Difficult and Special Care Species List
- Thread starter Peter Eichler
- Start date
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Oooo... Ill keep that in mind... I might be able to use something that eats GSP!
Well, now I am done putting the Tangs in the tank (might still harpoon that striated tang out though), so now I am trying to introduce the othe fairy wrasses and angelfish.
I picked watanabei (because bellus are tooo darn expensive for what they are), but I think I will have to add them all at once (a male, and two/three females) because there is a Lamarck's in the tank. I tried a single female watanabei a few weeks ago and the Lamarck's went after her like a fly on s***. So I had to remove her and put her back in QT. Any suggestions though? I thought genicanthus angels werent nasty like that... well... whaddya know.
Also, fairy wrasses. I have three solars, and want to add more (prolly some scotts, but maybe some flashers or something sweet like some lineatus or golden canary) but I have a problem. There is a very dominant male Temmincki. He was part of a flock of 8 that I bought... and he killed the rest off in the 40B QT tank. I have tried adding a solar, and it got pounced on. So Im thinking I would add many at once... flooding him with too much to deal with (african cichlid method). Then again... he did manage to dominate all the other Temminckis from before... so maybe this wont work (then again, it was a 40B last time, now a 125g). So I was wondering what suggestions people might have for getting fairy wrasses to get along. Will the 'overload' method work? I was thinking maybe I should add 6 solars at once, and maybe 4 scotts, and see what happens. Or, should I be looking for another dominant male wrasse to counter the Temmincki? Or, I think I do know which rock the Temmincki hides in at night... would I be better off just taking him out and putting him in QT for a week, month, etc while the other wrasses get acclimated?
Well, now I am done putting the Tangs in the tank (might still harpoon that striated tang out though), so now I am trying to introduce the othe fairy wrasses and angelfish.
I picked watanabei (because bellus are tooo darn expensive for what they are), but I think I will have to add them all at once (a male, and two/three females) because there is a Lamarck's in the tank. I tried a single female watanabei a few weeks ago and the Lamarck's went after her like a fly on s***. So I had to remove her and put her back in QT. Any suggestions though? I thought genicanthus angels werent nasty like that... well... whaddya know.
Also, fairy wrasses. I have three solars, and want to add more (prolly some scotts, but maybe some flashers or something sweet like some lineatus or golden canary) but I have a problem. There is a very dominant male Temmincki. He was part of a flock of 8 that I bought... and he killed the rest off in the 40B QT tank. I have tried adding a solar, and it got pounced on. So Im thinking I would add many at once... flooding him with too much to deal with (african cichlid method). Then again... he did manage to dominate all the other Temminckis from before... so maybe this wont work (then again, it was a 40B last time, now a 125g). So I was wondering what suggestions people might have for getting fairy wrasses to get along. Will the 'overload' method work? I was thinking maybe I should add 6 solars at once, and maybe 4 scotts, and see what happens. Or, should I be looking for another dominant male wrasse to counter the Temmincki? Or, I think I do know which rock the Temmincki hides in at night... would I be better off just taking him out and putting him in QT for a week, month, etc while the other wrasses get acclimated?
romunov
New member
A few years ago, Greenbean and I put together a list of "no-no invertebrates" - species to avoid in a reef tank.
is there a critical nutrient the hawaiian cleaner wrasses require from the cleaning of parasites & scales off fish??
any specialized nutrient it will not recieve from eating just flake, frozen(mysis/brine) & live brine??
we caught one snorkling in Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaii..
bout a 7/8" juv. (like NEON Violet quicksilver under midday sun)
as soon as it got into my 120gal..
he started doin his dance.. (KoLe tang came over right away to check him out and get tickled)
altho he would pick at & clean the other fish..
by Day 2 or 3 he was already Waiting with everybody & Eating whatever his hand fed tankmates are fed like flake & frozen.
Didn't actually see him eat a smaller Live Brine Shrimp whole till the other week..
before that he would just Rip them apart(went for the white ball thing attached to them.. Yolk sac?)
the remaining would usually get scooped up by somebody else before he gets another chance to get back to it..
i observe him dancing & cleaning the other fish throughout the day..
so i'm thinkin he STILL gets some parasites and scales off of them..
he's about 1 1/16" now with his belly lookin quite full..
also his tail visibly fans out a lil bit more now..
quite Active and Growing for a "Starving" fish??
unless i'm missing something??
critical/specialized nutrient??
perhaps if we get them young enough..
can train them to eat a diet of various foods..
gettin them the size of adults (like i see @ the LFS) helps us little when they are already naturally conditioned to only Cleaning duties..
its like trying to UNTRAIN them from what they have been doing for years..
Old People are stubborn.. are Old Fish any different?
kinda like how Master's usually want apprentices who have LESS to unlearn..
oH wait... is this marine biology or marine psychology?
Where we try to Answer..
how much is straight Hardwired genetic?
and how much is early Environmental influences?
:lol:
I had no problem with true cleaner wrasse, starting eating - no parasites on the other fish, and he made no attempts to clean them.
But after grow up he became really nasty - as a clownfish, mandarins or scooters (the last two were aggressive to own kind only). He pinched defenseless parts of the slow moving fish bodies, driving them mad from the pain. And this was true, not a mimic, or false cleaner wrasse, checked.
If they better to be avoided, then for a different reason.
In separate tank it's a lovable pet, eating from the hands.
It was eating mysis, brine and small pieces of grocery seafood, just dropped in the tank. Bigger, pink Ocean Plankton was held by tweezers, and cleaner wrasse teared pieces off by jerking aside motion.
Ah, and it better to be fed 3x daily - the abdomen loses it's fullness pretty fast. Having spitting fish in the tank helps too - like puffer, it makes a lot of small pieces to choose from.
P.S. About who is in minority: as far as I know, nobody checked the numbers and were they given chance to be fed or no.
Some are feeding 1 pellet to a fish twice a week, to keep the tank clean :eek1:
But after grow up he became really nasty - as a clownfish, mandarins or scooters (the last two were aggressive to own kind only). He pinched defenseless parts of the slow moving fish bodies, driving them mad from the pain. And this was true, not a mimic, or false cleaner wrasse, checked.
If they better to be avoided, then for a different reason.
In separate tank it's a lovable pet, eating from the hands.
It was eating mysis, brine and small pieces of grocery seafood, just dropped in the tank. Bigger, pink Ocean Plankton was held by tweezers, and cleaner wrasse teared pieces off by jerking aside motion.
Ah, and it better to be fed 3x daily - the abdomen loses it's fullness pretty fast. Having spitting fish in the tank helps too - like puffer, it makes a lot of small pieces to choose from.
P.S. About who is in minority: as far as I know, nobody checked the numbers and were they given chance to be fed or no.
Some are feeding 1 pellet to a fish twice a week, to keep the tank clean :eek1:
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theidea9000
New member
?
?
Now what i call this is the sickest of All lists.Tasseled filefish and flounder?toadfish?sea snakes? box jellyfish?In fact,some of one can't be kept. And harlequin shrimp?Grunts?LONGNOSED HAWKFISH?sea anemones?I think now all of the fishes for you are not for beginners and beiginners have no chance for keeping inverts and most fishes.:thumbdown
?
Now what i call this is the sickest of All lists.Tasseled filefish and flounder?toadfish?sea snakes? box jellyfish?In fact,some of one can't be kept. And harlequin shrimp?Grunts?LONGNOSED HAWKFISH?sea anemones?I think now all of the fishes for you are not for beginners and beiginners have no chance for keeping inverts and most fishes.:thumbdown
theidea9000
New member
This is the sickest of all lists.Tasseled filefish?flounder?LONGNOSE HAWKFISH? THESE ARE THE BEST!!!AND,Sea snakes?Box jellyfish?
THE ARE not aquarium species!FOR YOU ALL OF THE GUYS WE ARE KEEPING ARE NOT FOR BEGINNERS!AND BEGGINERS HAVE NO CHANCE!
THE ARE not aquarium species!FOR YOU ALL OF THE GUYS WE ARE KEEPING ARE NOT FOR BEGINNERS!AND BEGGINERS HAVE NO CHANCE!
gary faulkner
New member
Link doesn't work for me and don't really know what you are trying to say?
gary faulkner
New member
Maybe, but there are plenty of fish that can be kept by both newbies and old salts as well. I guess we need a list of easy to keep species?
gary faulkner
New member
theidea9000
Sorry, I almost forgot.
[welcome]
Sorry, I almost forgot.
[welcome]
OceansCoral
In Memoriam
Excellent thread
theidea9000
New member
Anyway,,B.A.D.=Longnose hawkfish,lookdown(jack),And pocurpinefish , and some are even not suited for an aquarium.
Peter Eichler
New member
Well, I've been working hard, revising the list and trying to make it easier to read andf more complete. I have a good portion of the fish completed and hope to get the rest done by next week. Let me know what you guys think and if you like the new look. Also, if you see any mistakes such as spelling let me know. I'll get the sticky updated once the list is "completed".
Thanks,
Peter
Fish To Be Avoided::Fish that have incredibly low survivability in aquaria or are totally unsuitable for home aquaria
Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus): A few success stories, but miniscule amounts live long, difficult feeder, mystery deaths, and even when accepting prepared foods often slowly starve
Rock Beauty Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor): Nearly impossible to meet the dietary needs in home aquaria
Multi-Barred Angelfish (Centropyge multifasciatus): They don't adapt to aquarium life well, rarely eat, and are very secretive, though not fatal, they also seem particularly prone to Lymphocystis
Venustus Angelfish (Centropyge venustus): See the Multi-Barred Angelfish above
Butterflyfishes (Chaetodon spp.): Many problem feeders in the group and most are corallivore that are almost guaranteed to starve to death in aquaria, do a lot of research before purchasing any butterflyfish
Clown Tang (Acanthurus lineatus): VERY ich prone and a finicky eater, horrible survival rates, when they do live they are terribly aggressive and often take over a tank
Twinspot Goby (Signogobius ocellatus): Terrible survival rates in captivity, rarely accept prepared foods or survive long even when they do
Clown Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides): Difficult feeders and rarely adapt to aquarium life, should you manage to get one to live they get quite large
Oriental Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus orientalis): See Clown Sweetlips, in general this can be repeated for most species in the genus Diagramma and Plectorhinchus
Pinnatus Batfish (Platax pinnatus): Gorgeous fish when young, very very few success stories, diet, disease, and stress from aquarium life are big issues
Tiger Tiera Batfish (Platax batavianus): See Pinnatus Batfish above
Orange Spotted Filefish (Oxymonacanthus longirostris): Specialized coral polyp feeder and almost never accepts prepared foods
Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita): Rarely eat in captivity and are excellent escape artists
Snake Eels & Garden Eels (various genera): Difficult feeders that require specialty tanks
Cleaner Wrasses (Labroides spp.): Specialized parasite feeders that rarely live long in captivity, leave them in the ocean where they can do their job
Tamarin Wrasses (Anampses spp.): VERY poor shippers and need tanks with their special needs in mind, even then they often starve to death, their only chance is often a very large established reef aquarium with large amounts of live rock and peaceful fish
Leopard Wrasses (Macropharyngodon spp.): See Tamarin Wrasses above, but there are more success stories, both these and the Anampses are boderline being in this area of the list and the next section
Pencil Wrasses (Pseodojuloides spp.): Very sensitive, they almost always die in transit so you don't see them very often if ever in the trade
Parrotfishes (Family Scaridae): Very specialized feeders on mostly dead (some live) coral skeletons and the algae and organisms associated with them, they adapt poorly to aquarium life in almost all regards
Tilefishes (Family Malacanthidae): VERY timid and must be kept in a covered aquarium with lots of space and docile tankmates, in general they just don't adapt to aquarium life
Cartilaginous Fishes (Sharks, Rays, Skates) With very few exceptions, unless you own a massive aquarium that is several hundred gallons stay away
Grunts (Family Haemulidae): Rarely adapt well to aquarium life and should probably only be considered in a large species tank
Jacks (Family Carangidae): See Grunts above
Drums (Family Sciaenidae): Poor shippers, being very shy and fragile they rarely live long after being collected
Trumpetfish (Aulostomus spp.): Too large and too specialized for 99.9% of the aquarists out there, also poor shippers
Remoras (Family Echeneidae): Unless you have a large Shark or Whale in your backyard oceanarium it's probably best to stay away
Leopard Blenny (Exallias brevis): Specialized coral feeders that rarely live long in captivity
Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius): Though technically not a fish, there are a plethora of reasons to leave them in the ocean, simply not suited for typical aquarium life
Fish Best Left For Experienced Or Knowledgable Hobbyists:Finicky nature, parasite prone, specialty feeders, require specialty tanks, or threatened species
Anthias (family Anthiinae): Require a good amount of swimming room, peaceful tankmates, and frequent feedings, often unhealthy and starving by the time they make it to dealers tanks, some almost require special tanks with their needs in mind and others often refuse to eat and starve quickly in aquaria, do plenty of research before purchasing any Anthias
Teira Batfish (Platax teira): Can be very hardy once acclimated but there can be problems feeding, they stress easily, are disease prone, and will also outgrow most aquaria
Majestic, Blueface(Pomacanthus Euxiphipops spp.): Can be hardy once acclimated to aquarium life and eating well, that's often easier said than done though, larger juvenilles are often the best way to go with these fish as tiny specimens are quite fragile and large specimens have the hardest time adapting to aquarium life, this is true for many large angelfish
Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus): A problem feeder, specimens from the Philippines and Indonesia rarely make it long in captivity, Red Sea Specimens tend to be hardier and more willing to accept prepared foods partially due to collection and holding techniques, the more recent trend to keep this fish in reef aquariums helps with survivability
Bandit Angelfish (Holacanthus arcuatus aka Apolemichthys arcuatus): Very similar to the Rock Beauty above but with a much smaller sample, at their price you'll probably do your research, if you don't you'll most likely learn an expensive lesson
Bicolor Angelfish (Centropyge bicolor): Concerns with drugs used in collection and frequent unwillingness to accept prepared foods, also one of the more common coral nippers
Heralds's or Yellow Angelfish (Centropyge heraldi): Often collected with the use of drugs, be very wary of newly collected specimens, this can be true with many Centropyge but seems especially problematic here
Lemonpeel Angelfish (Centropyge flavissima): See Herald's angelfish above
Potter's Angelfish (Centropyge potteri): Mixed results with this one with a lot of mystery deaths early in captivity, if they've been eating and active at the fish store for a few weeks they usually end up being quite hardy
Swallowtail Angelfishes (Genicanthus spp.): Can be hardy once acclimated, but lots of problem specimens due to the depths they are collected at, take extra special care in examining and observing them before purchase
Angelfish in General (Centropyge, Chaetodontoplus, Apolemichthys, etc. spp.): Just a general note, Angelfish are among the more common fish collected using cyanide so paying particularly close attention to their behavior and appearance before purchase is advised
Butterflyfishes (Chaetodon spp.): Very few are suited for a reef tank or a beginner hobbyist, do your research
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus): Like the Regal Angelfish, this one has gone from nearly impossible to having some success with the popularity of them being kept in reef tanks, even then, longevity seems questionable
Garibaldi Damselfish (Hypsypops rubicunda): Typically will not do well longtern in tropical conditions, if they do live long that cute little fish turns into a large territotial nightmare, protected in certain areas
Trunkfish, Boxfish, and Cowfish (various genera): Most are rather sensitive and can release toxins when stressed or dying
Clown/Gumdrop Gobies (Gobiodon spp.): Poor shipper, once established can be a good surviver with less boisterous fish, will nip "SPS" corals
Catalina gobies (Lythrypnus dalli): Not a tropical species and will not live long in the temperature of the average marine aquarium
Mandarin "Gobies" and Scooter "Blennies" aka Dragonets (family Callionymidae): Require large amounts of live food, quite often starve to death, providing larger tanks (50+ gallons) with large amounts of live rock and little competition for food has proved successful, do not treat with copper medications
Radiata Lionfish (Pterois radiata): Tough to acclimate to aquarium life and foods, more sensitive than others in the genus
Fu manchu Lionfish & Dwarf Zebra Lionfish (Dendrochirus spp.): All the dwarf Lions require tanks with their needs in mind, these two are seem very sensitive, very shy, are poor shippers, and can be difficult to ween onto aquarium foods
Anglerfishes and Frogfishes (Order Lophiiformes/Antennariiformes): Most get very large and can consume fish nearly their own size, often will only consume live foods which is troublesome since feeder fish are rarely nutritious enough longtern
Achilles, Powder Brown, Powder Blue, and Gold Rim Tangs (Acanthurus spp.): Ich prone and fairly sensitive to water conditions, they also require large amounts of swimming room, very risky to consider one without quarantine
Bristletooth Tangs (Ctenochaetus spp.): Ich prone, some of the hardier tangs once established but can starve when detritus and algae aren't available in decent supply so overly "clean" aquariums are not a good choice, the Chevron is probably the least hardy of the genus and can be particularly difficult
Seahorses, Seadragons, Pipefish (Family Syngnathidae): Need quiet species tanks and large quantities of nutritious live food, wild caught specimens ship poorly and have high mortality rates, tank raised seahorses are often already accepting prepared foods and are much better candidates for aquarium life, they still need a tank with their needs in mind though
Hawkfishes ( Family Cirrhitidae): Hardy fish but they are notorious jumpers, be very careful with ornamental shrimp, crabs, and small fish
Porcupine Pufferfish (Family Diodontidae): Can be hardy but some are very disease and parasite prone, most require large fish only aquariums
Fairy and Flasher Wrasses (Paracheilinus and Cirrilabrus spp.): Require peaceful tankmates and do best in reef aquariums, they stress easily and the first few weeks in captivity will often make or break their longevity, known jumpers
Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus): Will sometimes not accept prepared foods and will starve to death in tanks without a natural algae food source
Diamond, Golden Head, Sleeper Gobies (Valenciennea spp.): Sometimes starve to death even when accepting prepared foods, tanks with large sandbeds containing lots of food will help as will frequent feedings when they will eat, mated pairs may help as well
Courtjester/Rainford's and Hector's Goby (Amblygobius spp.): Often will not accept prepared foods, need established tanks with peaceful fish and a fine sandbed full of life
Fourline Cleaner Wrasse (Larabicus quadrilineatus): A cleaner when small, but are coralivores as they enter adulthood so are not good reef aquarium inhabitants, some of the Tubelip Wrasses are know for a similar behavior and rarely live long in captivity
Cephalopods, Octopi, Cuttlefish, Squid (Class Cephalopoda): Not fish, but including them here because of their intelligence compared to the dumb lumps of goo that are most invertebrates, the Nautilus from above is in this group as well, these must have species tanks and require a lot of research before attempting them
Fish That Require Huge Aquariums (200 gallons or more):
Cartilaginous Fishes (Sharks, Rays, Skates): Require tanks much larger than 200 gal. and should just be left out of home aquaria, Nurse sharks can grow to 14ft. long!, repeating this one so it sinks in
Groupers & Seabass (various genera): Especially take note of the cute little Panther Groupers commonly offered in the trade as they can attain over 2' in length
Snappers (Family Lutjanidae): Those little Red Emperor Snappers seen in the trade get over 3' long
Unicorn Tangs (Naso spp.): They will even outgrow common size aquariums such as 125 gal. and 180 gal.
Moray Eels (Family Muraenidae): Do your research as many are not suitable for home aquariums
Squirrel and Soldierfish (Family Holocentridae): Some of these are borderline, do your research
Batfish and Spadefish (Family Ephippidae): Probably best left to public aquaria
Twinspot Wrasse (Coris aygula): Take special note of this one as they're often offered as small attractive juveniles, they get very large and very mean, up to 4' long
Red Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard & Coris frerei): Sold as tiny juvenilles they can grow up to be 2' beasts, beware the size of most Coris wrasses, though the common Yellow Coris Wrasse is actually a smaller fish from not in the genus Coris but belonging to the genus Halichoeres
Dragon Wrasse (Novaculichthys taeniourus): Offered as very small juvenilles they grow to be about a foot long and are known to flip aquarium decorations and rocks when adults
Flounder (Paralichthys spp.): Rarely suitable for aquarium life, also becoming increasingly rare due to overfishing as a food fish
Tassled filefish (Chaetoderma pencilligera): Often offered when cute and tiny but grow quite large
Angelfish: When purchasing any angelfish that isn't Centropyge be sure to check their ultimate size, take special note of the French, Gray, Blue, and Queen which are often offered as small juvenilles ang will outgrow most aquariums
Triggerfish: Most will be fine in large aquariums of around 100 gallons, but there are a few that would be unsuitable for all but the largest home aquariums, do research on their ultimate size and temprament before a purchase is made
Thanks,
Peter
Fish To Be Avoided::Fish that have incredibly low survivability in aquaria or are totally unsuitable for home aquaria
Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus): A few success stories, but miniscule amounts live long, difficult feeder, mystery deaths, and even when accepting prepared foods often slowly starve
Rock Beauty Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor): Nearly impossible to meet the dietary needs in home aquaria
Multi-Barred Angelfish (Centropyge multifasciatus): They don't adapt to aquarium life well, rarely eat, and are very secretive, though not fatal, they also seem particularly prone to Lymphocystis
Venustus Angelfish (Centropyge venustus): See the Multi-Barred Angelfish above
Butterflyfishes (Chaetodon spp.): Many problem feeders in the group and most are corallivore that are almost guaranteed to starve to death in aquaria, do a lot of research before purchasing any butterflyfish
Clown Tang (Acanthurus lineatus): VERY ich prone and a finicky eater, horrible survival rates, when they do live they are terribly aggressive and often take over a tank
Twinspot Goby (Signogobius ocellatus): Terrible survival rates in captivity, rarely accept prepared foods or survive long even when they do
Clown Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides): Difficult feeders and rarely adapt to aquarium life, should you manage to get one to live they get quite large
Oriental Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus orientalis): See Clown Sweetlips, in general this can be repeated for most species in the genus Diagramma and Plectorhinchus
Pinnatus Batfish (Platax pinnatus): Gorgeous fish when young, very very few success stories, diet, disease, and stress from aquarium life are big issues
Tiger Tiera Batfish (Platax batavianus): See Pinnatus Batfish above
Orange Spotted Filefish (Oxymonacanthus longirostris): Specialized coral polyp feeder and almost never accepts prepared foods
Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita): Rarely eat in captivity and are excellent escape artists
Snake Eels & Garden Eels (various genera): Difficult feeders that require specialty tanks
Cleaner Wrasses (Labroides spp.): Specialized parasite feeders that rarely live long in captivity, leave them in the ocean where they can do their job
Tamarin Wrasses (Anampses spp.): VERY poor shippers and need tanks with their special needs in mind, even then they often starve to death, their only chance is often a very large established reef aquarium with large amounts of live rock and peaceful fish
Leopard Wrasses (Macropharyngodon spp.): See Tamarin Wrasses above, but there are more success stories, both these and the Anampses are boderline being in this area of the list and the next section
Pencil Wrasses (Pseodojuloides spp.): Very sensitive, they almost always die in transit so you don't see them very often if ever in the trade
Parrotfishes (Family Scaridae): Very specialized feeders on mostly dead (some live) coral skeletons and the algae and organisms associated with them, they adapt poorly to aquarium life in almost all regards
Tilefishes (Family Malacanthidae): VERY timid and must be kept in a covered aquarium with lots of space and docile tankmates, in general they just don't adapt to aquarium life
Cartilaginous Fishes (Sharks, Rays, Skates) With very few exceptions, unless you own a massive aquarium that is several hundred gallons stay away
Grunts (Family Haemulidae): Rarely adapt well to aquarium life and should probably only be considered in a large species tank
Jacks (Family Carangidae): See Grunts above
Drums (Family Sciaenidae): Poor shippers, being very shy and fragile they rarely live long after being collected
Trumpetfish (Aulostomus spp.): Too large and too specialized for 99.9% of the aquarists out there, also poor shippers
Remoras (Family Echeneidae): Unless you have a large Shark or Whale in your backyard oceanarium it's probably best to stay away
Leopard Blenny (Exallias brevis): Specialized coral feeders that rarely live long in captivity
Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius): Though technically not a fish, there are a plethora of reasons to leave them in the ocean, simply not suited for typical aquarium life
Fish Best Left For Experienced Or Knowledgable Hobbyists:Finicky nature, parasite prone, specialty feeders, require specialty tanks, or threatened species
Anthias (family Anthiinae): Require a good amount of swimming room, peaceful tankmates, and frequent feedings, often unhealthy and starving by the time they make it to dealers tanks, some almost require special tanks with their needs in mind and others often refuse to eat and starve quickly in aquaria, do plenty of research before purchasing any Anthias
Teira Batfish (Platax teira): Can be very hardy once acclimated but there can be problems feeding, they stress easily, are disease prone, and will also outgrow most aquaria
Majestic, Blueface(Pomacanthus Euxiphipops spp.): Can be hardy once acclimated to aquarium life and eating well, that's often easier said than done though, larger juvenilles are often the best way to go with these fish as tiny specimens are quite fragile and large specimens have the hardest time adapting to aquarium life, this is true for many large angelfish
Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus): A problem feeder, specimens from the Philippines and Indonesia rarely make it long in captivity, Red Sea Specimens tend to be hardier and more willing to accept prepared foods partially due to collection and holding techniques, the more recent trend to keep this fish in reef aquariums helps with survivability
Bandit Angelfish (Holacanthus arcuatus aka Apolemichthys arcuatus): Very similar to the Rock Beauty above but with a much smaller sample, at their price you'll probably do your research, if you don't you'll most likely learn an expensive lesson
Bicolor Angelfish (Centropyge bicolor): Concerns with drugs used in collection and frequent unwillingness to accept prepared foods, also one of the more common coral nippers
Heralds's or Yellow Angelfish (Centropyge heraldi): Often collected with the use of drugs, be very wary of newly collected specimens, this can be true with many Centropyge but seems especially problematic here
Lemonpeel Angelfish (Centropyge flavissima): See Herald's angelfish above
Potter's Angelfish (Centropyge potteri): Mixed results with this one with a lot of mystery deaths early in captivity, if they've been eating and active at the fish store for a few weeks they usually end up being quite hardy
Swallowtail Angelfishes (Genicanthus spp.): Can be hardy once acclimated, but lots of problem specimens due to the depths they are collected at, take extra special care in examining and observing them before purchase
Angelfish in General (Centropyge, Chaetodontoplus, Apolemichthys, etc. spp.): Just a general note, Angelfish are among the more common fish collected using cyanide so paying particularly close attention to their behavior and appearance before purchase is advised
Butterflyfishes (Chaetodon spp.): Very few are suited for a reef tank or a beginner hobbyist, do your research
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus): Like the Regal Angelfish, this one has gone from nearly impossible to having some success with the popularity of them being kept in reef tanks, even then, longevity seems questionable
Garibaldi Damselfish (Hypsypops rubicunda): Typically will not do well longtern in tropical conditions, if they do live long that cute little fish turns into a large territotial nightmare, protected in certain areas
Trunkfish, Boxfish, and Cowfish (various genera): Most are rather sensitive and can release toxins when stressed or dying
Clown/Gumdrop Gobies (Gobiodon spp.): Poor shipper, once established can be a good surviver with less boisterous fish, will nip "SPS" corals
Catalina gobies (Lythrypnus dalli): Not a tropical species and will not live long in the temperature of the average marine aquarium
Mandarin "Gobies" and Scooter "Blennies" aka Dragonets (family Callionymidae): Require large amounts of live food, quite often starve to death, providing larger tanks (50+ gallons) with large amounts of live rock and little competition for food has proved successful, do not treat with copper medications
Radiata Lionfish (Pterois radiata): Tough to acclimate to aquarium life and foods, more sensitive than others in the genus
Fu manchu Lionfish & Dwarf Zebra Lionfish (Dendrochirus spp.): All the dwarf Lions require tanks with their needs in mind, these two are seem very sensitive, very shy, are poor shippers, and can be difficult to ween onto aquarium foods
Anglerfishes and Frogfishes (Order Lophiiformes/Antennariiformes): Most get very large and can consume fish nearly their own size, often will only consume live foods which is troublesome since feeder fish are rarely nutritious enough longtern
Achilles, Powder Brown, Powder Blue, and Gold Rim Tangs (Acanthurus spp.): Ich prone and fairly sensitive to water conditions, they also require large amounts of swimming room, very risky to consider one without quarantine
Bristletooth Tangs (Ctenochaetus spp.): Ich prone, some of the hardier tangs once established but can starve when detritus and algae aren't available in decent supply so overly "clean" aquariums are not a good choice, the Chevron is probably the least hardy of the genus and can be particularly difficult
Seahorses, Seadragons, Pipefish (Family Syngnathidae): Need quiet species tanks and large quantities of nutritious live food, wild caught specimens ship poorly and have high mortality rates, tank raised seahorses are often already accepting prepared foods and are much better candidates for aquarium life, they still need a tank with their needs in mind though
Hawkfishes ( Family Cirrhitidae): Hardy fish but they are notorious jumpers, be very careful with ornamental shrimp, crabs, and small fish
Porcupine Pufferfish (Family Diodontidae): Can be hardy but some are very disease and parasite prone, most require large fish only aquariums
Fairy and Flasher Wrasses (Paracheilinus and Cirrilabrus spp.): Require peaceful tankmates and do best in reef aquariums, they stress easily and the first few weeks in captivity will often make or break their longevity, known jumpers
Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus): Will sometimes not accept prepared foods and will starve to death in tanks without a natural algae food source
Diamond, Golden Head, Sleeper Gobies (Valenciennea spp.): Sometimes starve to death even when accepting prepared foods, tanks with large sandbeds containing lots of food will help as will frequent feedings when they will eat, mated pairs may help as well
Courtjester/Rainford's and Hector's Goby (Amblygobius spp.): Often will not accept prepared foods, need established tanks with peaceful fish and a fine sandbed full of life
Fourline Cleaner Wrasse (Larabicus quadrilineatus): A cleaner when small, but are coralivores as they enter adulthood so are not good reef aquarium inhabitants, some of the Tubelip Wrasses are know for a similar behavior and rarely live long in captivity
Cephalopods, Octopi, Cuttlefish, Squid (Class Cephalopoda): Not fish, but including them here because of their intelligence compared to the dumb lumps of goo that are most invertebrates, the Nautilus from above is in this group as well, these must have species tanks and require a lot of research before attempting them
Fish That Require Huge Aquariums (200 gallons or more):
Cartilaginous Fishes (Sharks, Rays, Skates): Require tanks much larger than 200 gal. and should just be left out of home aquaria, Nurse sharks can grow to 14ft. long!, repeating this one so it sinks in
Groupers & Seabass (various genera): Especially take note of the cute little Panther Groupers commonly offered in the trade as they can attain over 2' in length
Snappers (Family Lutjanidae): Those little Red Emperor Snappers seen in the trade get over 3' long
Unicorn Tangs (Naso spp.): They will even outgrow common size aquariums such as 125 gal. and 180 gal.
Moray Eels (Family Muraenidae): Do your research as many are not suitable for home aquariums
Squirrel and Soldierfish (Family Holocentridae): Some of these are borderline, do your research
Batfish and Spadefish (Family Ephippidae): Probably best left to public aquaria
Twinspot Wrasse (Coris aygula): Take special note of this one as they're often offered as small attractive juveniles, they get very large and very mean, up to 4' long
Red Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard & Coris frerei): Sold as tiny juvenilles they can grow up to be 2' beasts, beware the size of most Coris wrasses, though the common Yellow Coris Wrasse is actually a smaller fish from not in the genus Coris but belonging to the genus Halichoeres
Dragon Wrasse (Novaculichthys taeniourus): Offered as very small juvenilles they grow to be about a foot long and are known to flip aquarium decorations and rocks when adults
Flounder (Paralichthys spp.): Rarely suitable for aquarium life, also becoming increasingly rare due to overfishing as a food fish
Tassled filefish (Chaetoderma pencilligera): Often offered when cute and tiny but grow quite large
Angelfish: When purchasing any angelfish that isn't Centropyge be sure to check their ultimate size, take special note of the French, Gray, Blue, and Queen which are often offered as small juvenilles ang will outgrow most aquariums
Triggerfish: Most will be fine in large aquariums of around 100 gallons, but there are a few that would be unsuitable for all but the largest home aquariums, do research on their ultimate size and temprament before a purchase is made
Last edited:
Peter Eichler
New member
As always, suggestions are welcome, but lets limit them to the few areas I've edited so far.
Peter Eichler
New member
Anyone have feedback on the new format for the list or any other aspect of it? 
Peter Eichler
New member
Note to self... add remarks about fish that tend to jump and small triggerfish
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