Compatible with P. imperator?

[realmling]

I've been doing some long term reasearch for a future SW tank to add to our family eventually, and one thing I know for sure is that it will house a Pomocanthus imperator. I have wanted one forever...and I come here regularly to stare longingly at the order page.

(never mind the moray pages....the husband just rolls his eyes when I start talking about them)
One thing I haven't really managed to figure out is what exactly can share tank space with one happily. I know no coral, or other easily snackable inverts like anemones, no other large angles and the like, but then what else can be tank neighbors?
My science nerd OCD wants to make it a strict Indian Ocean environment (and soon I can charge admission to visit my house, and have better signage than one aquarium we visited recently)....but that's a more flexible goal as long as things would be from relatively the same region. (Indo-pacific).
So uh, that's my introduction...figured I should stop lurking around.

 

[nicetry]

Much would depend on the tank size you select. Angels from this family can do well with some of the sturdier butterflies, wrasses, triggers, clowns, gobies, tangs, etc.. In most cases, the angel will be the boss of the tank, and as such will have free reign to chase pretty much anything. They can be pushy, but most likely won't bother small species. You'll see some assertive behavior towards butterflies, tangs and the like. Depending on what you plan to keep, it may be advisable to add the angel last.

 

[realmling]

I hadn't planned out any other fish yet because I wasn't sure quite where to start....but thank you for the list! I haven't settled on a tank size yet, but I have estimated around a minimum of 100 gal so far in my pre-pre-planning stage.

 

[nicetry]

Originally Posted by Realmling
http:///forum/post/2460842
I hadn't planned out any other fish yet because I wasn't sure quite where to start....but thank you for the list! I haven't settled on a tank size yet, but I have estimated around a minimum of 100 gal so far in my pre-pre-planning stage.

A tank in the 180 gallon range is a reasonable starting point if you plan to keep one of these larger angels. They're not terribly fast growing fish, but will use every bit of space and will need the room once they start to put some size on. More real estate can also keep aggression in check. Planning well in advance is commendable and will save you a lot of time, trouble and money when you're finally ready to get your system up.

 

[realmling]

Yeah, we may start with a smaller reef tank or something a bit simpler to get ourselves acclimated to SW life...and then move up to the larger system for the angel. Now I need to research some more on the other fish I'd be interested in having in a big tank. Have a list started, so I'm one step closer.
Right now we have fresh and brackish communities going so we're not lacking on fish, but variety is the spice of life.

 

[ccampbell57]

Here are my tank mates for my Emperor:

 

[stdreb27]

I'd think setting up a 220 or 250 gallon FOWLR tank would be easier than running a smaller reef tank. You could get away, with a huge skimmer, plenty of live rock, couple of wet drys, several power heads, a good skimmer, and religous water changes. A reef tank is just nuts in my mind.

 

[myerst22]

 

[realmling]

Well...we're a little limited on space for really big tanks currently. Though there is that funky alcove in the bedroom that could probably hold one. That's why I was considering a smaller SW tank to start with, but maybe a smaller FOWLR would be a better learning experience for us. I know reefs take a lot more maint and care in comparison.
It will be a bit before we add any more big aquariums to our place, as we really need to get our floors redone first (and I will never ever again live in a fixer-uper while fixing it up). I just prefer to really plan everything out and try to get as much data before jumping into something....which is the complete opposite of my husband. He generally researches after the fact.
Saw some Firefish Gobies at the LFS and fell in love with them too....would a pair of them work fine in a 55gal FOWLR with maybe a pair of clowns? (husband wants clowns) Four smaller fish in a smaller setup would probably be our best bet for right now.
Gah...and I forgot to say thank for the photos! Gives me something to look forward to!

 

[lesleybird]

If you only want to do a small tank then don't do an Emperor....they need at least a 180 gallon and at least a 90 gallon when less than 6 inches. Lesley

 

[aquaknight]

I think she's got her head on straight (she's waiting on an Emp.). A pair of firefish and a clown pair will be more then fine in a 55. Have you learned about the equipment and maintenance for SW aquariums yet?

 

[realmling]

I'm only thinking of starting off with a smaller tank and some smaller fish as we've never done SW before. When ready, we'd do a big setup for the Emperor. That part I have commited to memory.
The Emperor tank is my long term goal, but I don't know if I want to do it in our current building because the only place left for a large enough tank is the bedroom...and while I love fish, I don't know if I want to share sleeping space with them just yet. (because I don't think the husband would let me get rid of the downstairs tennants just to keep fish)

Edit --
I'm doing my research here and other sites figuring what all I need to get setup for our first step into SW. Looking into building our own first wet/dry sump soon, as we really should have one on our brackish tank anyway, so that will be the first learning experiment. Husband was bummed to learn the bubble bar has to go....but it can go to the 55gal fresh tank so he doesn't loose it completely.
I haven't done much on lighting yet, as I'm planning on just FOWLRs right now....figured everything else was a bit more important getting started first.