Jump to content

What cool fish can go in my new tank?


KarenM

Recommended Posts

Flame Hawkfish are generally considered to be the least aggressive of the hawks. I've had one for about 2 years and never once seen him pick at a snail or small crab or shrimp. Copperbanded butterflies need mysis before leaving the store, but have the added benefit of aptsia control. They can sometimes be hard on tube worms, but mine has left most of those alone since picking a little on each one's introduction - I have 3 coco worms and 2 feather dusters in with mine. I also have 5 pipefish in with about 30 other big eaters, but they seem to get their share, especially if I add "arctipods" and cyclops, or if I feed them at the same time as the others get pellets or nori or mini-mysis. Most of my big eaters (tangs, foxface, butterflies, wrasses) don't bother much with the arctipods, so they stay in the water column much longer, allowing the pipes to get a lot. I would second the candy hogfish as well, though. Pretty, and active, and well-behaved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My tank (that will be upgraded) now has a coral beauty angel, a flame angel, naso tang, yellow tang,

Dena

I just re-read this and realized you have 2 angels. I thought you could only have 1 angel per tank? (read this on another site that has real serious "alers" about it).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just re-read this and realized you have 2 angels. I thought you could only have 1 angel per tank? (read this on another site that has real serious "alers" about it).

Yup...got them at the same time. The guy at the store said that they would be okay if I introduced them at the same time. The first couple of days they chased each other around a little, and every once in a while they will do it, but otherwise they have been great together. I've got a lot of rock work for them to hide and sleep in also. I don't think I'd risk adding another one in with them though :yahoo:) I don't get lucky like that often. Joseph has two of the same fish and his CB killed his Flame.

D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Karen,

I got a Dsjarden (sp?) Sailfin tang from the 125 that I sold to you. I think it has to be my most favorite fish besides my True Perc. He is so active and fun to look at.. He eats from my hand, follows me around the tank. It is almost impossible to take a picture in my tank without getting him in it. IF i take a picture of my anemone, it looks like he has hosted to it.. lol...

So that is one fish that gets my vote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

never seemed to bother my snails, my tank is teaming with them! i was thinking about $20, but i won't be able to catch the hogfish for several more weeks. i'll LYK if your interested.

I'm interested. LMK when you're ready.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Karen,

I got a Dsjarden (sp?) Sailfin tang from the 125 that I sold to you. I think it has to be my most favorite fish besides my True Perc. He is so active and fun to look at.. He eats from my hand, follows me around the tank. It is almost impossible to take a picture in my tank without getting him in it. IF i take a picture of my anemone, it looks like he has hosted to it.. lol...

So that is one fish that gets my vote.

Why didn't you give me the fish when you gave me the tank? :yahoo: I'd love to have one of those, but it's a TANG and so many people are of the opinion that no tang can be happy in a 4' tank. Of course, just as many say they can. I'm leaning toward being open to having a SMALLER tang, one that grows up to about 6" (don't shoot me, Gabriel!), but a quick google says this fish gets up to 15" long. I don't want to be re-homing fish every year or so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, one of the LFS's has a hospital tank. They take in fish that have been mistreated and are missing fins, etc. They're for sale, but more importantly it gives the fish a chance to live out their lives being treated a little better. Most people don't look twice at them. The last time I was there they had a purple tang. Who knows if his fins will grow back fully, but I'm considering him because my tank would at least be better than the 40 gal he's in now. He's so beautiful and so graceful, I don't care if he has fins or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, one of the LFS's has a hospital tank. They take in fish that have been mistreated and are missing fins, etc. They're for sale, but more importantly it gives the fish a chance to live out their lives being treated a little better. Most people don't look twice at them. The last time I was there they had a purple tang. Who knows if his fins will grow back fully, but I'm considering him because my tank would at least be better than the 40 gal he's in now. He's so beautiful and so graceful, I don't care if he has fins or not.

I love tangs in general. They look my straight in the eye when I am at their level. They are super curious, and every time you rescape their environment, they LOVE to make a racetrack out of it. I always design my aquascape for my fish, not for me. In fact, I find that when I am trying to create cool spots for the tangs to wiz in and out of, my scape looks cooler than if I had designed it for my own personal viewing pleasure!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could get a juvenile clown tang... :yahoo:

Clown(Lined)TangWMTa_Ap8ST.jpg

I adore the clown tangs! They grow up to 11". But how fast do they grow? I don't know enough about fish to make a guess on that - do they reach their max size in 1 year or 8 years?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A clown tang will only end in heart ache.

I will agree with that, as most of them die VERY fast in captivity, mainly . The way I saw it though was like this. The store had it, and it was in a small "holding" tank if you will. I bought it in hoping to save it's life. :yahoo: I would not order one, no. Call around to see if someone has one and SAVE IT! <-- That is my problem when I go to fish stores, but I have saved alot of fish from crappy deaths!

Also, I would like to add that I have an insane (to most) amount of flow (the tangs LOVEEE it) in my tank, and although heavily stocked, I have a MUCH larger skimmer than needed which helps keep the water oxygenated enough to keep him/her/it happy. I also have two yellow tangs that can keep it's temper under control (for now). I am planning on a much lengthier tank here in the future, designed as a Tang raceway, but that is a ways out!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a purple tang would be pretty good for your tank. They stay pretty small.

"Rescuing" fish from an LFS is not really a good idea. Especially when it is a type that is known to be hard to keep. All that really does is encourage the store to order more. The one you save could lead to the death of 3 or more others. Something to think about.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love purple tangs! What store is that Karen? I tend to like those in "need"...reason why I do dog rescue.

My tang came with my first tank I bought on CL...he was beat up...fins are definitely not pretty, but he's healthy now. I love the little bugger...I try checking things out and he's right there in my face. When I move stuff around, he tries to pick the little hairs off my arms...little terd!

I just lost my Naso Tang...not sure why...about a week after a water change. Everything in the tank is perfect, but calcium was at 340...should have hurt him though. I was VERY upset. When I first got it, it would follow the other Tang around trying to make friends. Everyone would fluff their tail fins at him the first couple of days. I miss it :o(

I've attached a photo where you can see both my Angels together. Another the other is my PIA anenome that has cause my corals to be on 3/4 of the tank...it's lucky I like it.

Dena

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice tank, Dena! I had a flood of emails asking about the store with the 'hospital tank', and I hear the purple tang is no longer there. Too bad, because I just can't see myself spending $100 on a fish just yet. I still have to upgrade lights, powerheads, get more live rock, more cleanup crew, etc. I'm also considering a Kole Tang, I think they're gorgeous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I decided to give the foxface a try. I picked up a beautiful one this afternoon and he's been in the tank about 45 min to an hour. He's making himself right at home, swimming throughout the tank. But the odd thing is, after he swallows a mysis shrimp he makes this weird face, almost like he's gagging. Then he chases after another bite of food, makes the gagging face, etc. What's he doing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Making faces after he eats :lol:

I bought a cleaner wrasse today...haven't seen him after the lights got out. I also got a butterfly...the guy said he was the safest butterfly if I wanted to give one a try...so I said what the hell. He sold me the two angels and they are doing great together. My Tang chased this guy around a bit, but he'll leave him alone...he did that to the last newbie also. I don't have a photo, but grabbed this one off the net.

Dena

post-322-1193971789_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Making faces after he eats :lol:

I bought a cleaner wrasse today...haven't seen him after the lights got out. I also got a butterfly...the guy said he was the safest butterfly if I wanted to give one a try...so I said what the hell. He sold me the two angels and they are doing great together. My Tang chased this guy around a bit, but he'll leave him alone...he did that to the last newbie also. I don't have a photo, but grabbed this one off the net.

Dena

Beautiful! I'd like to try a copper banded butterfly someday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I know which store you're talking about with the purple tang... He was just put up for sale yesterday having completely recovered his dorsal. He is marked at $100, but remember your 10% discount, he's still available.

for the record though, the tank isn't a hospital tank so much as a maintenance tank, we house damaged fish in it that have a chance at recovery so that they can be sold to good homes, but it's primary purpose is housing fish and corals en route to one of our maintenance clients.

The blue tang in that tank is recovering from HLLE and the wounds on her face aren't contagious or dangerous to its tankmates, in fact her condition has improved substantially since we've been treating her, in another month or two she'll be back up to 100% also.

I also want to point out that we can't make deals on our "repaired" fish, reason being they don't come to us any cheaper, and we have to put a lot of effort into getting them healthy again, look at that purple tang today, you'd have no idea he didn't have a dorsal fin 6 months ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually it wasn't your store I was referring to but it's nice to know that you do allow wounded fish to recouperate rather than just letting them die. I was referring to a store in Round Rock that takes in all kinds of unwated/mistreated smaller pets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...