future stocking list

[JNye]

i've been thinking of setting up a fowler and have been looking into some fish species. i am interested in quite a few of the odd more curious looking fish. this tank is quite a ways away, more than a year but whats wrong with researching throughly?
so i will give you my list and if you all could tell me which fish just do not fit in, and who i should reconsider and also what size tank will i need plus any other special considerations.

Cowfish or Boxfish
Goldflake Angel
Moral Eel
Frogfish
Tang, maybe Sailfin
Filefish
these are the fish i really want and also want to consider these:
Goldstripe Maroon Clown
Dwarf Lionfish
Miniata Grouper
Freckled Hawkfish
Clown Trigger

so that's 11 larger fish, prolly 2-3 will be eliminated, but who?
ps i am already thinking the trigger is a no go?

 

[bsagecko]

get rid of the frogfish, moral eel, and boxfish

the boxfish secrets a poison that will kill all the other fish in the tank overtime.

the frogfish are dangerous and i think they might be poisionous to not sure. But they are messy eaters and require live food

The moral eel is just to large for most tanks and doesnt fit in with the rest of the fish. esp. any fish under 6".

If you elminate all of these fish and you keep the rest i would recommend at least a 200+ gallon tank.

U would want a massive skimmer with like a 100g sump/fuge

This tank will cost a small fortune unless you cut the fish down to like 5 or 6.

I dont know what miniata grouper is but most groupers grow larger than a 12" and they will consume and destroy any that will fit into there mouth.

The liverock will cost a fortune

IMO and IME i would go with like 5 or 6 of these fish max.

 

[JNye]

good points, sux bout the boxfish, i hope you're wrong i really like that fish, does that go for the cowfish too?
live rock will be negligible as i will make it, plus i don't think i want a whole lot of it.
i disagree about the moray eel, can anyone elaborate, i've heard you need a tank at least as twice long as the eel, not a problem, will it eat anything under six inches, just not from what i read.

i'm thinking i can get the list to 8, eliminate the trigger, boxfish, and maybe one more, please not the eel. need more opinoins. still a 200 gallon with 100 gallon sump fuge, what kind of tank dimensions? 6' length of should i look th go 8'

also still need more info on the file fish as i have done very little research on this guy.

 

[JNye]

oh yeah, i still like the frogfish and need more opinions on that point, but if they are dangerous like...stonefish...then he's out too.

 

[LukFox]

Frogfish aren't venomous, but they will consume anything they can and even things they can't. Leave them to species tanks.

The moray is fine. Keep it well fed, don't get one of the really aggressive species, and get one that stays around 2' or less. That would be your best bet. Or you could get a zebra moray, though they get large. However they're supposed to be extremely peaceful, and I've rarely heard of one eating tank mates.

Cowfish don't tend to do well in most set ups. I'd just leave it out to be safe as you don't want one of those dying on you. The boxfish has the ability to nuke tanks as well, but only if it dies.

If you want to keep the sailfin tang longterm I'd look into an 8' tank.

Everything else looks alright.

 

[JNye]

Goldflake Angel
Moral Eel
Tang, maybe Sailfin
Filefish
Goldstripe Maroon Clown
Dwarf Lionfish
Miniata Grouper
Freckled Hawkfish

alright this is the updated list as per the few suggestions.
we're saying this can co exist longterm in an 8' tank.
i like to reach the bottom so that puts it 18" tall and i like deep tanks so...30" that's like 225gallons with lets say a 75 gallon sump with a decent skimmer...$400 skimmer budget. is this still doable?

 

[LukFox]

I thought we eliminated the grouper earlier. They have huge mouths and could eat a few of those fish. I'd pass on it. You could get something to replace it, though.

 

[JNye]

from what i read they usually only get about 10 inches. i think he might be okay?(the grouper) except for the tasseled filefish and the goldflake this group is getting less and less odd/flashy. still a cool group tho, i was really into the frog and cow fish, if we still think its a no go on the grouper who should i get to replace him?

 

[LukFox]

Hmmm I've read they get 18". Even if only 10", I've heard they have the ability to swallow something 2/3 its size which could be a problem. Maybe someone who has kept a grouper will speak up.

If the grouper doesn't work out, you could always get a hamlet. They get about 5-6" depending on species and are closely related to groupers. They are extremely shy at first, but in time they warm up to the tank. A few of them are very beautiful.

Have you looked into the triggers of the Xanthichthys genus? Those would work just fine and might add to the "oddness" you're looking for.

 

[bsagecko]

ok if you really like the eel thing i would go with a zebra they are not extremely aggressive and with an 8' tank it would have enough room.

Defintately lose:
boxfish
cowfish
grouper


If you like triggers maybe go for a huma huma or a picasso trigger they are nice fish. But some triggers fin nip. This would be a problem with a sailfin tang or a dwarf lionfish.
If the trigger hits the lionfish you have the chance to lose one or both of the fish from the damage.

But i do know ppl that have several triggers including a picasso with lionfish so it is really just a chance.

If you are looking for "oddness" maybe a puffer or porpine fish the tank is definately big enough and it would make a great companion for the eel.

I would definately not go with a clown trigger even if you are going to go with triggers.

From what i see on your "updated" list if you get rid of the grouper you could prbly get like another 1 or 2 good size fish and not have a problem as long as you are willing to spend the $400 on a good skimmer like you said.
I would still go with 100g sump/fuge not a 75g this is due to the fact that a 100g will let you keep a bigger bioload esp if you are not going to have alot of live rock.

 

[JNye]

bsagecko good info there. i've looked into the trigger some more and it sux but the clown sounds very aggressive and unpredictable. and it sounds like the grouper is a bad idea. i lookedinto the other triggers and hamlets as you guys suggested and just haven't found one i really want.
as far as live rock goes, i don't think it will be a huge issue, i will have enough to do whatever aquascaping i decide is appropriate, but can do whateever amount of live sand everyone deems appropriate. the extra 25 gallons in the sump, don't know what that actually does for me, but whatever...i haven't purchased anything yet so that size can be easily and cheaply upgraded. could go as high as 150 gallons...my current tank.

i'm not crazy about puffers, alot of people have them, but i think i will end up with one, they're still pretty bad.

also you mention i could even consider another fish...how about a butterfly fish? i know which one i really like...blue spot behind the eye, with the cool spikes on top. i don't think it works with this group but if it can i can get the name.

Goldflake Angel
Moral Eel
Tang, maybe Sailfin
Filefish
Goldstripe Maroon Clown
Dwarf Lionfish
Freckled Hawkfish
puffer
butterfly??

ps can i put in anemones...i have an rbta and would like more if it works in this tank. other than the signifigant price increase in lighting i would need does it change anything else?

 

[bsagecko]

I would not recommend the butterfly fish for two reasons
One they are like one of the most difficult fish to keep and the second being they require specialized food and a nonaggressive tank.

With the fish you are looking at i would not recommend an anemone because they require prestine water conditions that will be difficult to obtain with the large messy fish you are keeping in the tank.

If you wanted an anemone IMO you would need to lose the eel, puffer and maybe the hawkfish.

You already stated that you want the eel really bad so i would just forget the anenome. However i have seen sucessful tanks with eels and anenomes but with the amount of money you would invest in lighting i dont think it is worth the risk not to mention the money you would pay for an anenome that would be big enough to withstand the aggression in the tank.

 

[JNye]

yeah i figured the butterfly was never gonna work, but i thought an anemone would be okay...why would aggression effect and anemone? and how would anemone size help this... i alreedy have a rose bta and the maroon clown in my current set-up. i guess my plan was to upgrade to this agressive set-up and downgrade the reef set-up to something like 30 gallon cube. i didn't want to split up the anemone and the maroon but also those two would never work in a 30 gallon cube stocked full of corals.
when i do this i guess i have to get rid of the rbta, yellow tang, and the purple tang, unless i decide to keep the purple and not get a sailfin. this is all good information and is really helping me understand exactly what i need to do if and when i set- this up. thanks.