Reef to Aggressive

richardf

New member
Okay, so I just bought a 90g w/ dual overflows, a ASM-G3 skimmer. I will be getting a 40g sump w/ built in fuge. I was going to do a reef tank, but with the costs associated with the lighting and stocking the tank with all the corals and everything else I decided to go FOWLR. Then I went to a friends house and saw his Picasso trigger and a clown trigger and thought, WOW!!!

So I am now going to plan on a affressive tank. I am going to have about 100lbs of LR and want to know how many aggressive fish I can have in there.

I am thinking of....

Huma Huma Picasso Trigger
Clown Trigger
Pink Tail Trigger
Naso Tang

I already have a feeling that with all those in there it will get crowded, so I can't have them all, which ones do you think I can have?
 
I am thinking of....
Huma Huma Picasso Trigger
Clown Trigger
Pink Tail Trigger
Naso Tang

Hi, I recently set up my first FOWLR tank and have been doing a lot of research on stocking, etc. Based on your list IMO I would say you would be good long term with the Huma Trigger only. The other fish while great grow too large for a 90 gal tank.

Now, some people would say you could have them all in a 90 for a couple of years if they were all small specimens but I wouldn't do it. I think you should go with the Huma and pick some other compatible fish. Maybe a smaller tang like a Kole. I am sure other people will have more suggestions.
Good luck and have fun.
 
i have an 80g with a clown trigger, humu, figi toby puffer, emperor engel, snowflake eel, and a lawnmower blenny. they all get along fine, but like SaltyMember said, they are no good for life in there. i say 1-2 years MAX. i am going to buy a 240 very soon to house these in... besides, i purchased these fish all under 2" (excluding the eel and blenny)

i wouldnt add those fish to a 90 though unles you are absolutly sure you can afford a larger tank soon. if your not a baller like me, i would not suggest it.
 
You can house them together. Just cut back on your LR. I have an 80g bow front with a clown trigger, a queen trigger, a black volitain, a semilarvatus butter fly, and a purple tang. they all get along and I've had them for awhile.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6929269#post6929269 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TAZ316
Just cut back on your LR.

why would you cut back on it? you would definatly want MORE live rock in your system with more fish. they need hiding spots and places they can go to get away from everything. a lot of live rock is the key to managing a peaceful tank with aggressive predaters (that and feeding well)
 
IF you have to cut back on LR in the dispay Couldn't you just put it im the sump or will that not work out ? Just wondering .
 
I have about 70 lbs of LR in mine. I used to have close to 170 then I cut it back so I could house a couple of larger fish and a few smaller ones.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6930193#post6930193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by I like Triggers
why would you cut back on it? you would definatly want MORE live rock in your system with more fish. they need hiding spots and places they can go to get away from everything. a lot of live rock is the key to managing a peaceful tank with aggressive predaters (that and feeding well)

You can place Live Rock in the sump but you shouldn't apply a reef tank principle to a FO or Fowlr tank. Your going to have nitrates in the tank with a lot of fish and heavy feeding but unlike a reef tank, where nitrates are very bad, it's not so in a FO or Fowlr tank. Water changes and a good skimmer will help just as much as putting in more live rock. Also because of the load in the tank you may need so much live rock you'll have no space left in your tank.

You don't need a lot of live rock in the tank to create hiding spaces you can actually have less rock and still have hiding spaces in the tank. Rock can be placed on the bottom or sides to create caves and opening, this will leave extra space in the tank for swimming room. Depending on how large the tank is swimming room is very important in a tank.
 
Thanks for all your input! I had a feeling that I was picking out fish that will end up growing too large for my tank.

So how about....

1.) Huma Huma Picasso Trigger
2.) Clown Trigger

??

If so, I have been reading about how feeder goldfish are not very healthy. What kinds of foods do you guys feed these two fish? Also, any live healthy feeder fish I can drop in there?
 
I would stay away from goldfish as they carry diseases and aren't good food for triggers. As for living food in general, I would stay away from it also as it creates problems in the tank, with fish becoming very aggressive and leads to problems of them attacking each other.

There are many alternatives of foods to be feed. Go to your local fish market and get Shrimp, Clams, Squid, Octopus, Silver sides, small fish and Urchins. Also feeding Formular I & II and mixing in some vitiamins would really cover everything you need to feed your fish and would provide a heathly diet for them.

If you get a small Huma Huma you should be fine in the tank for quite some time, they don't get as large as some of the other triggers and aren't as aggressive. Clown Triggers do grow some what faster and depending on the size of the Clown Trigger you get you could have it for a # of years in the tank but your going to eventually need to upgrade the tank. Also Clown Triggers need very good water quaility, low nitrates, than other triggers so you need to take that into account.
 
Generally it's not a good idea to mix Lion fish with Triggers or puffers as both will go after their fins and will stress out the Lion fish. Puffers would be fine, size wise in a 90gal, and depending on the type of Lion fish you may have to upgrade to a large tank as some Lion fish do get to be a pretty good size. As for Huma Huma it would be probably be ok for quite some time but would probably need a large tank down the road.

When talking about temperment and aggression you need to seperate the two things. An aggressive feeder mayn't be an aggressive fish and because of that mayn't do well with other very aggressive fish. Remember you need to think long term here and not short term, 1-3 years, as most of these fish have very long lifes, 10-20+ years, and their temperment will change as they get bigger, older and stake out their territory in the tank.
 
And to think that I always thoght of Lion fish as an aggressive fish that other fish did not want to mess with. It seems that there not many choices in aggresive fish to coexist with Lions.
 
The problem with Lion fish is that they will eat anything that will fit in their mouths, even the most aggressive trigger or grouper. So in some sense they're aggressive but if the fish is to large for the Lion fish to eat they'll actually co-exist pretty well. People keep Lion fish in community type tanks as long as the other fish are large enough not to be eaten.

But in a closed system, like a fish tank, they can be easily corner or attacked from behind and a piece taken out of their fins. All that and Lion fish for the most part just hang on the bottom of the tank and don't do a lot. So a Trigger, Puffer or eel are always risky tank mates.

Aggressive fish like Snappers, Squirrels, Grouper, SF eels and other Lions usually work well with Lion Fish.
 
I've kept triggers and lions together in the same tank for 4 years with no problem. It's up to you, but if that is what you want to do triggers and lions go good together.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6936855#post6936855 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TAZ316
I've kept triggers and lions together in the same tank for 4 years with no problem. It's up to you, but if that is what you want to do triggers and lions go good together.

Not a good match up and people should be made aware of what can and does happen. Specially as the trigger gets larger, and if your feeding them correctly them will grow very fast and very large.
 
If it's not good, then why do my two triggers not bother my volitan. I'm not being combative but I've had no trouble out of mine.
 
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