Aggressive vs. Coral

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onemorbeer

Guest
Can someone clarrify what "not reef safe" means? I have a niger, a volitan, and a lunare and I would like to put some corals in with them. All of these fish are reported to be "not reef safe" but if I've done my homework correctly, the lion is "not reef safe" because it will eat anything that will fit in its mouth. Does this include corals? I pose the question because there are threads that mention people having a lion in a reef and everything was fine. I understand that each fish is different and there are exceptions to every rule, but what is the norm when it comes to these three fish living with corals? Also, if I added a porcupine, will that be able to coexist with corals without devouring them?
 

mie

Active Member
Generally speaking it means they will eat crabs , snails, and shrimp not your corals. Now with that being said some fish will not mess with your crabs, snails, and shrimp but just pic at your zoo's and corals, It is usually depends on the type of fish. With a niger your gonna be ok with them in a reef in most cases, A lion however will eat shrimp and whatever fish it can fit in it's mouth. I think the wrasse will eat shrimp.
 
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emeralcrab

Guest
Most of them are CORAL safe. I have started putting corals in my aggressive 150, I have a humu humu, porc. puffer, two tangs, and a 3 spot domino. They leave the corals alone, my only problem with them is they get so excited when they feed they sometimes run into them or knock them over with their tails. They are getting quite large now. The fish that is. So I am going to move my rock back closer to the glass and then will have more room in front for their feeding frenzy.
I have hammer coral, polyps, zoos, mushrooms. In QT right now I have torch coral, grape coral, frog spawn, and some ric's and mushrooms that I will be placing in there. I have NO shrimp, snails, or crabs in there. I need to catch my BIG bristle worm out of my 30 reef and put in there for more of a clean up crew.
Good luck.
 

crashbandicoot

Active Member
There is a down side . With larger aggresives sometimes water guality is not as good as corals need . You have to keep a very close eye on perameters . otherwise corals could suffer and die and cause a crash .
 

2batrigger

Member
This is the most correct. The lunar will eat shrimps, crabs and snails of all kinds. In a
reef tank you really need a clean up crew and the lunar will devaste a clean up crew. The lion and niger will be fine though the niger my eat an occasion snail or crab but probly won't if you keep it well feed. With the lunar be prepare to alway be restocking your clean up crew. Lunars are very aggressive as well. Mine lives with a clown trigger and is quite fearless as i have seen it take pot shoots and bit my clown for no apparent reason and it always rips food out of the triggers mouth. A niger i had with it chased the lunar relentlessly for taking it's food with very little success.
Originally Posted by mie
http:///forum/post/2485817
Generally speaking it means they will eat crabs , snails, and shrimp not your corals. Now with that being said some fish will not mess with your crabs, snails, and shrimp but just pic at your zoo's and corals, It is usually depends on the type of fish. With a niger your gonna be ok with them in a reef in most cases, A lion however will eat shrimp and whatever fish it can fit in it's mouth. I think the wrasse will eat shrimp.
 

cars&sharks

Member
triggers will usually eat corals, shrimp, crabs, etc. i would never place that fish in a coral/ reef tank, even though ive heard that the niger trigger is the only trigger that can be placed in one. i wouldnt suggest it though.
Jake
 
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emeralcrab

Guest
My humu humu hasn't touch a one of my corals, and so far none of the other fish have bothered them either.
My water quality in the 150g aggressive is right on compared to my 55g reef. I am slowly switching things over into the 150g. Checked water tonight before I did water changes and the 150g was ammo 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate maybe on the low 5 side. I am battling nitrates in my 55g. And I feed my five aggressive fish heavy, but that tank has the best water quality. And hopefully everyone will leave the corals alone. So far so good.
 
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emeralcrab

Guest
I have polyps, zoo's, a rescued frogspawn and a rescued hammer, a big hairy mushroom, and a rock of green mushrooms. I will be adding, grape coral, torch coral, some more zoe's, more mushrooms, another frog spawn, some ric's.....so then we'll see, and a big green bubble tip anemone. I will watch and monitor them, if any nipping goes on, back to the 55g. Maybe if that happens I will have the 55g back under control.

My one problem with the humu humu is he is always picking up rocks and blowing them on everything.
 

cars&sharks

Member
Originally Posted by EmeralCrab
http:///forum/post/2490695
I have polyps, zoo's, a rescued frogspawn and a rescued hammer, a big hairy mushroom, and a rock of green mushrooms. I will be adding, grape coral, torch coral, some more zoe's, more mushrooms, another frog spawn, some ric's.....so then we'll see, and a big green bubble tip anemone. I will watch and monitor them, if any nipping goes on, back to the 55g. Maybe if that happens I will have the 55g back under control.

My one problem with the humu humu is he is always picking up rocks and blowing them on everything.

very nice, i hope everything goes as planned.. i have a friend that owns a lfs he says he has a trigger that pics up rocks and spits them out at the glass when he's hungry and when ever he walks into the room and looks into the tank...im assuming hes always hungry. lol.
good luck,
Jake
 

hammerhed7

Active Member
one thing many people don't take into consideration with these large fish being "reef safe" is the enormous bio load they produce, in addition to eating inverts and possibly corals
 
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emeralcrab

Guest
I only have 5 fish total in my 150g.
Tested water yesterday.
ammo 0
nitrite 0
nitrate less the 5ppm
I have way less trouble with this tank then my 55g reef.
 
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