may be another's wolverine.

 

[Sonicblast12]

Right about when it hit 5" it flipped. I think what probably caused the change was the addition of a female blue throat about a month before it happened. But he even chases and nips her, so I dunno.

Picked a fight with the Niger and the Niger almost killed him, took months to heal from that. Tore up maroon clown that had spent a year in the same tank. Relentlessly chased a little Picasso trigger before I separated them. Fights with my powder blue tang everyday. Always displaying both triggers and looking to get a piece of someone.

The reason that I haven't gotten rid of the fish is because it loses every fight, but the aggression isn't going anywhere.

 

[namxas]

Geesh...you'd think it would learn...

 

[TMF89]

Gotta love em! Are there any other triggers you guys would recommend? I don't fine the Pinktail or Bluethroat too attractive, they're kind of plain considering what the other triggers look like. lol

 

[Sonicblast12]

For a 125? I'm partial to the indian trigger but if you don't like the pinktail not sure if you'd like an indian.

For me, a plain ole $30 picasso triggerfish is one of the most beautiful and interesting fish in the ocean. That fish is the reason I got back into the hobby after a three year hiatus. They can can get in the red on the aggression scale, but they seem to do better when bought as small juveniles. Slow growers though.

Lei trigger is an awesome fish but a little hard to find. They change colors unlike any fish I've ever seen, from purple to gold to white. I had one for a short time, very aggressive and would grunt loudly at the other fish. Just stopped eating and wasted away, still not sure what happened.

 

[Sonicblast12]

Geesh...you'd think it would learn...

The worst was the other day, it tangled with my large harlequin tusk which is a really large fish. Normally really passive, the tusk turned around with it's mouth agape and slashed the bluethroat deeply right beside the mouth. Bluethroat turned tail and headed for the rocks.

Saw that one happen. Crazy. Always healing from some kind of tussle.

 

[TMF89]

I actually am very fond of Picassos, but I've heard they're pretty nasty. Size-wise, could I do one in a 125 with other large fish? I mean large relative to the tank, like I said, I'd rather half half a dozen 6"+ fish than two dozen fish that stop growing at 3", lol.

 

[namxas]

I loved my picasso...just a very cool fish. It didn't let anything into the tank after I got it tho. That's the fish that got greedy at feeding time and skewered itself on the adult volitans I had.

Note: This was over 20 years ago, and knowing what I do now, I'd never mix a "reef trigger" with a lionfish again.

 

[TMF89]

Well I think if I get a lion I'll get a dwarf, if that makes a difference? lol

What about the rest of the list? Instead of a large angel I was thinking two dwarfs.