"difficult to keep"

OneThunder

OneThunder

New member
It never ceases to amaze me, in the lfs they have fish that are repeatedly noted in the saltwater fish books as "difficult" (if not impossible) to keep. This is the surest way to make someone quit the hobby- buying fish that are doomed from the begining. And shame on the lfs who sells it to them -not telling them.
 
Some people can keep them and some can't. Just like powder blues, people here on RC told me they are a hit or miss. Some people can keep them alive and some can't. That's why I have to find a healthy one and qt him.
 
I'm told that a Bi-color angel fish can be difficult... I've had mine for over 2 years without any issues at all.
 
I've successfully kept bi colors for as much as 3 years before I had "live rock" and such. As for the PBT I mine got pretty skinny then like someone flipped a switch he started eating like a hog and got ery healthy. For some unknown reason my GFCI tripped the day I left for the Bristol race and my wife had to deal with a tank that had dropped to 62 degrees, the PBT did not survive.
 
define a fish that is "difficult or impossible to keep" people can make all kinds of assersions like that, usually it just means they have a very specific diet that you need to replicate or they get very large and need a big tank in order to not get stressed out.

if any fish is known to be difficult it is members of the angels, butterflys, wrasses, and of course mandarins, yet you will see all KINDS of people who are very successful at keeping them.

so it's not shame on the fish store, it's shame on the people who buy a fish and know nothing about what it needs. people just assume that fish are like dogs and you can just get any old fish food and they will eat it and be fine, this is soooo wrong it ain't funny.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7210724#post7210724 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bigdaddyadam
define a fish that is "difficult or impossible to keep"
Click to expand...
Quoted from 4 Marine tank/fish books that I have
 
"difficult or impossible to keep" and "not reef safe" can mean a variety of things.

As said above, sometimes it means that they just need an established tank or a specific food. Some may be 50/50 if they'll eat prepared food, like Copperband Butterflies. Manderins usually will only eat pods so in order to keep them you must have a substantial population of pods. This is why you should always ask to see a fish eat prior to purchase. It is best to research what that phrase actually means for a particular fish. RC is a great resource for that.

Reef safe is another funny one. Some fish nip at corals others eat your inverts. It is best to research what is common for a particular fish - for instance....

A Copper Band Butterfly can be a picky eater and will nip at anemones and eat feather dusters. For this reason, it is not considered reef safe. But if you don't keep those items, then it is probably OK.

Pygmy Angels are 50/50 coral nippers and a lot of people keep them in reefs. They will nip at clam mantles so if you want clams, they are out.

A puffer will eat your snails and crabs. Some will eat corals and some will not... so it is a toss up.

I just got a fridmani Pseudochromis. It will eat ornamental shrimp but should not touch my coral.

I would not trust those labels too much, but understand the meaning behind them. I'd recommend searching RC or asking in a forum about a particular fish to get more information other than the "difficult to keep" before you make a decision if that is the fish that you want and if it limits what other items that you can keep.
 
Example:
The Saltwater Aquarium Handbook-"This fish is highly sought after for aquariums, despite it's poor longevity in captivity. Though beautiful, the Moorish Idol is definitely not for the beginning marine hobbyist;even advanced hobbyist have difficulty maintaining this fish. "
 
The common name of the look-alike is a longfin bannerfish. PSP had at least one earlier in the week for ~$15 or ~$20.
 
but see the thing is that people who ARE experienced, who DO know what they are doing, who WANT a challenge, ARE indeed looking for these fish...for the store to simply not carry them is stupid. if that was the case all we would be left with is a handful of the "common" or "easy" fish, a typical misnomer if you ask me.

do I think they should sell these fish to people at the store without first explaining that it has special needs that make it a challenge and explain what those ARE, of course not. I even agree that some of these fish shouldn't be "stock" fish, and should be ordered only when requested so that there is no needless loss. however from a store's point of view, that is not how a LOT of people shop for fish. they see something they like, buy it, and then learn how to care for it, hopefully. many people are not so concientoius as to research, pick out what they want, and then go find it. That would be the ideal, but this is not an ideal world, nor an ideal hobby.
 
What makes them classify as "not reef safe" Nip at corals or inverts?
Click to expand...

That would be my guess.....


but see the thing is that people who ARE experienced, who DO know what they are doing, who WANT a challenge, ARE indeed looking for these fish...for the store to simply not carry them is stupid. if that was the case all we would be left with is a handful of the "common" or "easy" fish, a typical misnomer if you ask me.
Click to expand...

Adam, I agree partially with your previos post. Should they be available? Yes. Should they be stock animals? No. If the failure rate is very high I am against taking them from the ocean just so somebody can "try" to keep them on a whim. If you have an idea that you know what you're doing, order away.

:cool:
 
right that is what I am saying, people who are experienced should be free to try the difficult fish.

also, consider that difficult is a relative term. before advances in the hobby in the late 80's early 90's almost nobody was able to keep most corals alive in a tank, today we wouldn't think twice about buying most corals for our home tanks. it's a matter of progress and learning to care for the animals in a hobby that is still basically in it's infancy
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7210724#post7210724 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bigdaddyadam
define a fish that is "difficult or impossible to keep" people can make all kinds of assersions like that, usually it just means they have a very specific diet that you need to replicate or they get very large and need a big tank in order to not get stressed out.

if any fish is known to be difficult it is members of the angels, butterflys, wrasses, and of course mandarins, yet you will see all KINDS of people who are very successful at keeping them.

so it's not shame on the fish store, it's shame on the people who buy a fish and know nothing about what it needs. people just assume that fish are like dogs and you can just get any old fish food and they will eat it and be fine, this is soooo wrong it ain't funny.
Click to expand...

In a perfect world people who wanted to keep fish would do their home work! In the real world the people who spend time on boards like these are in the minority!! The responsibility is both the aquarist and the lfs owner! You can do your homework and know that Harlequin filefish (Oxymonacanthus longirostris) will live about as long as it takes for you to starve them but some other dude who has the money is going to buy the fish if the store has it. So the more people know the better but the fish stores need to stop selling fish that are doomed (see Harlequin filefish). Some of the bigger chain pet stores are the worst... "No this Pacu will only get as big as your tank."...right!!!!

Brad
 
yes, but am I wrong in believing that filefish are like many other "hard fish" in that they require feedings many times a day in order to not starve. yes this may be hard, difficult, darn near impossible, but not neccissarily. someone may come along and devise a way to feed these guys 6 small meals a day without having to stay home and have no life. I personally could think of some methods that might work. Point is that these super hard fish should not be stock fish, of course, but there have got to be some people out there who can keep these fish healthy.

and okay, seriously, I have NEVER seen that particular fish for sale at a LFS, I can't even find a place that sells them on the internet. took me five minutes to even find a decent page with info on them. I really wouldn't say that these are a common fish in the trade, and if they are "impossible to keep" that is probably why.
 
Hey Brad -

Welcome to NORA. We hope that you stick around. We are shaping up as a great club and we love to have fun.

Check out our webiste when you have a chance.

Jen
 
and okay, seriously, I have NEVER seen that particular fish for sale at a LFS, I can't even find a place that sells them on the internet. took me five minutes to even find a decent page with info on them. I really wouldn't say that these are a common fish in the trade, and if they are "impossible to keep" that is probably why.
The name most places list them as is "orange spotted filefish". I found a couple of places on the net that had them. I don't think people are importing them as much as they use to but they still do. They used to be very common and I have seen them in local fish stores in the past. I supposed if you had an unlimited supply of the appropriate SPS coral colonies you "might" be able to keep them. I don't think anyone wants to sacrifice whole heads of Acropora to feed one fish.

Brad

P.S. Thanks Jen
 
I suppose you could just buy a bunch of ugly broken up pieces in bulk from time to time for them if that is what they eat. I am sure that large dealers get shipments with so called, "unsellable" corals that could be used for food, I mean what's the differnce, they would be eating this stuff in the wild, so if you buy it just for them to eat it is like the same thing, not a waste of a coral.

I am always surprised that people are willing to shell out the doe to feed harlequin shrimp. even if you are lucky enough to find a LFS that has a regular supply of cheap or damaged starfish for them to much on you're probably looking at something around $20 a month to feed them I would think.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

jasonfrey
Keep Aquariums Stable with TRITON MYTE - Lab Testing & Custom Mix
Replies
0
Views
90
jasonfrey
jasonfrey
Tamara Marshall
Comprehensive Article About Captive Bred- Manta Systems Article
Replies
0
Views
113
Tamara Marshall
Tamara Marshall
Tamara Marshall
Comprehensive Article About Captive Bred- Manta Systems Article
Replies
0
Views
129
Tamara Marshall
Tamara Marshall
N
75 gallon set up and stocking advice
Replies
8
Views
2K
Newham94
N
Perth_reefer
Temperature fluctuation for SPS
Replies
3
Views
197
Reefing102
Reefing102
Back
Top