Stuff I bought yesterday

[phastroh]

Yellow Fin Damsel - It is maybe 2 inches long but seems pretty big even though it isn't It seems taller than my other damsel.

Spotted Eel(Black and White) - It is awesome and I can feed it little live fish but I won't. I will be feeding it squid or shrimp. It gets 30" long and I will hopefully have a 200+ gallon tank in a year or so, so I should have time before it gets to big in the 80 Gallon Bowfront I have. I wanted this more than fish anyway.

Starfish - Don't know the kind but one is dark black/brown with orange highlights and the other is off white with orange/yellow throughout. They are pretty big like my hand size almost. They look so awesome and they just lay on the rock and they way the climb is so cool.

Green Emerald Crabs - I got 2 and finally I have crabs that like to come out and be seen. They have fought each other already and it is funny because the bigger one had the other up in the air shaking it but just tossed it and they seem to gobble up the stray squid fast unlike the hermit and snails that take forever. Great for quick scavenging. They look like little armored fighters. It was funny because my little daughter walked by and it came to the glass trying to pinch her and was following my finger with it's claw. Very interactive.

I have so many members in my clean up crew having 2 damsels should not be a problem. I have 2 anemones as well. Actually I will list my stuff below so you can tell me if it is bad or ok.

80 Gallon Tank w/23 Gallon Sump


1 Blue and yellow tailed damsel - 1 1/2 inch
1 Yellow finned damsel - 2 1/2 inch
1 Spotted Eel - 7 inches
2 Brittle Stars
2 big starfish
2 Emerald Green Crabs
7 Porcelain Crabs
2 Anemones
10-15 Hermits
10-15 Snails
1 Mantis Shrimp - Purple and cannot get it out of the tank.
1 Tiger Goby

I saw these fish that looked like eels but I can't remember the name of them that I want to get in a month or so. I also want 2 Cardinal fish in the future as well.

I have yet to even consider any Clowns or Tangs. Those will not be purchased more likely until the tank has been running for about 6-7 months.

I have to read up on the fish and how they will all get along. I am pretty much going to have to buy fish bigger than the Eel can eat.

No pics yet but maybe one day.

 

[Tron]

I would try to get the mantis out. Depending on its size it will try to eat pretty much everything in your tank.

 

[ErinCahir]

Also I assume when you say "spotted eel" you mean a Snowflake Eel. He will most likely go after your inverts. And there is also a chance he will go after your fish. I got rid of mine recently because he ate anything I added to the tank after him.

 

[phastroh]

Well I am keeping only fish he can't swallow and he is small now so good. I am hoping to get it on a constant diet so it knows when and what to eat.

I can only see a few smaller things in the tank it can eat but I guess I don't know for sure.

Do you think it will try to kill the Anemones or crabs?

As far as the Mantis I cannot get it out. I do not know where he resides and here noises from one place today and another tomorrow. I would keep it if I could but I may not. I would slap it in the refugium but then again I have to stick my hand in there sometimes.

 

[little_fish]

I think your tank is too short for any tangs, sorry

 

[ErinCahir]

You would be surprised what they can fit in their mouths. And even if he can't fit it in his mouth, he will try. I thought I had fish mine couldn't swallow, too. One day they would just be gone.
He won't go after the anemones, but he will go after the crabs.
And I had mine on a constant diet. He was eating six or seven silversides every three or four days. He still went after my fish. Just a warning.

 

[phastroh]

That sucks. Yeah it is 48" wide.

I see them in way smaller tanks than mine all the time but I don't really have to have them.

I saw a badarse trigger fish and was thinking that maybe I will just have that and feed him fish. I really like the other stuff much more anyway.

I do however want other fish for my daughter though.

Maybe when I get a bigger tank I will keep this with a small amount of rock for my Big Trig.

 

[phastroh]

Darn really, what a hog. haha

I hope he is just nice then. I have a smaller damsel in there right now and I am at work so now I am worried about him. I really like him/her.

It is about the size of 5 heads of the eel. The other damsel is 2 times that big.

That sucks about the crabs though. i hope they can get away. The Porcelains seem to nice to fight back and the Green Emeralds are so armored up I hope that helps.

 

[ErinCahir]

Snowflake eels are scavengers, however they also eat crabs, snails, and shrimp in the wild. Unlike other eels, they had blunt(er) teeth that are specifically made for crushing shells.
Like I said before, mine only bothered things that I added AFTER him. However any fish that is not doing well he will go after. They can "smell" it.
Research before buying is key.
Also your tank is too small for a trigger.

 

[little_fish]

You are right many people keep tangs in small tanks, but they usually just stress out and die. If you want to keep a tang long term and healthy they need a 6 foot tank.

Also your tank is too small for any triggers. I personally would not keep a trigger in anything smaller than a 125. They are super aggressive fish and putting them in a tank that is too small for them makes it even worse.

 

[phastroh]

I had always seen Eels in tanks with other stuff so when I went to the store I they didn't even say anything to me and I asked them about fish.

Basically they said don't buy fish it can swallow and told me what it eats and that I can train it to eat at the same spot if I tried but it wasn't 100%.

I told them what I had in my tank and they didn't say anything about the crabs or snails.

I wanted to let it grow and then have it really big in the future in a large tank but I guess it would eat everything in there.

 

[phastroh]

No if I was going to keep a Trigger it would be the only fish in the 80 Gallon Tank with maybe 40 pounds of rock and the sand of course.

 

[ErinCahir]

It wouldn't eat everything. There is a chance he will go after your stuff. I was just warning you.

And never ever trust LFS for research purposes. Ask us here or just use google to get a broader variety of answers. I had mine very happily in my tank until I tried to add new fish. He left my already established fish alone.

 

[phastroh]

Ok I will keep an eye out for missing stuff. Also I have glass cover but don't use them because my water used to stay at 77 not it is always 80. I have a lot more equipment running on the tank so I am sure that is why.

I just didn't want it trying to jump out. Maybe making a screen lid just to place over it.

I was going to build a custom fan enclosure for some over sized computer fans I have that plug into my wall to try to cool the water down.

 

[ErinCahir]

You're definitely going to need a very secure lid. VERY. They are quite the escape artists.

 

[phastroh]

I was just on Youtube checking out vids of the Eels and all of the tanks I see have not much rock while I have 160 pounds in my 80 Gallon tank.

I was saying yesterday that I was thinking of removing half and making some open areas but maybe I shouldn't.

Look at the pix here.

https://www.livingreefs.com/pix-my-anemone-and-other-things-t33221.html

 

[ErinCahir]

It is stacked pretty tight on the bottom there... he will be looking for tunnels and caves to hide in. He will also start moving stuff around to try to make those tunnels and caves if he doesn't find one he likes.
How secure are your rocks? They are a lot stronger than they look.

 

[phastroh]

Pretty good. I shake them when they are in place to make sure they are secure.

It doesn't mean they can't be moved by a determined creature but I think they are good.

If you were at my house looking at the tank you could see how deep they go and how mach room there is in the back. It has tons of places to go.

It really is a lot of rock. Like I said every time I see another tank they have nowhere near the rock. And I still have some in the sump.

It is like being at the reef minus the coral. I could have probably been okay with half the rock but every time I asked I got back from people that I need 1.5-2 pounds per gallon.

 

[ErinCahir]

That is definitely what you need. It will seem like less rock once you get some corals in there.
Biff has rock from practically top to bottom, and Smitty's tank is packed with rock, too.

 

[phastroh]

I had put in there 80 Dry and 80 Live and so with all the dry rock it takes up a lot of space. It was light as a feather compared to the live rock. There is a lot of swim space at the top as it it is on a slant.

I just like the open look as well. That is why if I ever get the 200gal I want a square tank. I love the Bow I just hate trying to look into the back from an angle you get dizzy haha.