Advice on stocking

[chopper320]

I currently have a 55g fowlr aquarium. Right now I have: 4 green chromis, 1 small maroon clown, 1 very small picasso trigger, and 1 snowflake eel. Do these sound like they will all work out when they grow bigger and does my tank have anymore room for anything else? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

 

[red lobster]

you could add a couple more fish 2-4 inches but remember they all need room to grow. Eventually the eel will outgrow the tank.

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says.......
Actually, it won't be the eel needed to be removed but the trigger will.The eel will be fine but the trigger will get to large and will need more room to grow. No more fish for now though. No matter what the size is. Give the fish room to grow. No hurry to jam a whole bunch of fish into a small tank so quickly.

 

[chopper320]

I appreciate the advice and I know you guys really know your stuff when it comes to swf I had one question though: I have a book called "Marine Fishes" and it states that a snowflake eel can be in a 30gal and that a picasso trigger can go in a 55 gal. Now is this book wrong or is it because I have both an eel and a picasso trigger? I know it will be awhile before they are fully grown and I will hopefully have a much bigger tank by then anyway. Just curious

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says........
Can they be kept in that small of a tank? Sure, they can. Are they going to be helthy, happy, and thriving? Of course they aren't. That book is telling you the BARE minimum that the fish can go in. Truthfully, you can get away with it for a little while, but eventually you will need a larger tank. I don't condone you getting anymore fish for the time being, though. Work with what you have until you get a bigger tank. Trust me, it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to salt-water aquariums.

 

[chopper320]

Thanks...I didn't figure I had room for anything else but I was just wondering. I hopefully will have a 150gal by this time next year. I am a college student and I am slowly setting aside a little money each week for that dream aquarium(I'm sure once I get a 150 there will be a new dream aquarium but I guess that's how it goes) Do you think this setup will be good enough for them to thrive for the next year to year and a half?
Thanks for all of your help!

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says.......
Yeah, it will be easy to keep it up for the next year and a half. Just keep good water quality and everything will be running smooth. Make sure you have a protien skimmer and some kind of water movement in the tank, too.

 

[yvetterich]

I would be careful with the eel. when he does grow a bit, so will his appetite. the chromis or clown could be a snack. If he seems to be getting a bit aggressive, I would move him out.

 

[chopper320]

I will keep an eye on the eel but as for now he is very peaceful w/ the other fish. It almost seems like he has buddied up w/ the chromis b/c they will swim right into a rock cave where he is resting and just hover around him. It's really interesting to watch!

 

[beth]

The adivse below was originally posted by member Justchillin in a duplicate thread which I deleted.

your trigger will out grow the 55...this is why you research fish BEFORE you buy them...
return the trigger or get a bigger tank...also the trigger will most likely attack the smaller fish in your tank once it gets bigger. the eel will be fine with it...maroons can survive with them too as long as there big enough and are introdced b4 the trigger(but not always)...never kept chromis but i would assume that they would be eatten by the trigger...
mike

 

[chopper320]

Beth- I did research before I bought him and I always do. I am very careful with my fish selection!! There are numerous web sites that claim they will do great in a 55gal. Also my book "Marine Fishes" states that they can be kept in a 55gal. I was asking advice and am very open to everybody's opinion and took Lion's opinion on upgrading tank sizes in the future very well, but I don't feel that I deserved to be questioned in my research of the fish.
Thanks