Difficult and Special Care Species List
- Thread starter Peter Eichler
- Start date
Peter Eichler
New member
It's not that simple, for one some of them get up to 3 feet in length. Secondly, they're very specialized and would require a tank setup specifically with their needs in mind. So, you have to have a gigantic aquarium, culture and raise live foods, and be VERY selective of the other inhabitants you put with them. I'd be shocked if there is a single person on here with an aquarium that is ideally set up to care for Trumpetfish. It's not something you can't do, but it would be a pretty monumental task and quite an expensive edeavor just to keep some Trumpetfish.
Aquarist007
New member
the problem with damsels is they usually grow up and become bullies to other inhabitants in the tank
IMO a tank dedicated to species of damsels is great--very beautiful but should not be kept in a mixed reef tank
I've had good luck with a couple of Spotted Drums I've kept over the years. I have one now, about full grown at 10 inches. I got it when it was 3 inches long, 4 years ago. It eats like a pig, can be hand fed, and is as tough as nails. Jacknife fish are more sensitive, but will do well if obtained at a small size, and given lots of live food at first.
I've also had great success with Spotfin Butterflys and with Sedentarius Butterflys. I have a Spotfin now that is about palm sized. I've had it for 2 1/2 years. It eats mostly blackworms , Mysis, and brine shrimp. Sedentarius BFs will eat anything, including flake food, and are very easy to keep. They live for years and years.
Most Jacks are easy. They just get too big.
I've also had great success with Spotfin Butterflys and with Sedentarius Butterflys. I have a Spotfin now that is about palm sized. I've had it for 2 1/2 years. It eats mostly blackworms , Mysis, and brine shrimp. Sedentarius BFs will eat anything, including flake food, and are very easy to keep. They live for years and years.
Most Jacks are easy. They just get too big.
camsan
New member
Actually I have kept a male blue jaw for a while in a reef and have not had any problems with him messing wtih any inverts. He sits at the cleaner shrimp station to get cleaned throughout the day and they will go in his mouth to clean etc. Never seen him pick at other inverts either. Of course I also know that he may change his mind one day but so far does not show signs of that.
Peter Eichler
New member
Looks like I have to edit the list to include land mamals :lol:
Jerry W
Active member
I think the list of keepable butterflies can be expanded a bit. The blackback is a good choice and relatively hardy. Members from the sub genus roa (Tinkers, Burgess, Declivis and Mitratus) are also pretty sturdy if collected/acclimated properly. I would not actually consider the golden to be a good pick. Most I've seen for sale look pretty rough.
Aquarist007
New member
perhaps horsehoe crabs should be added to this list.
Peter Eichler
New member
Yeah, that's one thing I've been aware of for a while and it does need some work. At some point this summer I plan to go through the list and make it better.
Peter Eichler
New member
Hrm, I know at one point it was on the list but I must have accidentally left it off on one of the edits I've done. Thanks for the heads up.
Aquarist007
New member
thanks Peter---I have refered to this thread so many times in other posts--it is great asset to have
On the same subject of crabs--IMO Sally Lightfoots maybe should be mentioned here along with the horshoe crabs?
For the benifits of the many viewers of this thread:
Sally lightfoots grow to be enormous. They are superfast and will attack and eat just about anything if the opportunity is there.
Other ornamental shrimps do not stand a chance against them
Horshoe crabs also grow to be enormous. They live just under the substrate and eat all the beneficial inverts that live there. The churn up the substrate badly. After they have depleted the inverts in the substrate they usually die of starvation.
On the same subject of crabs--IMO Sally Lightfoots maybe should be mentioned here along with the horshoe crabs?
For the benifits of the many viewers of this thread:
Sally lightfoots grow to be enormous. They are superfast and will attack and eat just about anything if the opportunity is there.
Other ornamental shrimps do not stand a chance against them
Horshoe crabs also grow to be enormous. They live just under the substrate and eat all the beneficial inverts that live there. The churn up the substrate badly. After they have depleted the inverts in the substrate they usually die of starvation.
Paul B
Premium Member
Sally Lightfoot crabs are not even totally marine. They spend most of their time out of the water munching seaweed on the rocks. In my tank, they always climbed out.
As for horseshoe crabs they are not tropical. I can collect them by the hundreds from 1/4" to about 16". I don't because they live on mud flats, not sand or gravel. They spend most of their time burried or looking for worms. They do not do well in a typical sand tropical tank.
As for horseshoe crabs they are not tropical. I can collect them by the hundreds from 1/4" to about 16". I don't because they live on mud flats, not sand or gravel. They spend most of their time burried or looking for worms. They do not do well in a typical sand tropical tank.
reefwisher
New member
How hard do you rate to keep a Dwarf Zebra Lionfish? I was surprise to see this one on the list
Peter Eichler
New member
If you chose proper tankmates, get a healthy specimen from the get go, and are successful in getting them to accept prepared foods they can be pretty hardy. The problem with many of them is shipping stress and weening them on to prepared foods. If they'll only eat live feeder fish their lifespans will probably be reduced greatly.
reefwisher
New member
When I got mine he was eating frozen krill with no problems when I fed him silversides, one piece and that was it ,he would swim away, he hated it so I just fed him krill. Tankmates were good no problems everybody got along and no harassing. I had him for 4 months. Then last week I fed him one piece of silversides as the same with my snowflake eel. That was the last time my lion ate and 6 days later he died. Now I am wondering if the silversides was bad or if internal parasites is the culprit. The snowflakes is still doing well. You can bet from now on I will be treating all my fish with Seachem Focus and Seachem Metronzadole
Aquarist007
New member
re silversides being toxic----that was brought up recently on another thread where reefers were reporting deaths of anemones after being fed silversides.
I know I have cut back feeding them to my anemones and elegance coral
reefwisher
New member
Thanks hylinur, It wouldn't surprise me about the silversides. I know I will never use it again. My zebra lion was such a good fish too.
sean48183
New member
Nice list and great for all beginners to look at.
One thing I would like to add about keeping fish in tanks they may outgrow. Most saltwater fish are very slow growers and will only reach a max of 3/4 of their adult size with 1/2 being more than likely. Now if you buy a fish at adult size then of course using adult size as a gauge is obvious. But if your like me you buy most fish small and hope they will grow in your tank. Small fish are cheaper and usually acclimate to aquarium life alot easier then adults.
I'll use my sailfin tang that I have had for over 3 years now as an example. I bought him at about 3" for my 50g tank. I feed frozen and flake food twice a day and 2 sheets of seaweed selects or collard greens twice a day. That is probably a heavier feeding schedule than most people that keep reef tanks. I use a big refugium and oversized skimmer for nutrient removal to keep my nitrates to less than 10ppm. After 2 years in my 50g the sailfin grew to only 6". He did get to big for my 50g at that time but mostly because it was packed to dense with rock. Now he has been in my 150g for a year and has only grown maybe an inch to put him at 7". These fish are listed at 15" adult size. He may gain another inch or two but will never get 15". I feel comfortable with him in my 150g for life.
I purchased a small Naso tang(lipstick tang) for my 150g tank figuring that he will probably only get to 9" give or take a couple inches. I feel comfortable with him at that size for life in my tank.
A way I like to figure out if a fish is compatable with my tank is to look at the adult size and half that. That number should be equal to or less than 1/2 my aquarium width. For instance my naso is listed at 18" adult size. Half that is 9". My tank is 18" wide so half that is 9". These to numbers are equal so I feel that this fish in it's adult size(give or take a couple of inches) will have enough room to turn around in my tank gracefully. This seems to work for me. As for length I usually like around 8 times there adult size. So for my naso it would be 9X8=72. So the length should be about 6'.
How much rock you have in your tank as well. If the rock work reduces your tank width by 4" that should be factored in also.
And if this fails and the fish get to big then the only thing left to do is get a bigger tank. Yippee!
Anyways that's my $.02. Happy reefing to all!
One thing I would like to add about keeping fish in tanks they may outgrow. Most saltwater fish are very slow growers and will only reach a max of 3/4 of their adult size with 1/2 being more than likely. Now if you buy a fish at adult size then of course using adult size as a gauge is obvious. But if your like me you buy most fish small and hope they will grow in your tank. Small fish are cheaper and usually acclimate to aquarium life alot easier then adults.
I'll use my sailfin tang that I have had for over 3 years now as an example. I bought him at about 3" for my 50g tank. I feed frozen and flake food twice a day and 2 sheets of seaweed selects or collard greens twice a day. That is probably a heavier feeding schedule than most people that keep reef tanks. I use a big refugium and oversized skimmer for nutrient removal to keep my nitrates to less than 10ppm. After 2 years in my 50g the sailfin grew to only 6". He did get to big for my 50g at that time but mostly because it was packed to dense with rock. Now he has been in my 150g for a year and has only grown maybe an inch to put him at 7". These fish are listed at 15" adult size. He may gain another inch or two but will never get 15". I feel comfortable with him in my 150g for life.
I purchased a small Naso tang(lipstick tang) for my 150g tank figuring that he will probably only get to 9" give or take a couple inches. I feel comfortable with him at that size for life in my tank.
A way I like to figure out if a fish is compatable with my tank is to look at the adult size and half that. That number should be equal to or less than 1/2 my aquarium width. For instance my naso is listed at 18" adult size. Half that is 9". My tank is 18" wide so half that is 9". These to numbers are equal so I feel that this fish in it's adult size(give or take a couple of inches) will have enough room to turn around in my tank gracefully. This seems to work for me. As for length I usually like around 8 times there adult size. So for my naso it would be 9X8=72. So the length should be about 6'.
How much rock you have in your tank as well. If the rock work reduces your tank width by 4" that should be factored in also.
And if this fails and the fish get to big then the only thing left to do is get a bigger tank. Yippee!
Anyways that's my $.02. Happy reefing to all!
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