140g FOWLR setup 2/12/08 stocking help needed

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wbradenpt

Guest
FOWLR has been up and running for a few months now. So far all that is in tank is 1 small damsel and 1 niger trigger. thinking about adding a small lionfish, small porcupine puffer, and small clown trigger (thinking 1 per month). Any obvious problems here? Any suggestions about what order would be best to add the new fish? Thanks.
 
redman1221

redman1221

Member
Originally Posted by wbradenpt
http:///forum/post/2628453
FOWLR has been up and running for a few months now. So far all that is in tank is 1 small damsel and 1 niger trigger. thinking about adding a small lionfish, small porcupine puffer, and small clown trigger (thinking 1 per month). Any obvious problems here? Any suggestions about what order would be best to add the new fish? Thanks.
I would not get the lionfish if you have a trigger and you are planing to get another one. They will kill the lion and btw I would add the clown trigger last because they are mean from what I heard. Good luck
 
kjr_trig

kjr_trig

Active Member
Small Clown Trigger is fine....Problem is the small Clown Trigger will become a big Clown Trigger and likely use a Lion Fish as a chew toy. Clown's are big Triggers with the reputation for being fine for a year or two and then snapping and becoming killers....I would avoid this fish in a tank that small.
The "general rule" is that Lion don't often fair well with any Triggers and or big Puffers....There are of course exceptions to the rule, but they are very risky together. Lions are often thought of in "Aggressive" tanks because of their predatory nature.
Just my opinion, but I think you need to go back to the drawing board a bit and likely get rid of the Lion idea and look at what will go well with the Niger you already have.....1 big Wrasse, 1 Puffer, one more smaller Trigg (say Huma) might be a good start.
 
W

wbradenpt

Guest
are you talking something like a lunar wrasse? i hear they are pretty aggressive.
Originally Posted by kjr_trig
http:///forum/post/2628469
Small Clown Trigger is fine....Problem is the small Clown Trigger will become a big Clown Trigger and likely use a Lion Fish as a chew toy. Clown's are big Triggers with the reputation for being fine for a year or two and then snapping and becoming killers....I would avoid this fish in a tank that small.
The "general rule" is that Lion don't often fair well with any Triggers and or big Puffers....There are of course exceptions to the rule, but they are very risky together. Lions are often thought of in "Aggressive" tanks because of their predatory nature.
Just my opinion, but I think you need to go back to the drawing board a bit and likely get rid of the Lion idea and look at what will go well with the Niger you already have.....1 big Wrasse, 1 Puffer, one more smaller Trigg (say Huma) might be a good start.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Lunar Wrasse are aggressive, but your putting him with aggressive tank mates. They'll compete for food, but probably won't mess too much with each other. The really nasty aggressives(like the clown trigger) are the ones most likely to cause a problem.
 
xxxespoxxx

xxxespoxxx

Member
Originally Posted by kjr_trig
http:///forum/post/2628469
Small Clown Trigger is fine....Problem is the small Clown Trigger will become a big Clown Trigger and likely use a Lion Fish as a chew toy. Clown's are big Triggers with the reputation for being fine for a year or two and then snapping and becoming killers....I would avoid this fish in a tank that small.
The "general rule" is that Lion don't often fair well with any Triggers and or big Puffers....There are of course exceptions to the rule, but they are very risky together. Lions are often thought of in "Aggressive" tanks because of their predatory nature.
Just my opinion, but I think you need to go back to the drawing board a bit and likely get rid of the Lion idea and look at what will go well with the Niger you already have.....1 big Wrasse, 1 Puffer, one more smaller Trigg (say Huma) might be a good start.

I guess it all depends...I have 2 lions in my tank and a huge Picasso Trigger and there fine together....fins all in tact and no problems...plus the trigger has been in the tanks for 2 years and i just added the 2 lions in January...
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
You're right it does depend on each fishes temmperament. IMO it's better to err on the side of caution though otherwise you very well might end up with dead fish or fish you have to return due to aggression issues. Theres a reason Bob Fenner calls his book the CONSCIENTIOUS Marine Aquarist.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
I'm also on the side that doesn't like most triggers with lions. Your niger (I love these fish) will probably get quite aggressive as he grows; other folks have often point out that there seems to be a school of thought thaty says nigers are not typical triggers. IMO, they are. Nigers & humas are very plentiful and very cute little fish at the lfs; but they grow and usually become typical triggers. I also agree that any of the aggressive cigar-shaped wrasse would be good tankmates for the niger. BTW; ounce for ounce, you won't find a more aggressive fish than your damsel. I think the day may come when you want him out, or he gets eaten. CTs are incredible fish, but get huge and may be the nastiest fish commonly kept. Juvi CTs have a very poor survival rate; so if you do decide to get one, make sure he's a few inches long.
 
xxxespoxxx

xxxespoxxx

Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2633091
You're right it does depend on each fishes temmperament. IMO it's better to err on the side of caution though otherwise you very well might end up with dead fish or fish you have to return due to aggression issues. Theres a reason Bob Fenner calls his book the CONSCIENTIOUS Marine Aquarist.

ya i think i have to eventually get that and read it....but damn my lions are huge and such unpredicitble fish....bought both of them as babies maybe an inch...and at this time too my triiger was like 6" but anyway about the lions my smaller one only eats live food...but the other 1 the much more bigger 1 and keep in mind they were the same size when i purchased them eats everything from flakes pellets,brine shrimp,krill, seaweed and live foods...
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Well I'd imagine you, like many others, put them together without knowing any better. Mistakes happen and this long after the fact you're probably not any better off moving them around cause who knows what would happen then :) I just wouldn't recommend this combo to anyone in the planning stages.
Just to clarify what I said, and I realize this is an extreme example. You could take one of your kids and dangle them out a window and chances are they wouldn't come to any harm, but you wouldn't in good conscience do so(unless your name is Michael Jackson). Its taking an unnecessary risk and this is what you do when you put a Lion in with Triggers or Puffers. We have these fish as pets and we(assumably) care about them, so it doesn't make sense to intentionally put them in an extremely dangerous situation because of selfish reasons(aka they look cool together). This is meant as no offense to you(Espo) or anyone else currently keeping these types of fish together as I said mistakes happen(and often) in the fish world, but as a precaution to anyone considering this mix. I've read and heard too many horror stories about these to ever consider it something recommendable.
 
kjr_trig

kjr_trig

Active Member
Originally Posted by xXxEsPoxXx
http:///forum/post/2633078
I guess it all depends...I have 2 lions in my tank and a huge Picasso Trigger and there fine together....fins all in tact and no problems...plus the trigger has been in the tanks for 2 years and i just added the 2 lions in January...

This is why I said "The General Rule", I had a Huma for 5+ years that i'm certain would have been fine with Lions, I also had a Niger for about the same amount of time that I am certain would have torn a Lion to shreads....There are exceptions to every rule.
 
xxxespoxxx

xxxespoxxx

Member
Originally Posted by kjr_trig
http:///forum/post/2633118
This is why I said "The General Rule", I had a Huma for 5+ years that i'm certain would have been fine with Lions, I also had a Niger for about the same amount of time that I am certain would have torn a Lion to shreads....There are exceptions to every rule.
I had a Niger too once he was about 3" when i had him, and I had him in the tank with a lion...I did notice time to time bits of his wings missing but nothing drastic....but eventually that smart Niger I had decided to jump the tank
...hence why I got the humu...never had any aggressive issues with him...I got a puffer too in there with the lions and trigger ...but its a valentine(my favorite fish) so far ..and he is as peaceful as ever
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by kjr_trig
http:///forum/post/2633118
This is why I said "The General Rule", I had a Huma for 5+ years that i'm certain would have been fine with Lions, I also had a Niger for about the same amount of time that I am certain would have torn a Lion to shreads....There are exceptions to every rule.
On this forum; you can find someone who has kept every possible combination of fish successfully; thus, the term "General Rule". these "exceptions" often become "the rule"; because that's what we want to hear at the time. IMO, most of these "exceptions" have been rather short-term. Although I have seen triggers go postal after several years of being " nice, community fish". No matter what we do, we can't change a fish's genetic programming.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Ironically, the Canthigaster's(of which the Valentini is one) have probably the worst reputation out there as fin nippers.
 
xxxespoxxx

xxxespoxxx

Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2633145
Ironically, the Canthigaster's(of which the Valentini is one) have probably the worst reputation out there as fin nippers.
He's the smallest in the tank so i think he knows his role not to mess around!!or else he will be
to the bigger boiz in the tank
 
W

wbradenpt

Guest
is there a consensus as to whether it would be okay in this proposed mix?
also, i was thinking about the juvenile clown trigger available on this site. i guess it would be guaranteed to live at least 15 days... any additional insight as to the poor survivability rate that someone had previously mentioned?
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by wbradenpt
http:///forum/post/2633598
is there a consensus as to whether it would be okay in this proposed mix?
also, i was thinking about the juvenile clown trigger available on this site. i guess it would be guaranteed to live at least 15 days... any additional insight as to the poor survivability rate that someone had previously mentioned?
Any fish; once acclimated will probably live for 15 days; most losses occur during or shortly after shipping/ acclimation. I'll bet most hobbiests could keep a Moorish Idol alive for 15 days; it takes longer than that for them to starve to death. Even the SWF site has a strong warning on the juvi size of this fish. I'm the last one to ever put anyone on a guilt trip because a fish dies; but, IMO, your chances of long-term-success are ten-fold with a larger one.
There's a lot on this thread; if you want some more opinions, I'd suggest you start a new thread titled "juvi clown trigger" You should get more feedback.
 
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