Aggressive Reef. - Who has um? - I do. - Pictures.

[dina12]

Originally Posted by GRabbitt
Wow... A puffer in a reef.
And he's right next to a snail and a hermit.
And they're both still alive?
If I tried that with my puffer, I'd be left with a bunch of dead corals and empty shells!

Yes - they are still alive.....In the 2 years my Puffer has been in this tank - I have seen him eat 1 emerald crab...he was so proud of himself too. I do keep him very well fed - I never feed him anything that resembles any of his tank mates either.....
He has never messed with any of my corals - he even lets the cleaner shrimp clean him.....I have peppermint shrimp too......I just got very lucky with him. His personality is nothing like it is suppose to be.....

 

[reefstar22]

Well lets talk about how " bad my tank is "
The tank itself as a reef has been up and running for 3.4 years. I have never had any spikes/crashes..etc. The tank mates with the exception of my brand new fish (Ray/Trigger/Ray) have been doing well and eating with no problems. Most I have had for well over 2 years.
The new fish have been doing extremely well. - I have not considered them a success whatsoever, and have noted them as NEW fish. I have never said that they are etc. - I said they are fun new add ons.
The ray has been eating VERY well. - Has actually eaten out of my hand twice now. He is very active in the tank. - He spends a fair amount of time on the acrylic, and a fair amount of time swimming. Since It was suggested I give him more sand to lay in, I re-arranged my rock work in a higher direction vs the wide I had previously. - He now lays in my sand bed as much as he swims.
The eel has been doing very well. The second day I had him I attempted to feed him a silver side with no luck. - However 2 days later he ate one very happily. Less than 20 minutes ago he ate another one. - He is doing very well in the tank from my observations. He has found several wholes in my rocks to stick his head out of. - I see no need at this point for PVC pipe because of the style of rock work I have.
The blue throat trigger I added 3 days ago, has been hiding mostly, however in the mornings and evening he appears to be more active swimming in the tank. - I have observed him eat once the second day I had him, then again today just a few minutes ago he was more than happy to eat again.

Overall my tank and new fish are doing very well. - The new fish may or may not have been a good add in your opinion, but I have seen success in other tanks with such inhabitants. My tank for full grown animals is a bit small, however mine are not full grown. - As noted in another thread I am moving in a few months and I will be putting the animals in a 500 gallon tank. - Which will be brilliant.
-Also note, my tank is now stocked. - I have no intention of adding any other animals to my reef with the exception of corals.

 

[reefstar22]

Aggressive reefs have a bad taboo. Sometimes you have to go against the grain. - I have discussed the animals with the exception of the ray with several professionals. - They agree as full grown animals this would be a tough set up, but with the size the animals are now, and the direction I am going it should do well long term.
Thanks for the thoughts!

 

[angler man]

Originally Posted by dina12
Yes - they are still alive.....In the 2 years my Puffer has been in this tank - I have seen him eat 1 emerald crab...he was so proud of himself too. I do keep him very well fed - I never feed him anything that resembles any of his tank mates either.....
He has never messed with any of my corals - he even lets the cleaner shrimp clean him.....I have peppermint shrimp too......I just got very lucky with him. His personality is nothing like it is suppose to be.....
Unbelievable.

How large was your puffer when you bought him and what do you feed him exactly?

 

[donald]

I have no knoledge of aggressive fish. That said, I think that this hobby would be very drab and not nearly as interesting if no one "tried". In the begining all of us have done something that we look back on and think, " that was not smart" or " I wish I could go back and not buy that". Trial and error are the most absolute teachers. Bravo to thoes who step outside convention and expand our beloved hobby. I am not an expert, I am a student of saltwater, and my headmaster can be very unforgiving at times, but I have yet to make the same mistake twice, and that, in my book, is a success. I have asked for and gotten help from many people on this site and have tried to pass on the knoledge that I attained to others. I would hate to think that someone new to this hobby would hesitate to ask or share for fear of being judged harshly. Lets try to remember how we were when we started out.
Thanks
Donald