Are These Fish Compatible?

[karaim]

At first I was thinking of having a reef tank, but I am now looking towards the more aggressive fish and were wondering if they were compatible with each other and/or my tank size. I have a 125 gallon with live rock (about 100 pounds of live rock in the display and another 125 in the sump). I can move it around if necessary. Here is the fish list I was looking at. Some of these fish are very aggressive, while others are peaceful. I am not sure if the more peaceful fish will survive.

Koran Angelfish
Imperator Angelfish
Blue Tang (maybe too peaceful)??
Yellow Tang (maybe too peaceful)??
Niger Triggrfish
Ungulate Triggerfish
Banana Wrasse
Marina Betta
Yellow Goatfish (probably too big)??
Puffer (not sure which one yet)

Since I can't have inverts in this tank, is there a saltwater catfish of some sort that will clean up the bottom of my tank. I included the Yellow Goatfish in my list, but that one might be too huge.

Are there any other bright colored fish that I am missing?

 

[Pleccy]

I can see the tank being grossly overstocked, and many of the fish will be unsuitable. For a start the triggers and the angels will need a 2m tank and the Niger trigger (Odonus niger) can grow to 50cm/20", you will also have aggression problems. I would suggest that you re-think your proposed stocking and stick with fish that grow no bigger than 30cm/12".

 

[VictorMeldrew]

Some great fish mentioned there, but i have the same thoughts as Pleccy on this one

 

[karaim]

Thanks guys. I just wanted to make a few points. I wasn't thinking of getting all these fish - I will be choosing my fish from these and not getting all of them.

Also, according to liveaquaria.com, the Niger Trigger and Undulate Trigger will grow to 12 inches in captivity. I tried to keep all the fish around 12" (8" minimum and 15" max for the angelfish).

I realize there will also probably be aggression problems. I am doing research right now to see which fish are compatible. I was just curious if anyone had any thoughts regarding their compatibility.

 

[ben1987]

http/www.liveaquaria.com/general/compatibility_chart.cfm

some is down to the individual fish. Some fish of the same species can be fine some not.

 

[shibby]

undulate triggers are the very definition of aggresion! they will have no trouble beating and killing fish twice there size evil things!

marine betta may not be compatable with most either, they are notorious for getting there fins nipped of and look a very sorry state once that has happened!

picasso and niger sould be okay, and tangs arent really peaceful they can easily hold there own against bigger fish.

 

[SkiFletch]

Lets run down the list quickly with my own oppinions

Koran Angelfish - Great fish, MIGHT nip certain corals, not the best past say 2-3 yeas as it will get too big for a 125

Imperator Angelfish - Fantastic chioce. Rarely nips corals, and coud survive a while in that tank especially if you buy it young

Blue Tang (maybe too peaceful)?? - Good choice, may ultimately get too big for a 125, but that would be a few years down the road

Yellow Tang (maybe too peaceful)?? - Fantastic choice, don't be fooled, some can even get aggressive. Would live indefinitely in a 125

Niger Triggrfish - Fantastic choice, reef safe, and also lives just fine in a 125. warnings, not good with very small gobies or shrimp though

Ungulate Triggerfish - Poor choice. Epitome of aggression as mentioned, gets really big, and not very reef safe

Banana Wrasse - Poor choice. Extremely NOT reef safe and gets way too big for a 125

Marina Betta - Good choice. When full grown, make sure you don't have any fish smaller than say 4" with it cause they are predatory in that regard. Will also eat shrimp but fine with corals.

Yellow Goatfish (probably too big)?? - Which species do you mean here, a few could fit this common name?

Puffer (not sure which one yet) - Some would be ok, notably the valentini puffer. Most of them however will eat any crabs/shrimp/snails in the tank and some will even go after corals.

 

[karaim]

Lets run down the list quickly with my own oppinions

Koran Angelfish - Great fish, MIGHT nip certain corals, not the best past say 2-3 yeas as it will get too big for a 125

Imperator Angelfish - Fantastic chioce. Rarely nips corals, and coud survive a while in that tank especially if you buy it young

Blue Tang (maybe too peaceful)?? - Good choice, may ultimately get too big for a 125, but that would be a few years down the road

Yellow Tang (maybe too peaceful)?? - Fantastic choice, don't be fooled, some can even get aggressive. Would live indefinitely in a 125

Niger Triggrfish - Fantastic choice, reef safe, and also lives just fine in a 125. warnings, not good with very small gobies or shrimp though

Ungulate Triggerfish - Poor choice. Epitome of aggression as mentioned, gets really big, and not very reef safe

Banana Wrasse - Poor choice. Extremely NOT reef safe and gets way too big for a 125

Marina Betta - Good choice. When full grown, make sure you don't have any fish smaller than say 4" with it cause they are predatory in that regard. Will also eat shrimp but fine with corals.

Yellow Goatfish (probably too big)?? - Which species do you mean here, a few could fit this common name?

Puffer (not sure which one yet) - Some would be ok, notably the valentini puffer. Most of them however will eat any crabs/shrimp/snails in the tank and some will even go after corals.

Thanks for your help.

The yellow goatfish I am referring to is the Parupeneus cyclostoma. Here is a link: http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...&pcatid=689

Would any of these fish be incompatible with each other?

 

[Colin_T]

I wouldn't mix a koran & emperor angel in the same tank. They might be fine when small but will probably fight when mature.
Don't get an undulated trigger because it will kill everything when it matures.
Goatfish generally prefer to be in groups so one might stress.
There are a coulpe of marine catfish but many of them grow to a foot or more in length. If you want something to clean up the excess food then get rid of the triggers and get a couple of banded coral shrimp or some hermit crabs instead of the goatfish & catfish. Puffers will eat crustaceans and nip fins so should be avoided unless they are small peaceful types, (Valentini puffer).
Mainre Comets will also eat shrimp but a small comet with a pr of banded coral shrimp should be ok. Otherwise use hermit crabs and they shouldn't be touched by the Comet.

 

[karaim]

I have narrowed my list to the following fish:

Koran Angelfish
Blue Tang
Niger Triggerfish
Banana Wrasse
Spiny Box Puffer
Volitan Lionfish

I will NOT have any inverts or corals in this tank. Do these fish seem compatible with each other or will there be a problem with the over-aggressiveness of one of these fish? I seem to have selected more or less aggressive fish that grow aproximately equal in size.

One more question - are there any bottow-dwelling fish that can act as a clean up crew? I can't get inverts because these guys would eat them.

 

[Colin_T]

those fish should be fine together.
There aren't many fish besides catfish and goatfish that pick up food off the bottom.

 

[karaim]

those fish should be fine together.
There aren't many fish besides catfish and goatfish that pick up food off the bottom.

Thank you.

For the lionfish, I read that it is venomous. Will that be a problem to the other fish and potentially to myself?

 

[Colin_T]

People usually get stung by Lionfish when they are cleaning tanks or moving rocks. Some Lionfish will sit next to a rock and not move even when you put your hand in the tank. If you don't see the fish you can get stung. If you keep an eye on the fish and don't put your hands near it, you are unlikely to get stung. Be careful when handling them in a net because you can get stung that way too. I prefer to use a net and chase the fish into a small plastic container/ bucket. Then lift the fish out in the bucket.
Lionfish have venom sacs at the base of each fin ray. If pressure is applied to the top of the fin then venom is pushed up the spine and into your finger. The venom is protein based and breaks down quickly in hot water. If you get stung then you immerse the stung part in hot water, (be careful not to scald yourself) and leave it there for at least 30minutes. When the pain has gone you can go to the doctors and get the wound cleaned out to prevent infection setting in. Often it doesn't require medical attention but any wound from a marine animal should be cleaned well to prevent infection.

The other fish are unlikely to get stung by it.

 

[karaim]

People usually get stung by Lionfish when they are cleaning tanks or moving rocks. Some Lionfish will sit next to a rock and not move even when you put your hand in the tank. If you don't see the fish you can get stung. If you keep an eye on the fish and don't put your hands near it, you are unlikely to get stung. Be careful when handling them in a net because you can get stung that way too. I prefer to use a net and chase the fish into a small plastic container/ bucket. Then lift the fish out in the bucket.
Lionfish have venom sacs at the base of each fin ray. If pressure is applied to the top of the fin then venom is pushed up the spine and into your finger. The venom is protein based and breaks down quickly in hot water. If you get stung then you immerse the stung part in hot water, (be careful not to scald yourself) and leave it there for at least 30minutes. When the pain has gone you can go to the doctors and get the wound cleaned out to prevent infection setting in. Often it doesn't require medical attention but any wound from a marine animal should be cleaned well to prevent infection.

The other fish are unlikely to get stung by it.

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[karaim]

One more question, would a maroon or tomato clown be ok with the fish I listed above (the list is reproduced below)? I know that tomato/maroon clowns are aggressive, but they are MUCH smaller than the other fish I want. In time, when the other fish mature, would they kill the clowns?

Koran Angelfish
Blue Tang
Niger Triggerfish
Banana Wrasse
Spiny Box Puffer
Volitan Lionfish