mean reef

[Juggler]

My system rundown
180 gallon with 55 sump
150 lbs live rock
2 250 watt halides

corals all soft shrooms and leathers

fish:
4inch blue hippo tang
4 inch yellow tang
4 inch naso tang

I want some big beautiful fish for this tank, but I don¡¦t want it to look like a port a potty reef.
I put a lot of work into the tank and I want some predators but the tank is too nice to trash it.
Here are fish I am interested in tell me what I could add:
-Volitan lion will be the centerpiece this is the only definite right now. Not sure if I should get a tiny one or one with a bit of size. My lfs sells really small ones which are cute!
-Niger trigger not sure, can someone give me input on mixing these?
-Snowflake moray or zebra moray. Opinions? Do chainlinks stay smaller than snowflakes? I don¡¦t want too big of an eel.
-Are there any large angels that would work? This tank was setup for a queen angel, but I ended up going reef Æ'¼ such a beautiful fish.
-Red Coris wrasse I really love these, I had a lunar a while ago and he was sweet.
-Yellow eye tang and maybe powder brown

Obviously im not going to throw these all in at once or get every one of them, im not sure where the limit for my tank is to be honest. But please just don¡¦t disregard this as a useless stocking list post for a to be tank. The tank is alive and well and I want some new stuff!

 

[LukFox]

The volitan should be added far down the road with the sizes of the fish you have now. It only takes a year for them to get 10-12" from those tiny sizes at your LFS, and by the time they are two years old they will be their full 15". They can quickly outgrow and consume their tank mates, so caution on that.

For a small eel, try looking into Gymnothorax miliaris, the fire coral or banana moray, depending on which color variation you are looking at. It's a mild tempered moray that reaches about two feet. I highly recommend it.

The trigger will eventually outgrow the tank (adults get 18-20" long, though admittedly it does take forever). If you are willing to make plans for such a fish later, it is a possibility. It MAY pick on the fins of the lion, though, so there's that risk too. With the size and the fin nipping potential, it may be best to pass.

With the tangs you have already I wouldn't add another fish that's as big as a queen. Maybe a majestic... I would do this or the yellow eye tang or the wrasse. I wouldn't say there is room left for a powder brown, and it's just too big and active of a swimmer to fit.


So your list ends up something like:
-Your 3 current tangs (be aware the naso will eventually get too large for the tank. I'd just switch the naso out for the powder brown)
-1 wrasse OR 1 of the smaller large angels OR 1 yellow eye kole
-1 eel
-1 lionfish added later when the other fish have gotten some size on them

 

[Juggler]

thanks for putting lots of consideration into this reply!
i didnt know the naso would outgrow the tank i see people with nasos in 120s.
But yes probably on the kole when I find one that isn’t ugly, imports here have been pretty grimy lately.
In fact I don’t even know about this plan anymore I forgot I have perc clown and a watanbei angelfish that is about 2 inches, I love them so much and don’t want to get rid of them.

So try and work with me

Let me try to change pace
How about large less aggressive fish
I heard a niger trigger would still work
And would the red coris work or would he destroy the clown?
And one last thing.

My lfs has had an amzing passer angel that I have been drooling over for over a year. He is still changing but is a good size about 7 inches. He is 99bucks would this angel destroy my softy reef or is he a possible resident? I heard they can get nasty. Would he beat up my watanbei? And is it a good price?

Alright so tell me if anything I said was unclear im not stupid I just don’t put much though into forum board posts

 

[LukFox]

Keeping nasos in 120s is either irresponsible fishkeeping or just a temporary home. These 18" incredible swimmers shouldn't really be in anything less than a 10 foot tank.

The niger would work until it gets too big. We're talking years, here. They're very slow growing after a point.

The wrasse may eat the clown, or it may not... Can't really say for sure. It's certainly possible, but it isn't definite. If you really want to be safe, how about just keeping the clown in sump, and get it a mate?

I don't know much about passers as far as aggression and what the odds of them nipping are. Hopefully someone who has or has had one will chime in. $99 sounds like a great price though.

 

[Juggler]

alright thanks for the help. you get a bigger tank and its still not big enough!

the clown is my little baby he roams so happily in the big tank, i would feel terrible putting him down there.

can someone please help with the passer angelfish?

 

[LukFox]

Once the clown settles in he likely won't move out of a 1.5' radius . They start hosting something and then they defend that patch.

I know what you mean about the tank never being big enough, lol.

 

[Hormigaquatica]

A couple thoughts for ya..

Niger triggers can be fairly tame when theyre only a few inches long, but get exponentially more aggressive as they grow. An adult is likely to nip at stony corals, devour clams, and flip over frags. You might want to consider a Bluethroat, Crosshatch, Sargassum, or any other Xanthichthys species of trigger. They will not harm your coral.

Passers grow huge and are meaner than hell. A beautiful fish, but one to be avoided by pretty much everyone. None of the large angels are totally coral safe, but some better options would be Navarchus/Majestic, Blueface, Asfur, or Emperor angels. Most of them are going to behave fairly well with soft corals- any may nip at fleshy LPS or clams (zoas too).

Red Coris wrasse will eat your shrimp, crabs, snails, and small fish. It will also bury corals that are on the sand bed, and will flip over any frag that isnt bolted to the rockwork. If that doesnt bug you, I dont think they would do much serious damage as far as eating corals. Clams would be eaten like popcorn. Harlequin Tusks have similar behavior, as do most Thalassoma wrasse species.