Thoughts on fish choices

[jvaccari]

Hello, I was wondering if people could give me their advice or opinion on this topic.
I currently have a 90 gallon tank with a snowflake eel, green wolf eel, stars and stripe puffer, green bird wrasse, velvet damsel, and tomato and percula clown I wanted to potentially get a new tank around 210- 300 gallons. My snowflake is around 18 inches and you as you know they are almost blind fish and use there sense of smell. The eel does chase around the fish but he is too slow to get a hold of them. I was debating whether or not he would be a good idea to move into the new tank. I am afraid as he gets larger he can potentially get ahold of the fish. For the new tank I was planning on moving all the fish over getting a lion fish, a red snapper or a trigger and I was looking at the banded sharks. What do you think about these fish together? Any experience with them? I am NOT planning on putting all of them in the tank just want thoughts on compatibility and experience with them .

 

[wontonflip]

LOL Good thing you added that last note about not putting them in the same tank :) And since you're planning on a shark, of course the bigger the better!! Not sure about them all being together, since I'm expert at aggressive fish. I'm sure someone will chime in. Welcome to the site!

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...you could keep your current fish and add a lion and trigger if you like...I wouldn't put the shark in the tank with all the various aggressive fish though. You have to keep in mind that all those fish are aggressive, messy eaters, and could foul the water quickly, so as long as you have adequate filtration, and everyone have their own lil' territory, then you shouldn't have any issues IMO.

 

[OhNoNemo]

I have always heard/read that triggers and lions do not mix....the lion almost always ends up getting killed by the @#$% triggers....yeah,mine are @#$%......but i do love em:mrgreen:
I guess it depends on which trigger,but i was told years ago that humu's are good "community" triggs and one of the least aggressive,.....guess i got a @#$% then

 

[jvaccari]

Thank you for welcoming me and the helpful responses! What do you think of snow flake eels will it be a problem in the future as he gets larger? will those other fish be alright?

 

[Smitty]

Snowflake eels are generally reef safe, so they should be FO tank safe also. Every fish has it's own personality, but he should be ok in a tank with other tough fish as he gets bigger.

 

[Bifferwine]

I agree that the eels shouldn't be a problem if they are kept with other aggressive, large fish. It's a good thing you are thinking of upgrading! It sounds like you've got some awesome animals.

 

[Sharkie]

snowies are awesome <3 i love mine :3 it sounds really strange but as long as your eel has a place to hide and is being fed they won't do much moving which requires less of a tank size. I have my 18in' Kona in a 75 and he stays in his ONE rock. He has tons of caves I've made for him but he only likes one place.


At the aquarium where I work we have a 4ft eel in a 80g tank and he loves it. He never adapted well to the 500g eel tank so he's just been happily living in his little 80 with his cave and shrimp friends :) eels are pretty passive and as long as you keep him fed I doubt he'd ever go after a fish and eat it. Kona once in a while will chase a fish out of his hole, open his mouth aggressivly but then he just slithers back away. the fish are more aggresive than he is. lol. I can pet him and he doesn't even care-the fish bite me when i put my hands in the tank!


I would watch with a trigger/lionfish combo. Triggers (AND your puffer) can get super aggressive to slower moving fish and will kill them from nibbling.

Also, if you're gonna get a shark make sure there is TONS of swimming room. No rocks on the bottom, very fine small sand, and make sure you are feedig the guy from day 1. If I may suggest- get an egg case, watch it grow, handle and feed it by hand from day 1 and you'll have a great shark. I can say that with experience! :D

I've had 2 sharks (currently hatching my 3rd :D) as pets (just babies tho, they def wouldn't do well in my tank, i have a friend who's got a 500g that 1 of my sharks has gone to). My first shark I raised from an eggcase, She hatched and the typical on sharks is "the first thing they see they eat". This is going to sound completely bonkers, but she ate star polyps and as long as I had her, my star polyps were no more. it was strange but at the AQ they said that because she just ate that without knowing it wasn't mean (it was just moving and "alive") see associated that with food. I started hand feeding her shrimp and handling her from day 1. for the few months I had her (bamboo sharks, heck, any shark in general is hard to get and keep eating) she would just swim up to me when I had my hands in the tank and get petted :)


my 2nd shark however came from a store in japan town and she was already about a foot long. I had her less than a month and she pretty much ate every fish that could fit in her mouth. needless to say she was taken to my friends shark only system pretty quickly.


I'm now on my 2nd eggcase and 3rd shark :) This one I got was pretty much the size of a garden earthworm and is JUST developing eyes and gills. :) its such a neat process to watch and you really don't have to do anything until they hatch :)


but yea. watch the puffers and triggers with sharks or slower fish. My buddy had a puffer he rescued from craigslist and it ended up chewing the fins off of his sharks and basically eating them alive :( poor fish.

if you want any info on raising sharks tho, feel free to hit me up :D sharks are my favorite!!

 

[jvaccari]

Thanks for all the great helpful responses. I will let you guys know what i decide to do !