Sharks or Puffers/Triggers?

[techigirl78]

As I am rearranging some of my tanks, I'm planning on taking down my existing 125 and replacing it with at minimum a 180, but more likely around a 240. The existing 125 will be used as a sump. With rearrangements in tankmates, I'll be left with a blue regal tang, yellow tang, and coris wrasse.

At this point in planning, I'm stuck between planning for a bamboo shark or a porc/trigger mix for the future tank. I know that any choice must include the 3 fish that will be going into the new tank. I have just a few questions that may help decide.

Are sharks ok with decent size wrasses and vice versa? Mine is about 6" full grown.

Can a bamboo shark live a decent life in a 240gal? I may be able to go slightly larger, but I'd need to get out the tape measure. My blue tang at about 8" is in a 125 now, but it just seems it would be happier with a slightly larger tank. I want to make sure I don't get in the same situation a few years from now with a shark, though they don't seem to be as active as a tang.

Would a picasso trigger and porcupine puffer work together long term? With existing tankmates?

If you have been in a similar spot, what direction did you choose for a larger tank and why?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[reefer334]

Sharks are very cool but they are very in active.To me ounce the aweness goes away of owning a shark they are pretty boring especialy the ones that you can have in a smaller tank.I think a bamboo would be cramped in your new tank ounce it is full grown but it could be done in a 240,I am sur all of the so called shark experts will chime in and disagree with me so bewarned for bashers.I would got with your trig/puf idea and yes I think a humu humu trig and a pors puf will work fine with your current tankmates.I have about 15 sharks but I spend hardly anytime looking at there tank,I find myself in front of my fish only and my reef .I now have the sharks in a breeding setup,so hoprfully soon I will be supplying tank raised sharks to the public and wholesalers.I am currently breeding eppy's,gray bamboos,brown banded bamboos,horn sharks,white spot bamboos,marbled cat sharks,coral cat sharks and I am now looking for a pair of port jackson sharks.Good luck,Chris

 

[Neptune420]

I would definately go for the bamboo shark. You can keep them in a minimum of 180g so, a 240 would be a great home. You could put a couple small sharks an a 240. Triggers tend to be major nippers, it just depends on the individual. As for your tangs and wrasse, they should get along just fine. You could keep sharks, triggers and puffers int he same tank. The trigger is the only one to worry about nipping the sharks. Yes your tangs, wrasse, a puffer, and a trigger would be a good mix.

 

[reefer334]

If you have not tried reef keeping,it is very fun and you can have some very intresting stuff in them plus when corals outgrow your tank you can just frag them out.Maybe do a reef in your 125 as it sounde like it is pretty much there allready and do the predator tank in your new one.Just another oppinion, Chris

 

[baldomero]

ive seen the puffer and trigger your talking about together in the pet shop i dont think it should be a problem.

 

[limitedslip]

I had too many problems with a trigger/shark combo, the trigger tried to pick at the shark too much, and 3 picks, the trigger was gone. The porc pufffer however, worked perfectly fine with the bamboo I had. No problems whatsoever.

buy the shark as a baby or an egg, and raise it from there. I was able to house my 17 inch bamboo with a 1 inch clown, and they became tankmates (it was funny watching the clown try to bring aquadine to the shark). If you raise the shark to not have to work for food, it wont associate your fish as food.

heres a picture for a laugh (clown brining shark food)

 

[FishyMel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11574960#post11574960 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefer334
Sharks are very cool but they are very in active.To me ounce the aweness goes away of owning a shark they are pretty boring especialy the ones that you can have in a smaller tank.I think a bamboo would be cramped in your new tank ounce it is full grown but it could be done in a 240,I am sur all of the so called shark experts will chime in and disagree with me so bewarned for bashers.I would got with your trig/puf idea and yes I think a humu humu trig and a pors puf will work fine with your current tankmates.I have about 15 sharks but I spend hardly anytime looking at there tank,I find myself in front of my fish only and my reef .I now have the sharks in a breeding setup,so hoprfully soon I will be supplying tank raised sharks to the public and wholesalers.I am currently breeding eppy's,gray bamboos,brown banded bamboos,horn sharks,white spot bamboos,marbled cat sharks,coral cat sharks and I am now looking for a pair of port jackson sharks.Good luck,Chris

How expensive would one of your eppie eggs be?


I think you could do a shark, I'm really liking my marbled cat. Maybe consider a cortez ray, they are a ton of fun! Very interactive and social, even more so than a trigger!

 

[Jocephus]

reefer334

Do you have pics of your shark setup(s)? I looked through your gallery, but most of those are FO, and Reef. Just curious... Sorry for the hijack!

 

[reefer334]

Jocephus No pics yet,sorry.I am in the process of moving them now and getting there system dialed back in.I shuld have everything going good in a couple of months so I will post pics then. FishyMel As the rules state I cannot solicit any sales from reefcentral and that is not my intention.Plus I have not yet had any babies yet as it is a work in progress,I have 3 adult eppies 2 females and 1 male they are just now reaching maturity so ounce I get them moved and settled in to there new enviroment I am sure it will be only a matter of time before I start seeing eggs.They have done some attempeted breeding allready but no eggs yet.There are some pics in my gallery of them in action.Chris

 

[techigirl78]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11575002#post11575002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefer334
If you have not tried reef keeping,it is very fun and you can have some very intresting stuff in them plus when corals outgrow your tank you can just frag them out.Maybe do a reef in your 125 as it sounde like it is pretty much there allready and do the predator tank in your new one.Just another oppinion, Chris

I already have reef tanks. Don't really want the maintenance / upkeep required for a larger reef tank. I can deal with keeping water quality up, but I am pretty bad about regularly fragging corals. I'll probably have t-5s for the tank, but just to let some softies grow out completely.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11577040#post11577040 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by limitedslip
I had too many problems with a trigger/shark combo, the trigger tried to pick at the shark too much, and 3 picks, the trigger was gone. The porc pufffer however, worked perfectly fine with the bamboo I had. No problems whatsoever.

buy the shark as a baby or an egg, and raise it from there. I was able to house my 17 inch bamboo with a 1 inch clown, and they became tankmates (it was funny watching the clown try to bring aquadine to the shark). If you raise the shark to not have to work for food, it wont associate your fish as food.

heres a picture for a laugh (clown brining shark food)
[/B][/QUOTE]


Can you really keep porcupine with sharks? I thought puffers were like triggers and definite shark/ray no nos. Is the porc excluded from this general rule or do you think you just lucked out? I saw one thread where people were saying porcs are more reef safe then other puffers like dogface. Are they just less nippy? I could definitely go with a porc and shark/ray mix if possible.

Now I'm thinking maybe a ray instead of a shark. I thought only the blue spotted were available with bad track records and all, but if people have good luck with the cortez they look to be available. Could a ray go with a porc?

 

[limitedslip]

I wouldnt recommend a puffer and a ray. I was lucky with my combo of a ray/puffer, but most people have another experience, I am an oddity in that sense, Puffers enjoy the slime coat that a ray has all over its body, and usually tends to pick at the ray until the ray dies. Ive seen it happen, its not pretty.

If you keep a porc puffer well fed, It wont pick at your shark, Just try to get both young, and you can prevent alot of problem, Same with angel/shark combos. From personal experience (dont kill me with bashing, this is just my experience), Puffers can conform to their environment better than triggers. Such as feeding habits, preventing them from doing stuff, etc. If you raise a young puffer with a young shark, The shark will have no reason to see the puffer as food, and vice versa. Trigger I had seemed to go straight to instinct around the shark, whereas the puffer seemed to treat the shark like another fish and vice versa.

And whenever my puffer does something wrong, I give it a lil tap on hte head, and it knows to stop.

 

[techigirl78]

Probably just stick without a porc and shark / ray combo. Darn.

At this point, I'm think I'm going to look more into rays. I ordered Scott Michaels book.