Aggressive fish selection

Like the fact that you are doing research on the animals you intend to keep. It is impossible to ask a fish whether its happy or not so it is best not to make those kind of judgements about other tanks you have seen. You have to look at the long term welfare of a fish and I am sure you would agree that a fish that gets a foot long needs ALOT of room to survive. Especially when it comes to tangs. They are swimmers that cover miles of ocean every day in the wild. Confining them in a small tank eventually leads to death and despair. The only thing that would bother the Maroon Clown I owned for over 20 years was a Grouper.He was returned to the LFS. They are great fish that can hold there own against most fish. There are alot of factors involved when mixing SW fish including the order of introduction, and species, as I am sure you are well aware by now.

 

As to the ribbon eel: I think that they're amazing and not too hard to care for, but I have heard that they grow to very large sizes and are very good at escaping aquariums. I have considered keeping one, but others have told me that they aren't the most suitable. concerning the lionfish, they are very interesting fish, the thing is that they usually have to be "handfed" (not literally) and may eat smaller tankmates. I appreciate the input however.

I'm not the expert(not sarcastic), but I believe that you may be overemphasizing the size issue. The tank is 60in. long and has plenty of swim-room lengthwise(the height is sacrificed), and I'm sure that the fish do appreciate that. You're suggesting that I wouldn't be able to maintain even a yellow tang or anything larger than about a dwarf angelfish, which seems quite discouraging. But I still appreciate the information

 

Thanks, yeah the blue hippo idea was just that, an idea. I have seen that they are very susceptible to infections when they are stressed such as hole in the head or ich, and I don't think i'd want to put all of the fish up to that.

 

you threw out an aggressive species wish list! Ya can edit it to a diff tank wish list. IMO A YT is fine in that but not with your current wish list.

 

I emphasize size requirements because it is the most important factor in determining whether you will be a successful aquarist or a dissapointed fish killer.And yes I am saying your tank is too small for any Tang but the ones I have mentioned.(DIDN'T SAY YOU COULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING BUT SOMETHING THE SIZE OF A DWARF ANGEL JUST COMENTED ON YOUR LIST)Some fish need more room then others regardless of there mature size.Its your tank and you can do what you like but its the animal that suffers when we are irresponsible and they pay the ultimate price. The loss of there life.

 

Well it's not a wish list in as much as it's simple brainstorming so that I know exactly the fish that I will add, once I begin stocking the tank. The yellow tang was just an example.

 

then why not say that to start?

By definition it was a wish list you tried to create!

 

Ok, I understand that you seek what in the best interest of the fish. I have gathered the information that I wanted from other, and more knowledgeable than myself, fish keepers. Thank you for the considerations, I'll try to compose an actual (better) stocking list keeping your comments in mind.

 

I tried to emphasize that I wasn't planing on keeping all of the fish, I only wanted to know about the experiences of other people with some of these fish i.e. what fish they do well with, if there was any particular problem with them, if they outgrow their tanks...

 

OK Good luck bro, and good night! Enjoy your reef!