I'm converting a tank from coral into something with Puffers/Triggers/Eels... so obviously these are not "reef safe" animals, but does anyone know if ANY types of coral have a chance of living with them? Maybe just a few mushrooms or some star polyps? Or will they get chewed up? Thanks.
Puffers/Triggers/Eels and any types of coral?
- Thread starter snorkel
- Start date
Morey eels don't have any interest in eating coral. Most will eat your small fish though.
I think you are pushing your luck to try and keep puffers with any sessile invertibrate.
As for triggers, it totally depends on the species. There are a few types that can behave in a reef tank.
I think you are pushing your luck to try and keep puffers with any sessile invertibrate.
As for triggers, it totally depends on the species. There are a few types that can behave in a reef tank.
Going with what Laura D said, some of these animals will not eat corals but will make you tank deviod of most life. I would find it hard to keep a reef healthy with those inhabitants eating everything they can fit in their mouth. Some types of eel do stay pretty small though. If you keep your fish large it would look pretty cool to have an eel swimming through a packed reef system.
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Some puffers are very bosterious and messy and don't make good coral tankmates. It can be done (I've seen porcupines in reefs), but I really wouldn't.
Triggers: well, anything with an upturned mouth is possible. Triggers like Clowns and Picassos, with their huge foward-facing mandibles, will chew up the rocks and anything in its path. Nigers and Crosshatches, with their upturned mouth, are safer.
By the way, this better be one big tank
All the fish you're inquiring about get very huge and demanding of space.
Triggers: well, anything with an upturned mouth is possible. Triggers like Clowns and Picassos, with their huge foward-facing mandibles, will chew up the rocks and anything in its path. Nigers and Crosshatches, with their upturned mouth, are safer.
By the way, this better be one big tank
All the fish you're inquiring about get very huge and demanding of space.reefann":1hiqll36 said:
The Rhinecanthus species are slow growers, and don't get very large by trigger standards. Both the huma huma and rectangulatus max out at around 10" in the wild, but it takes forever and a day for them to even get to 8" in captivity.
Jim
Yeah they're actually not bad at all if you put them in last, and they're the smallest fish in the tank. Even clowns do OK for a time if you do this, but they almost always have to be kept on thier own eventually.
The undulatus though takes the prize for not only the most aggressive trigger, but the most aggressive fish you can get - period. They are gorgeous though. One of these days I'm going to set up a dedicated tank for one.
Jim
The undulatus though takes the prize for not only the most aggressive trigger, but the most aggressive fish you can get - period.
They are gorgeous though. One of these days I'm going to set up a dedicated tank for one.Jim
I was recently informed that the Blue Throat Trigger was one of 3 reef friendly trigers (another was the Crosshatch and I can't recall the 3rd - it was a bright yellow color and had the same shape as the BT and CH). Notice I said friendly and not "safe", the feeding habits combined with increased bioload and eventual size might make this fish difficult depending on the size of tank it is in.
this is all very good info, thanks.
But is it likely that, say a crosshatch, would chew up star polyps and mushrooms to some extent, or would it probably just leave them alone?
All together the tank would consist of a crosshatch, like sized eel, mushrooms and star polyps in a 150 gallon tank with sixty pounds live rock, protein skimmer and wet dry. Sound reasonable?
But is it likely that, say a crosshatch, would chew up star polyps and mushrooms to some extent, or would it probably just leave them alone?
All together the tank would consist of a crosshatch, like sized eel, mushrooms and star polyps in a 150 gallon tank with sixty pounds live rock, protein skimmer and wet dry. Sound reasonable?
None, they are all extreemly difficult to keep, I.E. the ribbons etc. I have seen a dwarf Moray type eel, this may be a little hardier than the ribbon eels so commonly seen, but i think they come with a hefty price tag due to their rareity, and this inturn would suggest that those too are not one to be reccomended. If your really after a small eel, ask your LFS to get you a small one, and make sure theyll agree to take it back once youve got to grips with looking after it and growing it on a bit, then maybee swap it for a smaller species. Youll atleast be sure of having a good eel habitat, giving the smaller species a much better chance.
The trigger will not bother your mushrooms. In fact you can keep mushrooms with any trigger. The star polyps will be fine with this species of trigger as well. I think your tank will work out just fine, in fact you might want to try and introduce a crosshatch and a huma huma at the same time. The tank is big enough.
Jim
Jim
You can introduce the eel at any time, nothing really messes with them, and they are not aggressive at all themselves.
Another thing I neglected to mention in my last post, the 3 or more fish rule. (The eel doesn't figure in to this because he doesn't interact with the other fish in the typical way.) You may want to consider 3 fish instead of only two. The reason is that if one fish becomes slightly more dominant, (almost always happens) then he only has one other fish to focus his aggressions on if there are only two fish in the tank. If there are 3 or more fish, then his attentions are spread out amongst the other fish in the system. So, you may want to consider a crosshatch, a huma huma and a rectangulatus. The Rhinecanthus species tend to mix well together if introduced at the same time. So, you can introduce the crosshatch first, then introduce the huma huma and the rectangulatus together later. Or, add them all at the same time.
If you stick with two triggers, then definitely add them both at the same time.
You can also add for instance a niger trigger instead of the rectangulatus, but they get larger. The huma huma and rectagulatus (also assasi) triggers are great aquarium fish because they stay realatively small.
Jim
Another thing I neglected to mention in my last post, the 3 or more fish rule. (The eel doesn't figure in to this because he doesn't interact with the other fish in the typical way.) You may want to consider 3 fish instead of only two. The reason is that if one fish becomes slightly more dominant, (almost always happens) then he only has one other fish to focus his aggressions on if there are only two fish in the tank. If there are 3 or more fish, then his attentions are spread out amongst the other fish in the system. So, you may want to consider a crosshatch, a huma huma and a rectangulatus. The Rhinecanthus species tend to mix well together if introduced at the same time. So, you can introduce the crosshatch first, then introduce the huma huma and the rectangulatus together later. Or, add them all at the same time.
If you stick with two triggers, then definitely add them both at the same time.
You can also add for instance a niger trigger instead of the rectangulatus, but they get larger. The huma huma and rectagulatus (also assasi) triggers are great aquarium fish because they stay realatively small.
Jim
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