Is it a problem if I cant point out a fish?

robertg

robertg

Member
O.K now that I enticed you to look at my thread with my dumb title name I need some help. I know absolutley nothing about tanks or saltwater fish. I have been reading alot on the sight but still havent had all my questions answered. I want certain types of fish but I dont know if there are compatable or not or if they are reef compatiable (whatever that means?) anyway here is the list of the fish I would like tell me what you think
-a serpent starfish of some kind or color
-a eel of any kind
-a few clown fish
-a sea horse
-a orange starfish
-maby another type of normal fish taking any recomendations on pretty fish
BTW im not looking at buying a tank that takes up my entire room just whatever will get the job done any help you can provide will be much appreciated.
 
sciknen

sciknen

Member
u shud try to get a moderator move this to the new hobbyist section...
but i dont think you could have a eel with a sea horse.
 
horsin1963

horsin1963

Member
Originally Posted by robertg
http:///forum/post/2528052
O.K now that I enticed you to look at my thread with my dumb title name I need some help. I know absolutley nothing about tanks or saltwater fish. I have been reading alot on the sight but still havent had all my questions answered. I want certain types of fish but I dont know if there are compatable or not or if they are reef compatiable (whatever that means?) anyway here is the list of the fish I would like tell me what you think
-a serpent starfish of some kind or color
-a eel of any kind
-a few clown fish
-a sea horse
-a orange starfish
-maby another type of normal fish taking any recomendations on pretty fish
BTW im not looking at buying a tank that takes up my entire room just whatever will get the job done any help you can provide will be much appreciated.

Well, to start off with "Reef Compatible" when talking about fish means the fish will or will not eat your Corals, Mushrooms etc. If your looking for a "fish only" with "live rock" tank you need only to be concerned with what fish will get along with each other
1. Starfish most of them that have cool colors are not reef safe. they like to eat corals and things--research the one you want.. my rec is a sand sifting starfish
2. eels, fish eaters for the most part, they may not do it when they are small but they will when they grow up.. again research the one you like, make shure he will get along with the fish you have.. they will also make a mess of your tank if and when they get big.. my rec dont do it at all unless thats all you want... no Ive started something... here come all the eel lovers .. I love them to but have not had gook luck with them
3. Clownfish, very cool fish get them young have fun watch them grow IMO a must for your tank.. cool to watch
4. Sea horse..... hmmmm.. well as they are neat fish I love them but I keep them it a small tank with nothing else but a treetype hard coral for a hitching post.... Not good thing for a big tank they dont like current
5. Orange starfish?? see number 1....I never had one
6. rec's good question not knowing your size tank. keep in mind what ever you put in your tank. It will grow, so check its adult size first make shure it will not outgrow your tank, fish compatibility is next...not know what you want to do with your tank or what size your room is cant recomend anything... Personally I would start with something around 75 to 90 gallons pre drilled with the overflows installed have a nice sump system below that will grow the benifical bacterial that you need for your system. about fourty lbs of rock, a real good lighting system, dont cut corners on that.. get it set up for a month. make shure it has cycled. ghost feed the tank durning the last week of the cycling time frame.. keep a eye on the water chem levels... and while your waiting for it to cycle thats the time to check on what type of fish you will want...
7...
I have a hard time trying to decide what fish I want to put into my tank and its 220 gallons... good luck choosing yours..
 
sk8shorty01

sk8shorty01

Active Member
I would definitely go with as large of a tank as you can fit, and also afford. The larger the tank, the more stable the water parameters will be, so that will help you out being new and all. Now to move on to your questions...
A starfish is always a cool addition to a tank, but the problem is that most of them feed on inverts (which includes all corals) so if you are planning on doing a reef tank then I would say that a star fish is out of the question. A sand sifting star might work, the only problem is that they need a lot of substrate (sand) to go through every day so a large tank is needed. By large I am talking probably in excess of 100 gallons. I would say to skip on the star unless you are getting one that is considered reef safe.
Eels are great additions to a tank in my opinion. If you are looking for a peaceful type of aquarium then my suggestion to you would be a Snowflake Eel. These guys stay relatively small (in eel terms about 2 feet) and are quite docile towards fish. As long as you keep them fed there should be no unwanted snacks taking place.
Clownfish are always a good addition to a tank as they are a "fan favorite". I would look into the Ocelleris (SP?) or a true percula clownfish. If you are going to get more than one then you need to buy the two clowns at the same time, and they should also be of the same species. This will be a pair of clowns and they should not fight with each other. If you don't get them at the same time you run the risk of them fighting all the time, eventually killing one of them.
A seahorse is not a good addition to a tank with fast moving fish. This is because the fish will outcompete it for food, and also will stress out the seahorse. They stalk their prey, so they take quite a while to get a bite to eat, which makes the food to hard to get when there are other fish gobbling it all up. Also, seahorses do not like anything more than a light water flow, and most tanks with fish need at least moderate flow in order to keep detritus from settling. I would pass on the seahorse if I was you.
Another fish that I would look into is the Midas Blenny. I think they have great personality and are also great fish for a community type tank. They are also quite colorful, you can see a picture of them on this website in the "fish" section. Depending on tank size you could also look into a Mandarin Dragonet. These creatures need a lot of copepods to live off of so they need a tank with at least 100 pounds of live rock to hunt for their meals. They also should only be added to tanks that are well established (probably about a year old).
Good luck and welcome to the hobby. If you have any more questions let us know, we are here to help!
 
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