advice on restocking, fish compatibility

beach bum · 11-14-2001, 10:53 PM

Hello fellow fish friends,

Yes it's my first post

, but better late than never! Anyway, I had a serious loss two days ago. My 'centerpiece' fish, a Potter's Angel, got up close and personal with an aquaclear 402 while I was at work...

It's actually hard to talk about! I seriously loved that fish. So I need a little help sorting out what to do next. My main tank is a 50g FOWLR setup. It has a live sand substrate about two inches deep with 70lbs LR. The remaining fish are 1 scooter blenny and 2 juvenile skunk clownfish.
I am going to get a humahuma triggerfish, I have wanted one for quite some time. The question is what will it do to A) the skunks B) the blenny and c) the inverts (starfish specifically)? FYI, I have also JUST started an 18tall reef tank. It can't actually be called a reef yet, but it is fully cycled and contains a DSB with about 12lbs LR and 2 large feather dusters, that is all so far. I will move the cleaner shrimp to that tank certainly, but I don't really want to move more than one of my stars (2 serpent, 2 brittle) into it. Will the Huma make meals out of the others or should they go to the LFS? I have no problem moving the clowns to the 18 but will it be enough room? I was only planning on keeping mushroom corals, a couple leathers, and a goniopora it.
Anyone want to jump in? Thoughts? I'm open. (BTW I will provide it with a larger tank when the time comes, don't worry!)
And about that Petco thread - My first two fish eons ago were two oscars and a 10gal tank from petco bought at the same time no less! Now after taking care of those fish (I eventually moved them up to 50g then 100g) I have become a bonafide fish freak! 55g fresh, 50g salt, and 18g salt!

Thanks in advance for oh so needed experience/advice,
Chris

JennM · 11-15-2001, 06:29 AM

Sorry to hear about the potter's. I have a Coral Beauty I've had for about 18 months and I'm kinda attached....so I feel your pain. I'd be bummed if he died.

If you start with a very small Huma he should be ok with your other fish for a while, but as time goes by he'll be wanting to snack. Definitely move the cleaner shrimp, but if your other fish are big enough and your huma small enough you can get away with it for a bit.

The skunks would be fine in the 18, IMO but the scooter might not find enough food unless he's eating prepared foods.

Jenn

Spanky · 11-15-2001, 07:13 AM

Chris,

I don't have anything to add to what Jenn said. I just wanted to drop by and say

Jerel

Homer · 11-15-2001, 07:14 AM

Welcome Beach Bum,

You have come to the right place for your answers. This is the greatest group. I am still quite new, 5 month old tank, so I can't answer many questions, but many others will be happy to comment and help you out.

Once again, welcome to TRT

Homer

Brooke · 11-15-2001, 09:54 AM

Hi Beach Bum and Welcome!

The skunks should be ok in the 18...as long as you keep them as the only fish. They can potentially reach about 4". What kind of lighting are you going to have? Also, I would highly recommend that you not start reefing with a goniopora. We'd be happy to recommend corals suitable to the lighting you have that are much, much hardier.

Welcome!
Brooke

FishDaddy · 11-15-2001, 10:40 AM

Hi Beach Bum,

Glad you found us!
Before buying corals, I would highly recommend getting Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals. This book has great info and I consider it a "must have" for coral keepers.
As for your current 50 gal. setup, I would recommend adding another 2+" of sand. 4-6" of sand makes a very effective biofilter, though it will take many months to mature. Please see:
http://www.reefkeepers.org/faq/cache/33.html
If I had your tanks, I might rethink the direction for your plans. The 50 would make a fine Reef but a poor home for a Humuhumu. Since you recognize that a bigger tank will be needed as this fish grows, why not bring the 50 to a reef with your current fish and wait until you setup a 6' FOLWR for the Picasso? In that way, you could keep your shrimp and other crustacean clean-up critters in the 50 and avoid a Humu move later.
The 18 could be used to house some small fish and/or inverts that might not be "reef safe".

What lights, skimmer, etc. do you have on these tanks?

Again, Welcome to TRT!!!
Dick

David Grigor · 11-15-2001, 11:37 AM

So did you not have anykind of foam prefilter or strainer on your powerheads ?

Not familiar with AC powerheads but I do know Maxijets come with strainer to keep bigger things from getting caught into the impeller. I have a rose bubble tip anemone ( captive raised ), I added a foam prefilter onto the MJ so that suction doesn't suck in any tentacle if it wanders too close.............

Probably goes without saying but correct the problem first......

beach bum · 11-15-2001, 12:06 PM

Thanks for the replies,
Dick and Brooke, I will definitely check out the book you mentioned before deciding on any corals. The 18 has an eclipe1 hood with a CSL 32watt PC upgrade and a zoomed rotating powerhead for additional circulation - the 50 has a 2x65 watt CSL smartlight PC hood and 1x40 watt NO actinic, AquaC remora skimmer, emp.280 power filter, and a rio 1400 for circulation (the aquaclear is now paying pennance

circulating pre-mixed water in my Rubbermaid).
Dick, two reasons for the 50 being FO is 1) At this point fishkeeping is my goal, not reefkeeping 2) I set up the 18 to get my coral feet wet with mushroom corals and soft corals, fish were not in the plan by design, that why I could learn to meet the needs of (at least some)corals without interference.
It certainly seems that many of the SW fish need very large homes indeed. Sheesh, you would think they came from the ocean or something!

Chris

FishDaddy · 11-15-2001, 01:29 PM

Hey Chris,
I can tell you have given this a lot of thought and it's a good plan for your goals.
A verrrrry small Humuhumu wouldn't pose much threat to your Clowns and the Clowns would be much happier in the 50. A nice fish for the 50 would be a Cherub Pygmy Angel (Centropyge argi). I have one in my 55 and it is one of my favorites....a real beauty!
As for the 18, Here are some great links on keeping nano-reefs:
http://home1.gte.net/rhe1/nanoreef/frindex.htm
http://www.nano-reef.com/
And Brooke has some good links for small tanks on her original website:
http://people.mn.mediaone.net/bearthman/reef.html
A great article by J. Charles Delbeek about suitable fish for small aquariums is:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish/li...=&RecordNo=267
Oh, did I mention all the required reading for reefkeeping?

Dick