Fish that should NOT be kept in your aquarium.

[Splendid]

What about bullheads?

[Stevenmi]

The entire genus Oxymonacanthus....

[Frankie]

good thread

[Splendid]

anyone no about bullheads

[wildbill36]

i have also heard never have triggers if you have skunk shrimp as cleaners cause to a tiggerfish it aint a doctor its a tasty and expensive meal .....oops "doh " if i would have read cougras post on the cleaner wrasse all the way through i would have seen that ...sorry cougra btw great knowledge is that article dont worry i will not have a cleaner wrasse .it bothers me greatly when i even think some one might be buying live rock that was part of a barrier reef til it was blasted away if it falls off natural fine but dont kill the sea ......
conservation is key to this enviroment and while we may take some out . to observe to study and to learn from we must also know that what we take wont be killing to oceans of the world .........lest we find ourselves the keepers of what once was and can never be again...cuz endangered means just that...... and extinct is gone forever.

[Cartman89]

Originally Posted by Splendid

anyone no about bullheads

What is the species name?

[dragonladylea]

Not a fish but Feather Starfish from all I have read are impossible to keep alive in a reef tank.

[Boomer]

Yes for sure and there are many other inverts

[su_mich]

is dragonets really not suitable for begineers guys?
coz from what i see, the fish that i m planning to add into my tank are on te list. i'm freaked out. i was thinking of keeping boxfish n also dragonets. is there any boxfish species that may be safe?

[jkhalliday76]

I'm a beginner and I've had my dragonette for quite some time now, he's fat and healthy as ever and I've only got a 20 gallon tank. He eats mysis and brine shrimp. I think there is a lot of misconception about them. He's not a mandarin, but he's a scooter blenny.

[lcstorc]

Scooter Blenneys seem to be a bit easier than most dragonets. I also have had one since the beginning of my reef and he is doing fabulous. From what I understand they are somewhat different or in a slightly different class. They can still be a challenge, but mine also eats prepared foods just fine and has grown and thrived in my system. Many people do however still consider them a difficult fish and there has to be a reason for that. I am guessing it is probably the difference between captive bred and wild caught, but that is just a guess.
Mandarins however, I have had a lot of trouble. I doubt I will ever try one again. I certainly will not until I have a well established fuge and probably not even then.

[Cougra]

Synchiropus ocellatus (Scooter Blenny)
Synchiropus stellatus (Red Scooter Blenny)
Synchiropus splendidus (Mandarin Goby)
Synchiropus picturatus (Spotted Mandarin Goby)

They are all members of the same genus and all of them need to be kept in a large mature tank. I know that you hear of exceptions where people are able to keep them in smaller tanks, or have the occassional individual eat prepared foods. While this is good, it doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of these fish slowly starve to death in captivity. While it's nice to hear reports of people who have kept them for more then a few months, it is really decieving for people who wish to go out and purchase one only to have it to starve to death. I admit that I have tried to keep both the Mandarin Goby and the Red Scooter Blenny, both specimens have starved to death in my tank. Neither one ever even tried to take prepared foods. Unfortunately this is true more often then not, this is why people should discourage their purchase unless someone has a large mature system with a refugium added and who are willing and able to purchase copepods should their system somehow be depleted of them.

[Witfull]

Michelle,,,you put into sucsinct words my rambling rants on this genus.

[Cougra]

Thanks Dave! I believe this is the first time my writting has ever been called succinct!

[Witfull]

ok,,,we agree,,even if we cannot spell~