How fast will these fish grow?

bsauer · 03-30-2006, 10:25 PM

I know that is a pretty broad question.

....but I am deciding on the livestock for my 125 gallon "agressive tank"...and I am thinking of starting them all off as juveniles (around 2-3 inches), so that I can watch them grow. Here's what I want:

(max length)
1 Spanish Hogfish ................... 12"
1 Dogface Puffer .....................13"
1 Emperor Angel ......................16"
1 Foxface ...............................9"
1 Princess Parrotfish..................14"
1 Volition Lion...........................15"
1 Harlequin Tuskfish...................10"
1 Lookdown..............................12"
1 Australian Blue Devil.................8"
1 Clown Trigger..........................19"
1 Blueline Grouper.......................14"
1 Purple tang..............................9"

Now...If they all start off at 3 inches and some grow faster that the others..i.e. the grouper and lion..I don't want to have any eaten fish.

I have searched the web trying to find a growth rate chart....or some individual info...and I can't find anything. Except "it depends on how much you feed them". Well that doesn't tell me much. I will feed some of them 2 to 3 x's a day, and the lion overy other day mabye.

Is there anyone out there that has any of this info or knows where to find it? It would be much appreciated.

Or if anyone has any comments or ideas on my fish community, feel free to tell me what you think. THANKS!!

gwen_o_lyn · 03-30-2006, 10:53 PM

Plan on doing serious water changes if you feed that much.

dobejazz · 03-30-2006, 11:26 PM

Are you planning on all of these fish for a 125?

bsauer · 03-30-2006, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwen_o_lyn

Plan on doing serious water changes if you feed that much.

Well, with the exception of the grouper and lion especially...I have read that the angel, puffer, parrot, harlequin, tang & trigger should be fed no fewer than 3 x per day..."Marine Fishes", by Scott W. Michael.

It doesn't mean they have to be full meals 3 x...just enough to keep em happy!

bsauer · 03-30-2006, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobejazz

Are you planning on all of these fish for a 125?

Yes. Am I going overboard?

Doug1 · 03-30-2006, 11:34 PM

pick any two fish from the list, preferably smaller ones and you may be OK, even if you can get half the fish on your list at the 2-3" size you cant keep them all at the same time without issues

Doug1 · 03-30-2006, 11:37 PM

If you throw a volitan lion in the mix, you will have a large lion soon and a hella expensive feed bill.
Seriously man this is not a good idea on so many levels

bsauer · 03-30-2006, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug1

pick any two fish from the list, preferably smaller ones and you may be OK, even if you can get half the fish on your list at the 2-3" size you cant keep them all at the same time without issues

So are you saying pick 2 to keep? Or pick 2 to get rid of?

I thought 125 was pretty accomodating?

bsauer · 03-30-2006, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug1

If you throw a volitan lion in the mix, you will have a large lion soon and a hella expensive feed bill.
Seriously man this is not a good idea on so many levels

YES! The lion and grouper were my main concerns. So are you saying they will grow the fastest? Or should I just scrap them alltogether?

bsauer · 03-30-2006, 11:55 PM

I thought I researched it pretty good...I chose all agressive fish...and the ones that are "fast agressive" will be smaller than the "slow agressive". And they will all be too big to fit in the mouths of the ambushers...(at adult size ofcourse). I also only chose one of each genus.

HELP...tell me what I should change!

Doug1 · 03-30-2006, 11:55 PM

Of the fish listed, the Lion and most Groupers are big piscavores, they will eat anything they can get in their mouths.
a 125g tank is big but you have to realize that its still a limited space when filled with salt water. Granted if the fish are gotten small you can crowd a lot of them in there but as they grow the territorial issues will come into play, SW fish as a rule need more space than FW fish. SW tanks hold less dissolved less oxygen than a freshwater tank, even with a sump and added surface and super skimming, but the down side is that in a power out situation the ox level will drop faster than a huey chopper with an RPG up its tailpipe
The other consideration is that large fish tend to eat a lot and as a result poop a lot, so you are back to the super skimmer and massive water change scenario to keep water params in the safe zone and lastly they need space to establish a comfort zone, without this a lot of fish will get stressed out and be prone to disease(natably tangs, foxface, large angels)
Bottom line you can have several of these together as juveniles but if they survive they will rapidly outgrow the space and life support system

bsauer · 03-30-2006, 11:59 PM

How do I know "how many is too many"? I really love large fish...but I'm more concerned with their health. Is there a rule of thumb for maximum stocking of larger fish?

Phishnoob · 03-31-2006, 02:16 AM

I am not sure what the current rule of thumb for inches per gallon or surface area is but that is a lot of fish.

I had two of them off your list in my 90g and it was plenty.

Loverotties · 03-31-2006, 06:13 AM

Are you going to have a big sump?

bsauer · 03-31-2006, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loverotties

Are you going to have a big sump?

I have a 19 gallon sump, a skimmer rated at 700GPH, my pump moves 1200GPH & 3 pwerheads @900GPH. 200LB LR & 200 LB Live Sand. And 384 watts PC lighting.

Yes I am now seriously thinking of reducing my # of fish. What if I cut it in half? Won't my combined turnover rate. rock & sand help considerably with the waste products?