Fishy Questions

[LilBunnyFooFoo]

Hello there!


I was wondering what you all would consider some good starter fish? I have a few ideas, but I am rather conflicted about some of them.


I've read that the Picasso Triggerfish is easy to take care of, but very aggressive toward other fish. I also read that they do not belong in reef environments because they will kill the reefs. So if I wanted to have a triggerfish, what could I put in the tank with him besides water?!

I am also interested in Dragonets but know almost nothing about them other than that they are gorgeous. What would be good tankmates for a Dragonet and how finicky are they?

I have 3 goals. 1) Not to kill the fish (must be hardy) 2) Not getting fish that will kill the fish (must be kind) and 3) Having corals (that the fish won't eat and kill).

I am going to look into getting some books this coming week, but any help that you all could extend would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[djbacon]

I'd advise against a trigger as a starter fish.

Go for clown fish, gobies, dottybacks, and blennies - all very hardy and reef safe

how big is your tank?

[wonderloss]

Triggers get big, and they get mean. Unless you have a very large tank, they are not a good choice.

Dragonets are also a bad starter fish. They need lots of pods that you only get when you have a well-established tank. Again, they need a big tank, just to maintain the food supply.

[Anselth]

Good starters, in my opinion, are, in no particular order:

Royal Grammas - Can be aggressive, add them after more docile fish
Gobies/firefish - Fun fish, most are very peaceful and hardy
Oscellaris Clowns - The quintessential starter fish. Hardy, interesting, and relatively peaceful

[phillsy4]

I have recently started a 150 predator tank about 4 months now.

i have a picasso approximately 4 inches and a green bird wrasse approx 5 inches the picasso is great my two fish get along well.

The best advice i can give is quarantine all new fish i had a real mess with ich, which led to loss of fish and a 6 week empty display tank,all caused by not quarantining new fish.

How big is your tank?

If you have a large tank triggers and other predatory fish make for good starters,that are very hardy

my list would include picasso trigger,porcupinepuffer,niger trigger,volitan lion,

[LilBunnyFooFoo]

Thanks for all your help! This will definitely help me with getting my tank underway. I think that clown fish would be a great idea. I read somewhere that if you get clowns, you have to get at least 2, is that right?

I also heard that with clowns you could set up a tank that is an eco system and is virtually care free. Anybody know anything about this? Thanks again for all your help!

[LilBunnyFooFoo]

Thanks for all your help! This will definitely help me with getting my tank underway. I think that clown fish would be a great idea. I read somewhere that if you get clowns, you have to get at least 2, is that right?

I also heard that with clowns you could set up a tank that is an eco system and is virtually care free. Anybody know anything about this? Thanks again for all your help!

[wonderloss]

Clowns can be perfectly happy on their own. Mine has been the only clown for a few years now.

I would be very wary of any claims of a care-free marine aquarium. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

[lcstorc]

My maroon clown has been alone for years without any problem. You don't need to have an anemone for them to host either. They will be perfectly happy without or hosting in a soft coral. My maroon has hosted in a number of corals through the years.
I don't think I would add a clown first because they get so territorial. Knowing the size and specs of the tank would help a lot but as long as you have an enclosed top I like the firefish idea. They are easy to keep as long as they can't jump out and are very passive so you can add more agressive fish later.
I would not believe anything about a care free tank. I have a 20g with a pair of clowns a RBTA and a couple of soft corals and I need to do maintenance on that tank just like the others. Actually a bit more because of the size of the tank.