Cool predators for a nano-tank

[Josh_Canada]

I was at the LFS and saw a biocube 29 kit with discount on LR/LS on for $800. I like the plug and play, but after ironing out a few kinks with my first tank (a community tank), i wouldn't mind ordering in a 30 gal with drilled overflow, since i would run a baffleless sump of an old 20 gal tank with an HOB skimmer and it being more of a fuge.

Now the fun part:
I want something cool, that will eat frozen foods (eg. krill, squid, silversides) soaked in selcon or something similar. At first i was looking at a dwarf fuzzy lionfish and maybe a maroon clown. Then i realised i will have to feed the clown brine shrimp or something similar daily, and the lion something diffrent three times a week as well. I am also curious as to how much better the tank will run with a sump with a much larger bioload then my current tank (6 fish ranging from 2" to 4" full grown) on a 50 gallon with 30 gallon sump/fuge. I have yet to see nitrates rise above 0, and everything has improved in size and health drastically since moving from LFS. What is something easy and hardy i can keep in a similar low maintenance set up. Of course price definetly comes into play, as i am fairly taped out after setting up my community tank.

 

[Josh_Canada]

bump...

 

[DoubleM 10]

i have read in the nano forum that u can do some cool things with the 29BC.

i personally like scorps. the hardest part was setting aside time to train them to eat frozen. some took fater than others.

i have 2 fuzzy lions in a 55gal. i had 2 in a 30 and that did not turn out to well.

if i could do the 30 gallon over again i would get an angler or a bunch of leaf fish(they are one of the hardest to get to eat frozen if possible).

angler is a species only tank and so are leaf fish.

HTH

 

[ashtree68]

I had a leaf fish with my fuzzies, it's possible but I had to target feed the leaf.

 

[namxas]

I'd look into waspfish over leaf scorps. IME, they wean more easily, and are generally easier to keep because of this. Leaf scorps DO train pretty readily to a net, but our success with weaning them has been about 50%.

Some of the smaller scorps such as Scorpaenodes sp. or a small Choridactylus stingfish would do well in that setup. You could keep a fuzzy or barberi lion in that setup, altho it would be a tad on the tight side, and I'd definitely cover the tank if it's an "open-top" model.

 

[DoubleM 10]

I'd look into waspfish over leaf scorps. IME, they wean more easily, and are generally easier to keep because of this. Leaf scorps DO train pretty readily to a net, but our success with weaning them has been about 50%.

Some of the smaller scorps such as Scorpaenodes sp. or a small Choridactylus stingfish would do well in that setup. You could keep a fuzzy or barberi lion in that setup, altho it would be a tad on the tight side, and I'd definitely cover the tank if it's an "open-top" model.

agreed waspfish are neat. i still have my cockatoo and he is awsome!! he dances at the front of the glass when i walk up moving side to side in the same spot lol very cool to see.

i dont know how i did not think of the fish i have lol.

i also have a hawkfish and they are really cool. He is in the same tank as the Cockatoo and they pay no attention to each other and the hawk is a about .5 in smaller than the cockatoo.

 

[bamato]

A warty angler would be really cool in a tank that size. It would certainly be a species only tank though. If you can hold out, and have the money, DD usually has some really nice clown ones show up every once in a while. Bluezoo sometimes has them too.

 

[Josh_Canada]

all very intresting, thank you! the LFS has this weird looking frogfish like thing thats purple and black, with kind of a coraline algae look. it has claws instead of a full fin/hand thing for moving. quite bizzare, will try and get a pic when i go for the last fish out of the new shipment coming in wednesday. Then the community tank will be set up, all i have to do is upkeep and maybe spend extra $ on frags. Just wondering if i could mix a fuzzy dwarf and maybe a waspfish, saw a cool red one on DD a while back... But im in Canada

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Remember that if you buy an angler, don't buy for color. They can change to any color they like. My all black one is now army green with pink spots.

BTW I found it fairly easy to train him (A. pictus) to eat frozen. He went from live only, to frozen krill, to Formula One cubes in a few weeks.

 

[Josh_Canada]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=121054

looks like they got a new one. Not sure how it wouid make it out here tho, my LFS gets all their stuff through Los Angeles as is, maybe i could try them on it since im in pretty good with an employee lol.

 

[Josh_Canada]

how would a maroon clown and a waspfish/angler do in a BC29, was going to set up the second chamber as LR rubble, it comes with a skimmer, and will likely run a 20 gal mangrove fuge with some sort of cool fish (ideas?) are all of the fish were talking about coral safe?

 

[bamato]

An angler will certainly attempt to devour the maroon clown at some point. Or the maroon will harass the angler to death. Maroon's are nasty little boogers..