Oddball / Predatory Tank Questions

[bane]

Just got back into the hobby after 3 years....

Got a 4 x 2 x 2.5 (feet) tank with:

Fish:

Miniata Grouper / Dwarf Lion (sigh not eating) / Emperor Angel / Maroon Clown / Longhorn Cowfish / Boxfish / Snowflake Eel

Soft Coral:

Mushrooms / Sponges / Leather

Questions :

will Zoos survive?

any ideas on what other fish to add? (i'm thinking triggers/ frogfish)....

Any thoughts are welcome.

[mengyang_neo]

Just got back into the hobby after 3 years....

Got a 4 x 2 x 2.5 (feet) tank with:

Fish:

Miniata Grouper / Dwarf Lion (sigh not eating) / Emperor Angel / Maroon Clown / Longhorn Cowfish / Boxfish / Snowflake Eel

Soft Coral:

Mushrooms / Sponges / Leather

Questions :

will Zoos survive?

any ideas on what other fish to add? (i'm thinking triggers/ frogfish)....

Any thoughts are welcome.

Hi welcome back,

for your questions, Since u have emperor angel, very high chance it will finish off your zoas, I think paly should be ok.

Triggers and frogfish should not be a problem, but u need to take note of your bio load, since most are big fishes.

[bane]

Sorry what's "paly" ??

Forgot I have a couple of goniopora and the Emperor is ignoring them......

really nice emperor i got - prefers pellets to live brine shrimp ! easy feeding.

Yah got a large skimmer in my sump.....

any tips on how to monitor too heavy a bioload / nitrate spike?

[nwyk153]

Porcupine/Dogface puffer, Yellowhead/Zebra Eel, Panther Grouper(love this fish), Clown Trigger, Tuskfish, Bamboo cat sharks, Rays.... Just some suggestions.

For heavy bioload/nitrate spikes; you can build a Refugium, run Rowaphos and do weekly water change.

[bane]

Nwyk153,

Porcupine - don't they get too big? believe only the short spine is small yah?

Dog Faced - maxes at 40cm + ? thats quite big also....

Panther Grouper - used to have one - it got to 30cm and started eating tankmates. hhaha

Zebra Eel - again too big , or should i mean too thick

Yellowhead - nice but colors too similar to snowflake

Clown Trigger - YES - looking for one !

Tusk - SAME !! Looking !!

Sharks and rays are out man .... too big .....

Btw - how to build a Refugium? And what is Rowaphos? (replying this on the road)

[nwyk153]

Nwyk153,

Porcupine - don't they get too big? believe only the short spine is small yah?

Dog Faced - maxes at 40cm + ? thats quite big also....

Panther Grouper - used to have one - it got to 30cm and started eating tankmates. hhaha

Zebra Eel - again too big , or should i mean too thick

Yellowhead - nice but colors too similar to snowflake

Clown Trigger - YES - looking for one !

Tusk - SAME !! Looking !!

Sharks and rays are out man .... too big .....

Btw - how to build a Refugium? And what is Rowaphos? (replying this on the road)

Agree, those fishes i listed will get too big, but there is always upgrade? LOL. If u using a sump w/ partitions then building a refugium is pretty easy. Read up on this forum. A lot of bros here build refugium in their sumps to control nutrients. Rowaphos is a media(?) that eliminate P04 and other stuff that you run in a reactor.

[bane]

Upgrade !? Hahhaha... Should have taken wife's initial offer to do a six footer tank.......

Dunno why I compromised on a smaller one !!!!

Anyways ... Added a bangai cardinal / juvenile radiata lion / warty frogfish... Hope the frogfish can be converted to frozen or dry food...

Had to fish out the dwarf lion cause it wasn't eating...not eating brine shrimp, frozen, even ghost shrimp... Gave it to ah beng

[FuEl]

Clown trigger may end up killing everything else.

[bane]

Clown trigger will be the last fish added in - and the smallest one which I can find....so should be okay....

Just added a Angler Frogfish (not eating) and Radiata Lionfish (not eating also) .... hiazzzz....

Btw anybody had experience with Lyretail Hogfish ? sites state that it eats coral ?? I have some soft coral so worried...otherwise I am keen on buying ...

[nwyk153]

Let the new fish adjust to their new environment for a week or two and they should start feeding soon. Try to soak the food in Seachem 'Entice' or 'Garlic Guard' if it still not feeding. No experience in Lyretail Hogfish, maybe other bro here can help?

[bane]

Yah hope the Warty Frogfish eats .... not cheap leh ....

Radiata is always missing...

Bought a Harlequin Tusk - started eating after 30 mins into the tank ?? Such a joy to buy.......

Yah not too sure about the Hogfish as well as every site states they eat coral - not gonna buy until I have reassurances from fellow keepers....

[FuEl]

Careful when the frogfish gets bigger. Lionfish are the favourite food of frogfish. Seen it happen in documentaries too many times, venomous spines are useless against frogfish.

[bane]

Dude the warty frogfish gets to 10 cm. No way it can eat a lionfish.

The largest frogfish is only 22 inches - maybe small lions....

Think you mean Scorpionfish - yah those make an easy meal of lionfish.

I just hope it EATS !!! Still ignoring the feeding-stick.....3 days liao.

[FuEl]

http://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/362810/lionfish-and-frogfish

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279271

Following documentary gives lots of insight, 21s the frogfish ate a lionfish as large as it.

http://www.oasishd.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=317:artseaofcreepymonsters&catid=22:cats&Itemid=3

[bane]

I stand corrected......

Great video link dude .....

Now you got me worried about my mini-radiata lionfish....

[nwyk153]

Yah hope the Warty Frogfish eats .... not cheap leh ....

Radiata is always missing...

Bought a Harlequin Tusk - started eating after 30 mins into the tank ?? Such a joy to buy.......

Yah not too sure about the Hogfish as well as every site states they eat coral - not gonna buy until I have reassurances from fellow keepers....

Usually what i do is quarantine my new fishes inside a beta box first and feed it from there. You may want to try that.

[bane]

I'm too kan cheong ---- i put them in straight !!

Hope the Frogfish eats soon....

The radiata is too small and its juz trying my luck - its only 2 inches long ....

Gave up on buying the Lyretail Hog liao - My Miniata Grouper doesn't like the Harlequin Tush so high chance it will whack the Hog as well....

[bane]

Bro FUEL ... You are SO correct.

I had 3 x Lionfish which AlL got eaten.

The small 2 inch Frogfish swallowed a Fu Manchu Lionfish..

My grouper killed a small Dwarf Lion

My moral eel ate a small Radiata Lion..

Sigh.. I am getting a Volitans Lion now. A BIG one.

[cutebarra77]

Bro FUEL ... You are SO correct.

I had 3 x Lionfish which AlL got eaten.

The small 2 inch Frogfish swallowed a Fu Manchu Lionfish..

My grouper killed a small Dwarf Lion

My moral eel ate a small Radiata Lion..

Sigh.. I am getting a Volitans Lion now. A BIG one.

Hi Bane,

are you serious abt getting a volitan?

I have a volitan (20cm from mouth to tail) and a spotted fin lion (15cm from mouth to tail) up for adoption.

They have been with me since July 2011 and I bought them from CF.

Giving them up as they are growing too fast (overfed by me) and my 3ft tank is getting too small for them...

BUT, they are feeding on live freshwater glass shrimps since day 1 and they may have been 'spoilt'.

Keen? I am willing to let them go for a can of heineken. Collection is ard Jurong West area.

Pics: http://funatfishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-volitany-spotty-lions.html

[bane]

Unfortunately I jus bought one a couple of hours after my post.....

Thanks for the offer though- question about your lion fish though : isn't it not advisable to feed them freshwater feeders ? I actually feed mine damsels...

[bane]

Unfortunately I jus bought one a couple of hours after my post.....

Thanks for the offer dust - question about your lion fish though : isn't it not advisable to feed them freshwater feeders ? I actually feed mine damsels...

[bane]

Apologies for the double post.

Still thinking if I should keep my frogfish..... The larger he gets the more likely he will swallow something else.... Sigh

Still looking for small clown trigger and that should be about it:

Miniata grouper

Harlequin tusk fish

Emperor angel

Maroon clown

Yellow box fish

Longhorn clownfish

Black boxfish

Cleaner wrasse

Volitans lion fish

Snowflake moray

Warty frogfish

Algae Blenny

[cutebarra77]

Unfortunately I jus bought one a couple of hours after my post.....

Thanks for the offer though- question about your lion fish though : isn't it not advisable to feed them freshwater feeders ? I actually feed mine damsels...

Wah! Your lion very lucky...eat 'restaurant' food everyday...mine go 'kopitiam' only.

Are there substantial research to prove that live freshwater food is no good? Fr nutrition angle, yes, everyday eat the same type of food has limited 'vitamins and minerals'...hence, I will bring my lions to go 'restaurant' once a month - chromis or damsels...

All the best with your new lion.

[bane]

I had a volitans before and I got lazy - fed him dried prawn/ freshwater feeders / frozen brine shrimp and even pellets !!

He went blind after about a year... Did some research and it was supposedly lack of marine nutrients or something.

Yah my grouper keeps picking on smaller fishes unless I feed him damsels... He killed 3 banggai cardinals already... Damn spoilt.

Anyways... Thanks for the offer again.....