Community Marine Fish Suggestions

[snowclown]

Hi sam,
I have read articles like you about copperbands being fussy eaters, i have NEVER
had a problem with my copperbands, once they have eaten the aiptaisia (small pests) i fead them live brine shrimp, no problem
Now i dont wish to stir the water(no pun intended) but i am fed-up with seeing those "KEEP AWAY FROM THESE FISH" articles, however well intended they might be. I have read these articles in the past, and they have encouraged me to to prove them wrong I kept some of the most demanding of these so-called "no-no" fish, including Moorish idols, and i can tell you, i have never lost a fish to starvation, illness, or shock, (the only one being a damsel to a volitans)
So, if you wish to keep a shoal of marine pirahna(baracuda), then research them, find a marine supplier that you can trust, and buy them.
Please dont let people put you off who havent kept them before. Trust me , this hobby is a joy, not a headache.

 

[Musho3210]

you do understand that brine shrimp is quite un-nutritious right? Do you gut load them with phyto or something before feeding?

I see you Kept hard to keep species and didnt loose them to starvation or shock, but how did you lose them seeing that you only kept them?

 

[Puncture.uk]

Hi sam,
I have read articles like you about copperbands being fussy eaters, i have NEVER
had a problem with my copperbands, once they have eaten the aiptaisia (small pests) i fead them live brine shrimp, no problem
Now i dont wish to stir the water(no pun intended) but i am fed-up with seeing those "KEEP AWAY FROM THESE FISH" articles, however well intended they might be. I have read these articles in the past, and they have encouraged me to to prove them wrong I kept some of the most demanding of these so-called "no-no" fish, including Moorish idols, and i can tell you, i have never lost a fish to starvation, illness, or shock, (the only one being a damsel to a volitans)
So, if you wish to keep a shoal of marine pirahna(baracuda), then research them, find a marine supplier that you can trust, and buy them.
Please dont let people put you off who havent kept them before. Trust me , this hobby is a joy, not a headache.

Hi Snowclown,

Thank you for your advice I was recommended to get a Copperband to control Aiptasia in my tanks but after reading about they can be awkward feeders I opted for some JoesJuice and nuked them instead. They are without doubt pretty fish and I would like to look in to keeping them.
I'm not sure if you were using Baracuda simply as an example or whether you thought I wanted to keep them? I did mention Piranha but that was because I already keep a shoal of 5 Red-Bellied FW Piranha and a 6-7inch Black FW Piranha - They're great characters but I think I'll stop with them! - They get through a fortune of food!
I thank you for your advice and encouragement with regards to these fish and maybe with some more reading, planning and forethought I might stand a good chance of sucessfully keeping them

Sam

 

[snowclown]

Hi musho,
you was enquiring about my previous fish, and how i lost them! i fed them to my clown trigger

Hi sam,
I was indeed using the BARACUDA as an example ( not a bad idea though!)
I was trying to say to you, that the positive advice that you will receive, is mainly based on tried and tested FACT,and you will receive a lenghtly reply concerning the topic. On the other hand( or fin) the negative responses are usually based on hearsay(eg. he said, she said, that sort of thing) it can realy deflate your enthusiasm to embrace the challenge of keeping some of these magnificent marine creatures.
Now, i am not trying to ignite a debate on this issue, this is Sam,s forum, i am just passing on my own expeiriences.

 

[STD]

Hi sam,
I have read articles like you about copperbands being fussy eaters, i have NEVER
had a problem with my copperbands, once they have eaten the aiptaisia (small pests) i fead them live brine shrimp, no problem
Now i dont wish to stir the water(no pun intended) but i am fed-up with seeing those "KEEP AWAY FROM THESE FISH" articles, however well intended they might be. I have read these articles in the past, and they have encouraged me to to prove them wrong I kept some of the most demanding of these so-called "no-no" fish, including Moorish idols, and i can tell you, i have never lost a fish to starvation, illness, or shock, (the only one being a damsel to a volitans)
So, if you wish to keep a shoal of marine pirahna(baracuda), then research them, find a marine supplier that you can trust, and buy them.
Please dont let people put you off who havent kept them before. Trust me , this hobby is a joy, not a headache.

I would disagree

Copperbands have a lousy survival rate

I had one for 18 months but I know of loads of people who have had them and watch em die within a month

They certainly arent impossible but they arent easy either

 

[andywg]

Andywg,

You seem to be losing sleep over this. JUVENILE fish DO NOT need tanks suitable for adult specimens until they are ADULT. Just like my Piranha, when they look like they require a larger tank they will be given a larger tank!

The reason why I do not simply buy another 6 or 7 ft tank is because one is not needed yet! - There is absolutely no point preparing, heating and maintaining that much water if the fish are still small - Surely you have the intelligence understand that??

Having viewed some of your replies to other posts, you strike me as someone who enjoys the sound of their own voice... someone who likes to nit-pick with other people's opinions and views and probaby has some social issues to contend with. What a shame.
Why don't you print out a couple of pages from the forum and take them to bed tonight for a read? - Have a look at other people's attitudes and responses and compare them with your own.

I think it's best if I simply ignore your posts from now on.

Moving on.

STD...

Would you recommend any Trigger for a community tank?

Sam

andy, although i agree with you in some parts here, like upgrading is easier said than done etc, but what punkture said, i really cant help but agree.... I highlighted the part....

What, so I have social problems because I want to know exactly how this person will know when their fish need an upgrade? That's some smart deduction there

So far, for wanting to understand exactly how the OP will know when to upgrade I am a moron, stupid and suffer from social issues.

 

[shibby]

very interesting post so far...


i like STD would recomend a blue throat trigger brilliant fish can become quite tame as well and one of the more reefsafe.

i also like the picasso triggers though having only a mini one at the moment with the same intention of you gettign a bigger tank for it since its so small it would be lost, im ordering a custom built one its easy for me though since i working in a aquatics place get discount and even though im new to it all the people i work with have lots of connections.


another note on picassos is that they should be able to be kept with fish full size as long as the other fish are a similar size, at work we had two not sold in ages, tankmates theyve been kept with that i remeber so far are : snowflake, damsels, groupers, lionfish dwarf and volitans. i would say they are close to full gorwn, and very well behaved and pretty tame like a dog as they say!

its hard though since they all have different personalities.

 

[Puncture.uk]

[/quote]
So far, for wanting to understand exactly how the OP will know when to upgrade I am a moron, stupid and suffer from social issues.
[/quote]

I'm glad you admit it! I think it's time for you to have a moment of personal reflection. You talk to people like they're toddlers, fail to respect an opinion other that of your own and nit-pick at otherwise sound advice from other members. I've taken on board other people's opinions and help but do not tolerate 'Fish Gestapo' such as yourself.. it's funny, your avatar and the word 'Bully' now somehow seem quite apt!

Anyway.

Copperbands... Yay or Nay? I've read that they are easily spooked away from their food by other fish... even ones meaning no harm - true?

The Bluethroat is one I will definately be looking at - Thank you to those of you who suggested it

Do any of the fish we've spoken about so far eat / nip at Starfish (red, blue or bristle)?

Sam

 

[Lynden]

Jesus, I leave for a day and all hell breaks loose.

Copperbands... Yay or Nay? I've read that they are easily spooked away from their food by other fish... even ones meaning no harm - true?

If you can find one that is feeding (don't buy unless you SEE the fish eat) than it should prove to be hardy. I would recommend several butterflies over the copperband, and at the top of this list is the "normal" long nose Forcipiger flavissimus.

The Bluethroat is one I will definately be looking at - Thank you to those of you who suggested it

Any animal in the genera Melichthys, Xanthichthys, Odonus, and possibly Sufflamen is generally suitable for reef aquaria. Bluethroats (Xanthichthys) tend to do poorer than Melichthys and Odonus because they apparently live in high-flow areas in nature, but all can be hardy fare.

Do any of the fish we've spoken about so far eat / nip at Starfish (red, blue or bristle)?

Likely not. What is your final stocking decision?

Lastly, Andy is in my opinion one of our best people. When I first got on here we didn't exactly get along, but now I realize that his method of discussion is very effective, et cetera... and I would imagine it was a matter of me being immature.

 

[shibby]

yeh no one gets on with andy at first but you come to respect his knowledge and mature ways of putting points across!!


as for butterflys i agree with lynden on the longnose beautiful and fairly hardy as butterflys go!

 

[STD]

If you want a very easy and Reefsafe butterfly go for a Pyramid

 

[andywg]

So far, for wanting to understand exactly how the OP will know when to upgrade I am a moron, stupid and suffer from social issues.

I'm glad you admit it! I think it's time for you to have a moment of personal reflection. You talk to people like they're toddlers, fail to respect an opinion other that of your own and nit-pick at otherwise sound advice from other members. I've taken on board other people's opinions and help but do not tolerate 'Fish Gestapo' such as yourself.. it's funny, your avatar and the word 'Bully' now somehow seem quite apt!

Fish Gestapo? Good one. At this point I call Godwin's Law, and you have lost the argument.

Talk to people like they are toddlers? Point out to me where I have had to resort to personal insults to try and look big and macho on the internet.

Seriously, if you are going to keep a large tank, why not buy one now? There is little doubt that moving fish will stress them, why not reduce that stress? Just because you can do something, does not mean you should. Also, the tank you have now will not keep a number of the fish you are looking at for any great length of time, meaning you will not have a huge amount of time to upgrade. If you do not make a fairly large upgrade at that time then there will be the possibility of another change later.

As to personal reflection, perhaps you should consider cutting out the personal insults just because someone gives you advice you don't like. Seems to me you will only take on board the opinions of those that talk about stocking the tank with fish that will outgrow it. Anyone who says something different gets sarcastic comments followed by personal insults.

 

[Lynden]

Yup. Admittedly it's been far too long since I've seen one of these "arguments"...

What's really remarkable is that I'm not one participating in it.

 

[STD]

Have you considered getting the big tank now

1 big tank would be a lot easier to maintain than 3 small ones

 

[Puncture.uk]

Hi,

Lyden...

Thank you for your advice. I am not too sure of my final stocking decision yet... still comparing notes!

Andywg...

I can't believe I am still bothering with you to be honest! Won what arguement?.. This is exactly what I mean! I'm not repeating my opinions of you - Just re-read my other post.
My reference to the Nazi party refers to your 'I'm right, you, you and you ARE wrong' attitude, your avatar of ADOLF HITLER and the words 'a bully' underneath it - And yet you seem surprised at this and use some BS 'law' to try and defend yourself!

You obviously have some trouble with reading and understanding posts. Have another look at my reasons for NOT buying another tank YET and that should suffice.
Fish might get stressed when moving (you speak like I have never kept fish before!) but it's just one of those things (for instance moving to hospital tanks etc). Precautions can be taken to help reduce stress when moving and this does NOT include keeping very juvenile specimens in an adult tank.

You wrote..

As to personal reflection, perhaps you should consider cutting out the personal insults just because someone gives you advice you don't like. Seems to me you will only take on board the opinions of those that talk about stocking the tank with fish that will outgrow it. Anyone who says something different gets sarcastic comments followed by personal insults.

I will consider and respect anyone's opinion (take note!) who does not talk to me like a kid. Your very first words to me were 'Ummm, No!' or 'And how will you know when the time comes? Will your fish put a sign out?' - and you talk about sarcasm? Also, when the hell did I EVER say I would keep an 8" Clown Trigger in a 240L tank???

The list of fish I initially mentioned were ones that I was interested in. Rather than recommend / discuss / suggest you come in with a sarcastic, unhelpful post - Why don't you take a leaf from STD, Shibby or Lyden's book for example?

Maybe you should add a few titles on 'constructive criticism' or 'People Skills' to your reading lists!

Sam


STD...

One of the reasons why we are opting for 3 tanks is so that we can have two Reef set-ups (to contain small fish) in two other rooms. Leaving the main display for our living room. Also, some of the fish we wish to keep are incompatable with eachother.

Sam