I'm not scared...

nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
...to post a 6-pack of my fish only system. Most times I pop open a few fresh ones in the reef forum and tend to neglect my humble 'lil fish only system. The reef is extremely more diverse...but I truely like the appearence and selection in my fish only...I like both equally but in different ways!
Some folks may become irrate about the selection of fish...but this system seems to me at least to have reached a balance and is very stable.In time the individual fish may indeed become too large...but until then(if then) I honestly believe they will continue to thrive in their current environment.
I'm aware of the range of comments and critizism...but I firmly believe that the potential and possibilities of developing a marine system are virtually limitless. Some additions are indeed reckless and unwise...and can result in severe problems. I've seen all the fuss and arguement about keeping certain species in only certain size displays. Truth is for most a tang in a 58 gal display may not be a good choice. But I have a yellow tang that is over 2 years old... alive and well in this 58...he is healthy and shows no sign of stress or any other problems. He lives with a 2 year old condy anonome....plus a niger trigger(6 months old)...a formosa wrasse that is about 2 years old & rapidly changing to adult coloration...a single percula...and the runt.....my pygmy angel. The primary clean-up crew is 30 or so turbos(they are not bothered by my trigger and/or wrasse)...but any shrimp or crab stands little chance to survive!At one time this system had numerous worms...but they are severely reduced as were the scarlets by the formosa wrasse and probably by the trigger also. Snails seem to be not on the current menu...and there continues to be a diverse pod population that to this point seems unaffected by the predators.
Filtration consists of 50-60 lbs of Fiji live rock and a 6" DSB of assorted aragonite type sands(even about 20 lbs of playsand)...a hang on filter for now & then carbon application(plus additional circulation)...3 Maxi-Jet powerheads...and a CPR BacPac2r skimmer....lighting is a measely 2x30 watts of como NO lamps & a single 40 watt NO lamp....this lil display is virtually maintenance free and requires only a simple 10gal water change about once a month...weekly cleaning of the filter & skimmer...and absolutely no additives of any kind.
Before I show a few pics I know that this situation may not be a wise set-up for most folks...and I know that the combination of elements in my fish only "could" contribute to serious problems...and "no" I would not suggest that anybody/everybody develope a system based on what I have. I'm also well aware of the negative attitude/comments leveled at systems such as mine. But this I also know...this system is stable/mature/thriving and in my opinion thriving...it can be done...and the pics below show that it "is" being done with success to this point. But I should agree that to do this requires care and experience and a willingness to keep the system balanced and under control.
Enough of the talk.....enjoy the low quality pics!:cool:
The first pic is of the center of the rock formation...I intentionally have numerous caves and crevices thru-out the rock work and this one is front center. Not spectacular but kind of kewl I thought.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
Here is a look at my formosa wrasse....its tough for me to get a really good look at him on camera...it is constantly in motion...but origionally it was colored much like a percula clown and is progessively changing to adult coloration.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
Here is another pic of the wrasse...origionally this fish was in my reef as a juvinile...a gift from my wife...the first fish she bought "because it was pretty"...it was a major pest in the reef and was removed/relocated to the fish only. Needless to say my dear wife has not bought any new additions without asking first. In time this guy may indeed be removed and placed in a more appropiate home...but for now he continues to thrive...but will indeed be very closely monitored.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
Below is a decent look at my

[hr]
trigger and the formosa wrasse....all the fish(yellow tang/pygmy angel/percula/wrasse/trigger...peacefully co-exist with no sign of aggression ... but rest assured they are closely watched for sing of problems!
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
This big guy is my favorite...and has never shown any sign of the problems reported by those that swear no tang should ever be kept in anything less that a "75 gal or larger display"
Not a suggested choice for any/all systems granted...but this yellow tang is now 6"-7" in size...been here for over 2 years...remains healthy and stress free...and was added as a 2" infant.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
Last is another look at my yellow tang...again I know the current thoughts on keeping this tang in this system...and in most cases I would agree that its not a wise path to follow...but I believe there are no limits to the possibilities if proper care and stabality is provided....sometimes I think its not the species...but the system that matters most.:cool:
 
snakes'n'fish

snakes'n'fish

Member
Good look'n fish !! :) The formosa wrasse looks kinda like a coris but just a darker color. The niger is beautiful !! always good to see some eye candy before work.
 
bbuck_camelback

bbuck_camelback

Member
That Tang is huge! I think as long as he is happy and doing well, then there is no probelm. It`s cool to see a Yellow Tang that is bigger than a Trigger.
 
stacyt

stacyt

Active Member
Nice pics. I tried a red coris wrasse once, and he made short work of all my hermits. My trigger never bothered any of my hermits, or snails.
Does sound like a fairly well stocked tank, but I know that if any of the fish get to big I'm sure you'll upgrade, or find new homes for them. Not a setup I would recommend to the inexperienced hobbyist.
Here's some pics of my 240 FOWLR. It's got a problem with red slime algae, but I'm slowly getting it under control.
Current inhabitants are powder blue tang, yellow tang, coral beauty, velvet wrasse, fiji damsel, maroon clown, porc puffer, snowflake eel, and blue throat trigger.
Just lost my 1st fish yesterday. For some reason my majestic angel died. Water params are good, and I still havn't determined the cause of death. It was very sudden, but no other fish show any signs of disease, or infection. He was eating up until a couple of days ago. Yesterday he seemed to have lost his mind and was darting around the tank running into everything. Then he just started swimming upside down, and within a couple of hrs. he was dead. I'll just have to wait, and see if any other fish show any signs of problems, but this morning all appear to be healthy, and eating. Plan on doing a few water changes this week just to be on the safe side.
 
stacyt

stacyt

Active Member
Most of the fish are all very small. The largest is the powder blue, and velvet wrasse. They are both about 4". I lost track of the amount of LR in the display. I would guess about 300 lbs. I may rearrange the LR, and remove some later. I have a 55 gallon sump/refugium underneath the tank with about 75 lbs. or so of LR. I have a total of 3 hagen 802 powerheads, 1 302, and 1 other powerhead that I forgot the name of. The tank has 1 corner overflow, and my return pump is probably pushing about 900 gallons per hr. with the estimated head pressure.
 
jim672

jim672

Member
NMReef,
The trigger and tang are incredible!! I agree with what you're saying about, at times, the system can determine suitability, rather than the dimensions of the tank. Very wise indeed.
StacyT,
I'm soooooo envious of that tank! Your 4" fish are dwarfed by the size of that beauty!! All I can say is "Wow! I wish I had that!".
Jim
 
stacyt

stacyt

Active Member
Thanks for all the compliments. The bad things is the tank still seems pretty empty to me. I don't really have any plans for any new additions, but I may replace my angel in a month or so.
I've been getting the algae in check, Of course I want all the hair algae for the tangs, and the coral beauty. Here's some pics from this morning. It's slowly getting better, and I may add a cleanup crew sometime soon to help it along.
 
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