Will these fish coexist? Experience please

[Bellesfish]

Hi everyone, i hope this is in the correct place I wasn’t sure which area to post this in! I have come up with a stocklist of my top favourite fish for the new tank I am planning. I am experienced in saltwater and am just looking to see if anyone with experience with these particular fish can offer any information up or spot any problems I haven’t seen so far I have changed my mind from wanting a completely reef safe list to possibly a fishonly/cheap corals only!!
My list of most wanted is:
Clown trigger
Moorish idol
Emperor angel
Marine betta
Achilles tang
Fu manchu lionfish
Please bare in mind this will be a HUGE tank!! This is also not a definitive list and just has my current favourites!!
I have owned a moorish idol before and loved him so he is a firm favourite, the others are new to me although I do have a trigger and tangs at the moment and have experience with all sorts of fish but not any of the others specifically except the idol. I also keep harder to keep fish and corals in my 525 litre reef. So I would like to know anyone who has experience with any of these fish together and how it worked out. Or if you have kept one species on the list and have anything useful to share about them as well. Thankyou for taking the time to reply!!

[homer1475]

Marine betta will eat anything that fits in its mouth. Just keep that in mind when stocking and the fish you want adults size.

[Daltonbilecki]

Originally Posted by homer1475

Marine betta will eat anything that fits in its mouth. Just keep that in mind when stocking and the fish you want adults size.

Marine bettas actually only eat the smallest of fish and inverts, and are not as closely related to groupers than you think. Mine is unable to eat chromis, clowns, and other small fish of thag sort. All my shrimps are unharmed. Only clown gobies, firefish, neon gobies, and the tiniest of fish will be eaten. This guy is having a big tank with some big fish. Here’s a pic of mine



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[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by homer1475

Marine betta will eat anything that fits in its mouth. Just keep that in mind when stocking and the fish you want adults size.

Thankyou for the reply!! Will definitely keep in mind haha. Was planning on size order smallest to largest to go
Betta, clown trigger, emperor, Achilles, fu manchu and moorish idol and to add in first to last
Moorish idol, fu manchu, betta, Achilles, emperor and then clown

[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by Daltonbilecki

Marine bettas actually only eat the smallest of fish and inverts, and are not as closely related to groupers than you think. Mine is unable to eat chromis, clowns, and other small fish of thag sort. All my shrimps are unharmed. Only clown gobies, firefish, neon gobies, and the tiniest of fish will be eaten. This guy is having a big tank with some big fish. Here’s a pic of mine



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Ooo okay that’s interesting thankyiu for replying with your experience. Will plan on getting him small anyway but it’s good to know the others don’t have to worry too much about growing fast!!! Haha thanks for the photo as well what a beautiful fish

[Tripod1404]

Neither does mine eat fish that fits in its mouth. Half of my fish population would fit in his mouth, he doesnt try to eat any fish. Neither it tries to eat any cleaner shrimp.

In nature they eat shrimp and other crustaceans, not fish. But if the place you got the fish specifically fed it with live feeder fish, I would guess it would be more likely to eat a fish.

From that list, clown trigger and the lion fish would be more likely to eat small fish than the marine betta.

[Bobbitworm13]

Clown trigger is a bit risky, there are a lot of horror stories of them going crazy and attacking everything in the tank. I wouldn't suggest a fu man chu in a tank with large aggressive feeders like tangs triggers and angels. Fu man chus are pretty wimpy and are hard to get to eat anything other than live foods in a tank of peaceful fish. While it might work, the most likely situation is the fu gets outcompeted for food and starves

[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by Tripod1404

Neither does mine eat fish that fits in its mouth. Half of my fish population would fit in his mouth, he doesnt try to eat any fish. Neither it tries to eat any cleaner shrimp.

In nature they eat shrimp and other crustaceans, not fish. But if the place you got the fish specifically fed it with live feeder fish, I would guess it would be more likely to eat a fish.

From that list, clown trigger and the lion fish would be more likely to eat small fish than the marine betta.

That’s reassuring thankyou for the reply! I don’t think I would plan on adding any smaller or more passive fish as I have a reef already with all my favourite small and peaceful fish. Maybe a volitans lion although I know that sometimes lions and triggers can have problems which I thought may be reduced by a smaller more bottom dwelling lion like a fu manchu. The trigger I am on the fence about. I have a niger already and he is great. I keep him with fish like pink skunk clown, anthias, hawkfish, tiny damsels, chromis, leopard wrasse and even a shrimp and 2 urchins and feather dusters. I think I have gotten very lucky with him. On the other hand though I have had to remove 2 common occelearus he didn’t like and had one in his mouth :/ and also any small goby he will eat. Very peculiar. He eats full mussels and frozen thawed krill and even the occasional silverside that works its way into the chopped cubes yet has never even touched my tiny hawkfish or even spiny black urchin. Funny how they are all different. From what I understand though the clown trigger is on a whole other page though!! Can be completely nuts and some I have seen kept with all sorts even I wouldn’t risk!! I am still thinking about him and would start him small but there’s still that risk as he gets big I suppose. thanks again

[homer1475]

And my friends marine betta will eat anything that fits in its mouth, Just my experience and one of the reasons I decided against getting one.

I could see the correlation between feeding it feeder fish, or getting it used to pellets/flakes/frozen though, and why it might have an affinity to live fish as food.

[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by Bobbitworm13

Clown trigger is a bit risky, there are a lot of horror stories of them going crazy and attacking everything in the tank. I wouldn't suggest a fu man chu in a tank with large aggressive feeders like tangs triggers and angels. Fu man chus are pretty wimpy and are hard to get to eat anything other than live foods in a tank of peaceful fish. While it might work, the most likely situation is the fu gets outcompeted for food and starves

thankyou for the reply! I am definitely still wondering about the trigger!! I agev a niger so know what they can be like and clowns are defiantly a whole different level. I would hope to start small and have only much larger fish so he doesn’t try anything but still. Maybe a volitans lion although I know that sometimes lions and triggers can have problems which I thought may be reduced by a smaller more bottom dwelling lion like a fu manchu. I only ever buy fish that I have witnessed eat frozen thawed in the shop and my locals are great shops and will order in sizes Of fish I would need. Thankyou for taking the time to reply

[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by homer1475

And my friends marine betta will eat anything that fits in its mouth, Just my experience and one of the reasons I decided against getting one.

I could see the correlation between feeding it feeder fish, or getting it used to pellets/flakes/frozen though, and why it might have an affinity to live fish as food.

I suppose it’s never 100% is it with any species. If I do get one I will only purchase one that’s in a tank with other smaller fish at the store and if not then I guess I will know why it’s alone!!! I only feed frozen thawed and will only buy fish that I’ve seen eat frozen thawed in the shop anyway so hopefully they will already be weaned onto it but it’s never certain is it thanks again

[Tripod1404]

Originally Posted by Bellesfish

I suppose it’s never 100% is it with any species. If I do get one I will only purchase one that’s in a tank with other smaller fish at the store and if not then I guess I will know why it’s alone!!! I only feed frozen thawed and will only buy fish that I’ve seen eat frozen thawed in the shop anyway so hopefully they will already be weaned onto it but it’s never certain is it thanks again

For the list you have given. It will be the smallest fish in the tank except the lionfish. I doubt it can eat the lion fish even if it wanted to, that is a spiny poisonous fish.

I think the main issue with marine betta with those fish would be rarely seeing marine betta after adding it. MB is a shy fish that is nocturnal in nature, and with that many large aggressive fish, it will go fully nocturnal. In tanks with peaceful tank mates, it can get partially active during the day. So that you might occasional see it in the open, or around its cave. Or it might come out during feeding. But if there is large aggressive fish, it wont. For that reason feeding it will be hard as well.

[Queensreefer]

Avoid the clown trigger

[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by Queensreefer

Avoid the clown trigger

Yeah I’m still thinking about him, some people have no issues others it’s the worst thing they ever bought. Still wondering if it’s worth the risk

[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by Tripod1404

For the list you have given. It will be the smallest fish in the tank except the lionfish. I doubt it can eat the lion fish even if it wanted to, that is a spiny poisonous fish.

I think the main issue with marine betta with those fish would be rarely seeing marine betta after adding it. MB is a shy fish that is nocturnal in nature, and with that many large aggressive fish, it will go fully nocturnal. In tanks with peaceful tank mates, it can get partially active during the day. So that you might occasional see it in the open, or around its cave. Or it might come out during feeding. But if there is large aggressive fish, it wont. For that reason feeding it will be hard as well.

Ah okay then, maybe him and the moorish idol and a tang and the fu manchu perhaps then and scrap the others

[Daltonbilecki]

If you’re going aggressive, id suggest a puffer of some sort. Lots of personality and pretty passive


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[Bellesfish]

Originally Posted by Daltonbilecki

If you’re going aggressive, id suggest a puffer of some sort. Lots of personality and pretty passive


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Thanks for the suggestion!! I love puffers!! I have a blue spot Toby and had a white dogface puffer for ages! I would love a yellow dogface or a mappa