Deepwater Hawaiian Reef Fish

[michael_cb_125]

Hello everyone!

as you may know I have decided to take down my Elos 120 and start a smaller system. (I am moving to Kure Beach, finishing school at UNC Wilmington).

So, I will be keeping my amazing pair of Bandit Angels. I am wanting to keep this tank full of endemics, so I need some help.

Since the tank will be small, I am not wanting large fish, my angels have that slot taken. I am really wanting a shoaling species, or at least a species that can be kept in small groups. Price wise, I am not wanting to spend over $600 per fish, but the less I can spend the better .

Here are some of my ideas:

Harem of Flame Wrasses
Group of Hawaiian Cardinalfish (endemic spcecies ?)
Trio of True Hawaiian Flame Angelfish
Group of Longfin Anthias
?
?
?

~Michael

 

[skibum9884]

Michael, sorry to hear you'll be downsizing, but glad to hear you'll be headed back to school to learn more about what you love.

Could you elaborate a bit more on the system they will be going into?

I think a group of pseudanthias hawaiiensis would be incredible, but might need some room, right? That would be my first choice, or some Holanthias Fuscipinnis, but don't know how they would do in groups (and get quite large eventually, but I bet you'd have a larger system by then).

As for the wrasses, I think they'd be cool as well, but in my eyes not equal to the anthias. Also, the Flame Angels would be cool, but as I recall you've had them before? Depends if you wanted to try something new. Both the Flame Angels and Wrasses would be much cheaper too if that's a consideration.

 

[auem]

2 bandit and 3 flame..and still another 2 or 3 diff trio of wrasse and anthias....
don't you think a tank less than 120 is bit small for that...?

 

[skibum9884]

Auem, I would agree for most the system would be overloaded, however Michael's Bandits are still very small and I trust that he will ensure that all fish get along, are not stressed by small surroundings, and keep great water quality.

I'm sure in a years time or so he'll be going with a larger system, so I'm not concerned. Most say to buy fish for your current system, but Michael will always upgrade to whatever is necessary to keep the fish happy, so no worries there!

However, I think it is wise to caution other readers that what may be done here might not be suitable for someone without a great deal of experience in this hobby (and deep pockets to upgrade and adjust as necessary. Sorry Michael, but it's true. Hope it's ok coming from me)!

 

[michael_cb_125]

No problem David, I take no offense.

I agree 100% percent that what I do in my reef tanks, will most likely end in failure for most aquarists. I am going to try to steer clear of tank specifics in this thread, as it is about the fish, but rest assured as David stated, these fish are in good hands and will be taken care of better than I take care of myself .


auem- I am wanting to add one or the other, not both a pair of fish and a group.

~Michael

 

[michael_cb_125]

David, I will be sending you a PM shortly.
~Michael

 

[auem]

No problem David, I take no offense.

I agree 100% percent that what I do in my reef tanks, will most likely end in failure for most aquarists. I am going to try to steer clear of tank specifics in this thread, as it is about the fish, but rest assured as David stated, these fish are in good hands and will be taken care of better than I take care of myself .


auem- I am wanting to add one or the other, not both a pair of fish and a group.

~Michael

it's ok...i have some bad experience with dwarf angels...in my 70 g,i never managed to get going 2 dwarf peacefully...once a coral beauty killed my flame,the same flame which previously killed a golden...but i know experienced people manage to do that..there are people in RC who are doing great job regarding this...i also know you are a expert...only
my concern was the size of the tank...take no offence...best of luck..:thumbsup:

 

[michael_cb_125]

I am no expert.......

I have kept multiple angels (dwarf/large) together many times and rarely have any issues.

What I am wanting to do is not that crazy, and I think most will be very pleased with the end result.

~Michael

 

[jnc914]

An Elos 120 is a 90 gallon correct? I would think anything smaller would be cramped, especially given the other fish you are planning to keep. I have a pair of Bandits in a 200 gallon DD and they look cramped.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Yes, Jason the 120 is a 90 gallon.

While I will be very quick to admit that these fish can get large, but mine are still "babies".
Also remember that this is only a temporary size reduction. I will be setting up are larger tank before these fish get too much larger. (I already have the next tank build drawn up )

~Michael

 

[michael_cb_125]

As of last night the larger of the bandits is still right at 2.75" and the smaller is about 2.5".

~Michael

 

[skiprr]

Hey Miichael

I think a harem of flame wrasses would look awesome. I currently have 4 females, 1 1" inch venustus angel and a cleaner wrasse in a solana today. looks pretty cool. will be moving them eventually but i think the flames look awesome

Skip

 

[snorvich]

While flame wrasses would be excellent, I personally would opt for the deep water butterflies from that area. Specifically C. declivis or possibly C. mitratus. Actually I have both of these so I guess, at least in this tank, I did opt for those.

 

[jnc914]

Steve forgot C. Tinkerii, my personal favorite deepwater butterfly. I have a harem of flame wrasse and their color is gorgeous, especially my Supermale. I highly recommend them.

 

[michael_cb_125]

While I would be all over the C. tinkerii, finding one under 4" is VERY difficult.
I currently have a C. declivis in the tank that I manage, great fish, but not endemic to Hawaii, or found there?

~Michael

 

[michael_cb_125]

If I add a butterfly, it would have to be under 2".

I had a tiny little 1.5" Mitratus a few years back. Amazing fish, got fried by the heater.

~Michael

 

[RGBMatt]

Some comments:

Group of Hawaiian Cardinalfish (endemic spcecies ?)

Hawaiian cardinalfish are pretty drab. We often get requests for cardinals, but people are usually disappointed!

The one fish that I like a lot (personally) is the Hawaiian Spotted Cardinal:

http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/cardinalfishes/ostorhinchus-maculiferus.htm

It's a nice gold/pink color with small spots. Not the flashiest fish in the world, but a small school of them looks good in the right setup.

Trio of True Hawaiian Flame Angelfish

Good fish, but prepare to be patient. It might take a while to find 3 of them the right size.

Group of Longfin Anthias

These are tricky. They need cold water, and since they only eat very small food they need to be fed constantly. In my experience, I've had very good success with small (less than 1.5" ones), but larger fish are problematic.

Where you get them from matters a lot, too - they have special needs and getting them from an unskilled collector is basically throwing your money away.

Declivis butterflies are not found in Hawaii (we only have Tinker's). Although it's not from deep water, the blue stripe butterfly (fremblii) is probably the most unique Hawaiian endemic butterfly and it's a good aquarium fish. They grow kind of fast, though, so it might need a new home before too long.

 

[michael_cb_125]

I would love to add a group of 5 or 6 longfins. How hard are the very small ones to come by?

~Michael

 

[jaa1456]

Auem, I would agree for most the system would be overloaded, however Michael's Bandits are still very small and I trust that he will ensure that all fish get along, are not stressed by small surroundings, and keep great water quality.

I'm sure in a years time or so he'll be going with a larger system, so I'm not concerned. Most say to buy fish for your current system, but Michael will always upgrade to whatever is necessary to keep the fish happy, so no worries there!

However, I think it is wise to caution other readers that what may be done here might not be suitable for someone without a great deal of experience in this hobby (and deep pockets to upgrade and adjust as necessary. Sorry Michael, but it's true. Hope it's ok coming from me)!

You just totally contradicted yourself in this paragraph. The guy just did downsize because of his move. So why would he be upgrading soon to accomadate the fish? He just downsized to accomadate himself.

 

[skibum9884]

You just totally contradicted yourself in this paragraph. The guy just did downsize because of his move. So why would he be upgrading soon to accomadate the fish? He just downsized to accomadate himself.

I actually know Michael quite well. He is moving for personal reasons (headed back to school), but in a short time know that he will be going back to a larger system. He confirmed this when I spoke with him previously.

I also don't see how I contradicted myself.....I said he will most likely go larger again soon, will make sure the fish are happy and healthy, and that what he will try shouldn't be attempted by someone who is a novice in this hobby.