Mini Aggressive Tank

[slowburn22]

I've got a 28 gallon bowfront reef tank w/30 lbs live rock and about 30 lbs sand. As for filtration, I run an emperor 280 biowheel HOB with filter floss, and a filter medium cartridge. I usually add some carbon/phosphate remover here and there just for kicks in the cartridge. I skim it with an AquaC Remora HOB w/prefilter/drain fitting/MJ1200, and top that all off with a MaxiJet 900 for added flow.
Now before I get reamed, keep in mind that when I get back from Iraq this time next year I'll be upgrading to a 125 or better... My current stock list includes, 1 fuzzy dwarf lion, 1 scooter blenny, 1 firefish.... I was pretty happy with it but my lion likes to hide and I figure sooner or later she will make a meal out of the firefish. So today on a whim I bought a coral beauty angel and a small 6-8 inch snowflake eel to spice things up. I know I've got enough filtration to handle the load currently, but how do you guys think this little war will play out over the next 9 months? Like I said, I did it on a whim (I know, 1st mistake) but I'm looking for some constructive comments.

 

[slowburn22]

bump

 

[slowburn22]

I guess nobody cares about this post, but just incase someone ever actually reads it...
I took the eel back. It totally disrupted the balance of the tank and my wife hated it. Kinda sucks cause the only reason I bought the Coral Beauty was so she wouldnt say anything about the eel. Oh well.

 

[knichols0313]

I have an aggressive tank with a Black Lion, Panther Grouper, Humu Triger, and Niger Triger. We started out with a 29g, I know TINY! Alittle under a year later everybody was ready to move up. I don't know of very many aggressive fish that won't eat your blenny or firefish. Mine would LOVE them.
Now we have the 4 above; a damsel (dinner for somebody, had to have to cycle), and 2 Engineer Gobies (each about 8-10in).
Just remember that when you get the bigger fish like a lion and grouper anything that can fit in their mouth will be dinner! Trigers like to "dig" in the sand looking for food.
If you like eels but the lady doesn't I would suggest engineer goby. My fiance likes eels but we can't find one big enough for our tank, so our LFS suggested these guys we got 2 of them and they swim and play much more active than an eel. They normally are 1-2in but grow very quickly. And I LOVE them; I talked him into them and 24 hours later he loves them also.

 

[slowburn22]

Yeah, I'm hoping the lion wont eat the blenny, but I know the firefish is doomed. I'll have to check out those gobies when I upgrade... Right now Im maxed out. I also want to have some kind of schooling fish in the tank. Do you think full grown green chromis would survive in your tank?

 

[knichols0313]

The Lion and Panther would definitely eat them. But my Trigers would leave them alone. I'm pretty sure my lion just eat my last damsel. I don't know about what fish swim in schools. Our tank the fish have to be aleast 3in long and 3in tall. So we have to be careful about what we put in. The gobies were the first in 8 months. I forgot we have a soft shelled crab but we never see him and swims in the sand.

 

[slowburn22]

Thats the only reason I dont like HUGE fish... Your options are limited to other HUGE fish... I hope your lion did eat that damsel. Most of em need to be put in their place anyway.

 

[95harley]

Your new cute eel will get HUGE compared to that tank. I just moved my 25"+ Snowflake to my 240g. He is very active and big enough to make a 28g look stuffed. He also just ripped a back spine of a 10" Volitan OFF during feeding time.
My 2 cents are the eel may be cool and cute for now but he WILL cause you problems by either hurting someone or getting stung by your lion.

 

[slowburn22]

Yeah, I took the eel back. The little thing was mean as hell too. When I was trying to catch him he would bow up to me and open his mouth like he was going to do something. He had the whole tank disturbed. I think they would be pretty fun, but like you said... The tank was WAY to small and he had to go.