What fish am I looking for????

Chago09 · 11/17/2009, 10:15 PM

ok I set up my 180 gallon(6foot) 7 weeks ago saturday. So almost at the 8 week mark and the water quality has been good for some time now so I added some fish from my 90 to build some more bacteria. My plan for this tank is to finally satisfy me. What I mean by that is I came from the South and Central American cichlid hobby before I got into SW. I have multiple 150+ gallon tanks and most housed a single large specie of central american cichlids. Basically I just loved the size and power of the animals. I love the aggression at feeding, not live but just see them really open wide and slam shut on forzen foods is something I always loved. And I loved the wet pet aspect of it all.

My wife wants to kill me because since I switched to SW I have been running only a 90 gallon reef (obvioulsy sinec a 90 gallon reef costs more than ten large FW tanks) I have never been satisfied and always seem bored. Buying more fish, trading them back in, buying more corals etc. So I have the reef for its relaxation and beauty but I set up the 180 for myself. What fish am I looking for??? please help I have looked far and wide and don't know.

I like something with size 8"+. I like nice colours(its Sw come on it has to be pretty) I want something with jaw power. I want something that will always be in my face when me or guests view the tank.

I honestly think a lionfish is the answer, but I must say no because the tank is a inwall with only back access and would be working blind which would be a bad idea.

Please folks give me ideas..... PLEASE stocking day is closely approaching and I don't have a clue.

Thanks

Crustman · 11/17/2009, 10:23 PM

I would get a Harlequin tusk wrasse for starters. Beautiful fish with jaw power.

Crustman · 11/17/2009, 10:28 PM

Get the Australian one.

Chago09 · 11/17/2009, 10:38 PM

crustman I like the suggestion and am reading up on them now. Do you own one? how is there growth? some hobbyist who have never raised cichlids say there tang grows fast, when really its takes a year to grow one inch. cichlids grow a inch a month. What would you say is the growth rate on a tusk?

Thanks

jjk_reef00 · 11/18/2009, 01:46 AM

Certain tangs do grow fast, more than 1 inch per month. It also depends on what you feed them. A lot of people don't feed them as much as they could because they are trying to maintain water quality in their reef.

I wouldn't get the lion fish. Cool looking but not active enough, and there are much better options (IMO).

Don't rush into stocking your tank because you will end up trading in your fish, etc...
A lot of the best fish your LFS may not carry but can order for you, or you can order them yourself.

Check out the Fish Only & Aggressive Tanks. I will refer to this forum as FOWLR (fish only with live rock). The FOWLR forum will give you a good idea about a lot of different fish you are looking for. You will also see different setups and how they mix different fish.
You may even want to post this question (or link to this page) in the FOWLR forum for a quicker response.

I did cichlids (still have 1 tank for them), and most of the aggressive ones must be kept in a species only tank. The nice thing about saltwater fish is that you can often mix some of the aggressive species as long as you research their compatibility with each other. (People in the FOWLR can help you determine compatibility between certain fish).

+1 on the Australian Harlequin tusk, blue tusks that eats like a pig, I'm guessing they will grow fast. I'm getting one on saturday and it looks like an awesome fish!

Crustman says start with the tusk fish because you will most likely have at least 3 really cool fish in your tank. Some others that you may find interesting:
Spanish hogfish (very much like a cichlid)
Scribbled rabbitfish (2 bared rabbitfish) - very cool spikes and it grows extremely fast if well fed (even more than my cichlids), it will easily eat an entire cube of frozen food all by himself, is a less aggressive but can be put in with more aggressive fish because of the spikes, I love mine it has really nice design http://www.freshmarine.com/scribbled-rabbitfish.html

Your 180 is too small for the larger angel fish (queen, emperor), but you may be able to have one of the smaller angel fish in there. Again ask the FOWLR section.
Porcupine puffer fish (your tank may be too small I don't know about the size of those fish)

If you only want to keep 1 fish you may be able to keep a grouper. I don't know if any stay small enough for your tank:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=grouper

The first thing I noticed when I switched from freshwater to saltwater is with 180 gallons I could keep just about any freshwater fish I wanted. I now have a 280 gallon saltwater tank, and still can't keep certain fish because they grow too big.

Also certain saltwater fish are much less tolerant of poor water quality. I would advise you to use quarantine tank on all your fish.

If you are interested in the bigger and messier fish, then you should invest in a good protein skimmer, and lots of live rock to help filter the tank. Protein skimmers don't have to be expensive to be good. There are people in the equipment forum who can help you select a good one once you decide on what fish you plan on keeping in the tank.

Sounds exciting, you should post pics/updates in the FOWLR forum.

jjk_reef00 · 11/18/2009, 01:49 AM

When setting up a FOWLR find the one fish that you "must have" and then choose tank mates that are compatible with that fish.

Chago09 · 11/18/2009, 08:06 AM

thanks jj

I have pretty much read everything on every fish LOL I have been reading so long. So I think I'll just keep running into my fav stores and wait until something really catches my eye. this may be the one time window shopping works. Plus I have one local store who is very smart businessman and puts 3 computers in his store so people don't ask a milion questions about every fish in every tank, they can simply look up right there. Smart guy!!

11/17/2009, 10:15 PM	#1
Chago09 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Georgetown Posts: 1,132	What fish am I looking for???? ok I set up my 180 gallon(6foot) 7 weeks ago saturday. So almost at the 8 week mark and the water quality has been good for some time now so I added some fish from my 90 to build some more bacteria. My plan for this tank is to finally satisfy me. What I mean by that is I came from the South and Central American cichlid hobby before I got into SW. I have multiple 150+ gallon tanks and most housed a single large specie of central american cichlids. Basically I just loved the size and power of the animals. I love the aggression at feeding, not live but just see them really open wide and slam shut on forzen foods is something I always loved. And I loved the wet pet aspect of it all. My wife wants to kill me because since I switched to SW I have been running only a 90 gallon reef (obvioulsy sinec a 90 gallon reef costs more than ten large FW tanks) I have never been satisfied and always seem bored. Buying more fish, trading them back in, buying more corals etc. So I have the reef for its relaxation and beauty but I set up the 180 for myself. What fish am I looking for??? please help I have looked far and wide and don't know. I like something with size 8"+. I like nice colours(its Sw come on it has to be pretty) I want something with jaw power. I want something that will always be in my face when me or guests view the tank. I honestly think a lionfish is the answer, but I must say no because the tank is a inwall with only back access and would be working blind which would be a bad idea. Please folks give me ideas..... PLEASE stocking day is closely approaching and I don't have a clue. Thanks __________________ Currently no tank!

11/17/2009, 10:23 PM	#2
Crustman Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Mobile, Alabama Posts: 941	I would get a Harlequin tusk wrasse for starters. Beautiful fish with jaw power. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: 65 gallon reef with 8 T-5's, ATI Blue Plus, Blue Special, KZ Fiji Purple, Vertex IN 100, phosphate and carbon reactor Coralife Turbo Sea Pump

11/17/2009, 10:28 PM	#3
Crustman Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Mobile, Alabama Posts: 941	Get the Australian one. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: 65 gallon reef with 8 T-5's, ATI Blue Plus, Blue Special, KZ Fiji Purple, Vertex IN 100, phosphate and carbon reactor Coralife Turbo Sea Pump

11/17/2009, 10:38 PM	#4
Chago09 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Georgetown Posts: 1,132	crustman I like the suggestion and am reading up on them now. Do you own one? how is there growth? some hobbyist who have never raised cichlids say there tang grows fast, when really its takes a year to grow one inch. cichlids grow a inch a month. What would you say is the growth rate on a tusk? Thanks __________________ Currently no tank!

11/18/2009, 08:06 AM	#7
Chago09 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Georgetown Posts: 1,132	thanks jj I have pretty much read everything on every fish LOL I have been reading so long. So I think I'll just keep running into my fav stores and wait until something really catches my eye. this may be the one time window shopping works. Plus I have one local store who is very smart businessman and puts 3 computers in his store so people don't ask a milion questions about every fish in every tank, they can simply look up right there. Smart guy!! __________________ Currently no tank!

11/18/2009, 01:46 AM	#5
jjk_reef00 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,476	Certain tangs do grow fast, more than 1 inch per month. It also depends on what you feed them. A lot of people don't feed them as much as they could because they are trying to maintain water quality in their reef. I wouldn't get the lion fish. Cool looking but not active enough, and there are much better options (IMO). Don't rush into stocking your tank because you will end up trading in your fish, etc... A lot of the best fish your LFS may not carry but can order for you, or you can order them yourself. Check out the Fish Only & Aggressive Tanks. I will refer to this forum as FOWLR (fish only with live rock). The FOWLR forum will give you a good idea about a lot of different fish you are looking for. You will also see different setups and how they mix different fish. You may even want to post this question (or link to this page) in the FOWLR forum for a quicker response. I did cichlids (still have 1 tank for them), and most of the aggressive ones must be kept in a species only tank. The nice thing about saltwater fish is that you can often mix some of the aggressive species as long as you research their compatibility with each other. (People in the FOWLR can help you determine compatibility between certain fish). +1 on the Australian Harlequin tusk, blue tusks that eats like a pig, I'm guessing they will grow fast. I'm getting one on saturday and it looks like an awesome fish! Crustman says start with the tusk fish because you will most likely have at least 3 really cool fish in your tank. Some others that you may find interesting: Spanish hogfish (very much like a cichlid) Scribbled rabbitfish (2 bared rabbitfish) - very cool spikes and it grows extremely fast if well fed (even more than my cichlids), it will easily eat an entire cube of frozen food all by himself, is a less aggressive but can be put in with more aggressive fish because of the spikes, I love mine it has really nice design http://www.freshmarine.com/scribbled-rabbitfish.html Your 180 is too small for the larger angel fish (queen, emperor), but you may be able to have one of the smaller angel fish in there. Again ask the FOWLR section. Porcupine puffer fish (your tank may be too small I don't know about the size of those fish) If you only want to keep 1 fish you may be able to keep a grouper. I don't know if any stay small enough for your tank: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=grouper The first thing I noticed when I switched from freshwater to saltwater is with 180 gallons I could keep just about any freshwater fish I wanted. I now have a 280 gallon saltwater tank, and still can't keep certain fish because they grow too big. Also certain saltwater fish are much less tolerant of poor water quality. I would advise you to use quarantine tank on all your fish. If you are interested in the bigger and messier fish, then you should invest in a good protein skimmer, and lots of live rock to help filter the tank. Protein skimmers don't have to be expensive to be good. There are people in the equipment forum who can help you select a good one once you decide on what fish you plan on keeping in the tank. Sounds exciting, you should post pics/updates in the FOWLR forum.

11/18/2009, 01:49 AM	#6
jjk_reef00 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,476	When setting up a FOWLR find the one fish that you "must have" and then choose tank mates that are compatible with that fish.